La Pierre d'Appel and La Tête de Répy from Étival-Clairefontaine

The route winds through the shade of the Côte de Répy massif. Pass by the Pierre d'Appel promontory to enjoy a sweeping view of Étival-Clairefontaine, then head towards the Tête de Répy with its observatory overlooking Raon l'Étape.

The route is dotted with numerous rocks, often with a bench where you can sit and enjoy the varied panoramic views.

Details

24138483
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.37 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 453 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 454 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 587 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 305 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The starting point is the small car park at the foot of the Pierre d'Appel in Étival-Clairefontaine.
Coming from Saint-Dié des Vosges, turn left onto Rue de l'Abbaye (towards Rambervillers), cross the railway line and pass the Clairefontaine paper mill on your right. Continue towards the abbey church, which you can see from a distance, then, immediately after the village centre, turn right onto Promenade de la Pierre d'Appel, a narrow road with a speed limit of 30 km/h. The car park is 800 m further on, on the left.

(S/E) Go through the barrier on the left of the information sign and take the forest road for 300 metres, leaving the return path on your left.
Then climb left onto the path marked Pierre d'Appel (Red Cross). The second part of the path requires a minimum of flexibility, as there are a few rocks to climb over. Shortly before reaching the summit, be careful not to continue straight ahead, but follow the path (Red Cross) which, at a certain point, climbs 180° to the right.

Note that there are several large rocks along this climb where you can take a break (including a bench).

(1) At the summit of the Pierre d'Appel, after enjoying the view, continue towards the Deuxième Sapinière (yellow disc).

(2) After a few minutes, you will see an information panel about the Celtic camp that was located here at the time. Take the path on the right, still heading towards Deuxième Sapinière (yellow disc).
At Deuxième Sapinière, you will see a small road with a car park. Ignore this and take the path opposite (Croix Rouge).
When you reach a picnic area, take the path on the left (Roche du Renard - Tête de Répy).

Continue in the same direction (Croix Rouge) until you reach Roche du Renard via a somewhat challenging stony road.

(3) At Roche du Renard, take the path that climbs immediately to the left, signposted Tête de Répy.

(4) Arrival at Tête de Répy (580 m). Orientation table. View of Raon l'Étape.

Continue towards Roche du Coucou (yellow disc), which you will see on your left after a few minutes.

(5) Pass under a high-voltage power line with its huge pylon.

After Roche des Corbeaux, continue (blue cross) and don't miss a small path on the left (marked with a blue diamond and green ring). Confirmation of the markings (blue cross) 10 m further on.

Continue and pass in front of the Chaudron des Fées on the right.

(6) At the bottom of the descent (Bellevue crossroads), continue straight ahead and then climb the path on the left towards Pierre d'Appel (Blue Cross).

(7) When you reach a mobile phone mast, take the path that branches off immediately to the right (red ring, yellow disc).

Note that at this antenna, you can see the information sign about the Celtic camp that you saw on the way there (the Pierre d'Appel promontory is 300 m further on).

Continue to the right, following the same markings, on this path which descends and leads to a forest road. After 200 m, the path continues downhill to the left (towards Roche du Bouc, Blue Triangle).

(8) La Roche du Bouc. A bench with a view of Étival-Clairefontaine.

Continue downhill until you reach a crossroads. Continue right towards Beaulieu (blue triangle).

(9) At the bottom of the trail, turn left towards Étival (red triangle). You are now on the fitness trail (also marked with a green disc).

(10) Stay on the fitness trail by turning left (ignore the wide unmarked path that goes straight towards Étival).

Continue for 250 metres until you reach another crossroads.

(11) Go straight down the hill (green disc, green easel). Pass through a place called La Vigne.

(12) At the end, turn left (green sign) and leave the path (green disc) that descends to the right, as it has been damaged by foresters.
You will arrive at the forest road you took at the start to climb up to Pierre d'Appel. Turn right downhill to reach the Pierre d'Appel car park less than 200 m away (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 306 m - Pierre d'Appel car park - Valdange (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.23 - alt. 488 m - Pierre d'Appel promontory
  3. 2 : km 1.6 - alt. 476 m - Crossroads and Celtic camp information board
  4. 3 : km 5.41 - alt. 570 m - Roche du Renard
  5. 4 : km 5.58 - alt. 575 m - Tête de Répy
  6. 5 : km 6.73 - alt. 576 m - High-voltage power line pylon
  7. 6 : km 8.43 - alt. 510 m - Carrefour Bellevue
  8. 7 : km 9.19 - alt. 481 m - Mobile phone reception
  9. 8 : km 9.89 - alt. 482 m - Roche du Bouc
  10. 9 : km 10.64 - alt. 367 m - Intersection
  11. 10 : km 11.22 - alt. 356 m - Fitness trail
  12. 11 : km 11.5 - alt. 362 m - Crossroads
  13. 12 : km 11.98 - alt. 344 m - Fourche
  14. S/E : km 12.37 - alt. 305 m - Pierre d'Appel car park

Notes

There are no water points or shelters along the route. However, there are several places to stop for a break (benches) or a picnic (second pine forest).

Note: rather than by car, it is perfectly possible to reach the Pierre d'Appel car park on foot. To do so, park your vehicle at the cemetery on the right (before the Abbey) and walk behind the cemetery, following the green disc markings. This is also an opportunity to walk along the walls of the former convent. Then cross La Valdange and take La Promenade de la Pierre d'Appel (30 km/h zone) for 800 m.

By bike, you can reach the starting point 2 km from Etival-Clairefontaine station. Most of the route is on cycle paths.

Worth a visit

L'Étang Delthir is 400 m along the road after the Pierre d'Appel car park. A peaceful and bucolic spot.

Saint-Pierre d'Étival Abbey is located in the centre of the village of Etival-Clairefontaine. The church has been listed as a historic monument since 1840, while the other buildings of the abbey (the abbot's residence, the cloister gallery and the surrounding wall) have been listed since 1986.

The Etival-Clairefontaine media library, Cour des Moines, passing in front of the church.

Bakery, grocery store and pharmacy in the centre of the village, Place Abbatiale.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 21263935

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike on shaded, very pleasant trails. A few hills, but fairly gradual. Beautiful views.
Worth doing again.

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Bouxières
Bouxières

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful views, very beautiful rocks and mostly very pleasant little paths. A very beautiful walk

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Sabrina BONNARD
Sabrina BONNARD

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike with varied trails. La Pierre d'Appel is magnificent. There are stunning views from the Corbeaux and Bouc rocks, as well as from the Tête de Repy. Be sure to take the short circular routes around the Coucou and Corbeaux rocks, which reveal magnificent rock formations

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jumachris
jumachris

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely forest trail... well marked... the Pierre d'Appel is fantastic... as for the rest, the views are a bit disappointing compared to the Pierre d'Appel... but there are things to see along the way, so I'm not disappointed...

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Raphabéa
Raphabéa

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route with beautiful views. The elevation gain is spread over two climbs, which are fairly gentle.

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Guntzman
Guntzman

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Well-explained route and easy to follow with the app, thank you

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Franpop
Franpop

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this route with a few modifications (starting and finishing at the cemetery car park, returning via the shooting range and cutting out part of the last circular, length 14 km). There are some beautiful views, the trail is very pleasant and the forest has been largely unaffected by bark beetles, which is very important at the moment
I recommend this hike

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lgn68
lgn68

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route with some very interesting forest crossings on this hot day!

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Christecol
Christecol

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with no real difficulty and beautiful scenery.

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karine vix
karine vix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fantastic hike with my 12-year-old daughter on a Thursday. La Pierre d'Appel is a magical place. We pushed on to the Faucompierre rocks where we had our lunch. The view is splendid and peaceful. The trails are simply magnificent throughout the entire route.

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air&nature
air&nature
• Edited:

Thank you for your review. It is indeed an ideal trail running route. The paths are very pleasant and not too technical, which means that the risk of injury is limited, especially on the way back downhill. Trail running enthusiasts are well aware of this, and many of them explore this mountain range, which offers numerous variations. Starting from the abbey is by far the best option, as it allows you to warm up before tackling the most challenging part of the route: the climb to the Promontoire de la Pierre d'Appel.

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Runandclimb
Runandclimb
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Trail route. In a word: superb! The route consists almost entirely of trails or single tracks. A real treat for runners in particular. The forests are so beautiful and varied. Thanks to the author, I'll definitely be doing this route again!

PS: I followed your advice and started from the abbey (14.75 km / 530 m elevation gain according to my watch).

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air&nature
air&nature

Thank you for your feedback. Indeed, the street leading to the small car park at the foot of the Pierre d'Appel is not the most convenient, as there are houses along it and it is rather narrow, so it can disturb the people who live there.
An interesting alternative is to park your vehicle at the shooting range (3rd street on the right after the Abbey, it is signposted).

Otherwise, as you point out, it is possible to explore the massif from various locations, including, of course, Raon l'Etape. However, if you only want to climb the Pierre d'Appel, it is easier to start from Etival-Clairefontaine, a small town with undeniable charm, thanks in particular to its Romanesque church and abbey.

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Mick88
Mick88

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, easy hike that I had already done several times, but starting from Raon l'Etape.
I followed the GPS track.
When I reached the Roche du Renard, I did an extra circular of about 5 km. I went to the Chapelle des Pestiférés, then the Roche du Joli Bois and the Roches de Faucompierre before returning to the Roche du Renard and continuing on the original route.
To get to the starting point, you have to take the Promenade de la Pierre d'Appel, a narrow street with difficult crossings in places.
I only came across three people during this hike.

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