Circular route straddling Alsace and Lorraine, starting from Champenay

Coming from Plaine, we park on the left before the bridge or a little further on, opposite the school in Champenay.

(S/E) We head west and walk past the school. The tarmac road begins a gentle climb towards the siliceous sandstone quarry. We follow the Yellow Triangle signpost.

(1) At the first junction, at the end of the meadow on our left, we turn left onto a wide, flat forest track heading towards the Col du Hantz.

(2) We leave this forest track as it rounds a wide bend to the left. We take the path on the right, which climbs gently, and follow the course of the stream to the next junction. Upon reaching a wider track, we turn left uphill to the next junction.

(3) We ignore the path leading off to the left and turn right. The path is flat and runs alongside a fenced-off plot on the right. At the next junction, we continue to the right.

(4) We leave this path and turn left onto a narrower track. We stay on this route, which features a series of gentle ascents and descents, always marked with Yellow Triangles, until we reach the Col du Hantz.

(5) At the Col du Hantz, we walk round the monument honouring the Resistance fighters and enter the forest via a wide, flat path, then immediately turn left onto a path marked with a Yellow Rectangle and a Blue Diamond, which climbs steeply.

We come out onto a track, which we leave as it curves to the right, turning left instead onto a wide, flat track marked with a Blue Ring.

(6) At the first hairpin bend, we turn sharply left and then, after a few metres, we turn right. The descent is steep before we tackle a further series of hairpin bends to the left and then to the right, leading to the Pont de Salm and a tarmac road.

(7) We turn right onto this small tarmac road for a relatively long climb, signposted with a Red Ring and a Blue Diamond, until we reach a large crossroads which also marks the end of the tarmac surface.

(8) We enter the forest, following the river on our right. It is essential that we stay on the path so as not to damage this gift of nature, though this does not prevent us from admiring the clarity of the water as it meanders languidly through the vegetation.

As we emerge from the forest, we find ourselves on golden stubble dotted with a few stately fir trees, and we cross a wide track to join the gently ascending path marked with a Yellow Rectangle and a Blue Triangle, following it until we reach a junction signposting ‘La Haute Loge’ to the right.

(9) We are now on the Sentier des Passeurs coming from Moussey. We then turn left onto a very wide, uphill path. At the next junction, we turn left. After about a hundred metres, we take the path on the right, marked with a Red Triangle, up to the Haute Loge and its lovely little round stone hut.

(10) We are treated to a 360° panorama and, on a clear day, we are lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the peaks of the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland.

(11) After a short rest and a light snack, we turn back and head down to the Chaume.

(9) At the crossroads, we follow the signs for Chatte Pendue straight ahead along the flat path marked with a Blue Saltire and a Yellow Rectangle. We take this path, which was once paved by Polish female prisoners, to whom a monument is dedicated. At the next crossroads, we do not take the Chatte Pendue signpost but stay on this lovely path, which curves slightly to the left and descends gently.

(12) At the crossroads, we turn right. We follow a path marked with a Red Disc. We turn right until we reach a footbridge allowing us to cross over the wire fence, and we climb up to Chatte Pendue with its majestic rock, its orientation table and its magnificent panoramic view of the Principality of Salm.

(13) We descend to the other side, from where, through a few clearings in the forest, we catch sight of Champenay and its quarry. After the footbridge that takes us out of the fenced-off, protected area, we continue straight on along the wide path, which soon leads us down the slope.

(14) We leave the path at a junction which requires our full attention as we set off along a trail marked by a clearly signposted descent with Yellow Disc markings. We follow the route and markings closely, passing to the right of the Étang de la Falle.

(15) We continue on to reach the Maison Forestière de la Falle and, via the Route de la Falle, we reach the Champenay car park (S/E).

It goes without saying that, for this moderately difficult hike, walking boots are essential. There are no facilities for replenishing supplies of food or water, except for those who do not mind drinking water from the stream.

(5) After the Col du Hantz, a very pleasant alternative route is possible along the ridge by following the Yellow Rectangle; however, the approach to the scree slope, whilst magnificent, is very difficult to spot and is best left to those in the know or the adventurous.
On reaching the Haute Loge, and depending on the weather, an extra layer of clothing may be necessary given the exposure.

For the very brave and the very lucky, setting off very early in the morning might allow you to catch a glimpse of a capercaillie or a grumpy old male wild boar.
The stretch of tarmac after the Pont de Salm may not be particularly pleasant, but what a reward awaits on the climb alongside the stream up to this delightful peat bog.

Between (8) and (9), the gently ascending path offers a succession of installations created by students from the University of Nancy, as well as magnificent cobblestones dating back to medieval times. It is one of the most original routes we know of in the Vosges. We also admire one of the most beautiful and unassuming peat bogs in the Vosges mountains and its ‘bus stop’ created by a budding artist.