Circular of the ponds from Le Thillot

A beautiful, varied short hike that will take you past a dozen ponds straddling the watershed between the North Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Details

n°34189787

Creation:
21 May 2023

Last update:
02 Sep 2026

Last review:
11 Aug 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 6.63 mi
Average duration: 4h 05
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 1,152 ft
Descent: - 1,152 ft
Highest point: 2,533 ft
Lowest point: 1,611 ft

Country: France
Areas: Vosges mountains, Plateau des Mille Étangs
City: Le Thillot (88160)
Start/End: N 47.878214° / E 6.75636°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3520ET, 3619OT, 3619OTR
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park on Rue Jules Choffel.

(S/E) Leave the car park and head right, then right again, staying on Rue Jules Choffel. Continue until you reach the T-junction with Rue des 9 Prés.

(1) Turn right onto this street, cross the cycle path and continue to a junction.

(2) Turn left onto Rue du Tacot and continue until you reach a junction with a path marked with a Yellow Triangle.

(3) Turn right onto this path marked with a Yellow Triangle.

(4) Go straight on at the junction and continue to the next fork in the path (markings are faulty).

(5) Turn left, then immediately right to rejoin the Yellow Triangle markings, which lead uphill through a meadow. Join a path marked with the Blue Ring and continue straight on, now following the dual markings.

(6) Turn right to follow the Blue Ring markings and you’ll soon reach the Étang de la Plancherotte, then the Étang de la Peau, which you go round on the left.

(7) Turn left at the fork, cross a forest track and continue straight ahead to reach the Noirs Étangs; walk along the left-hand side of these before turning left to come out onto the D57.

(8) Cross the road to rejoin the path opposite (still the ‘Blue Ring’ route), then rejoin the road about 450 m further on. Cross it again, continue straight ahead and reach the Étang Noir and its island. Pass the lovely viewpoint.

(9) Poorly signposted: take the path on the right to rejoin the Blue Ring trail. Further on, you’ll reach a forest track; follow it to the right, keeping to the same signposting.

(10) At the junction, go straight on, pass the Auberge du Grammont and carry on to the next fork (elevation 606). Take the road to the right, leaving the Blue Ring markings behind, and carry on for over a kilometre.

(11) Take a sharp right-hand bend onto a small road that climbs slightly before turning into a track.

(12) Turn left onto a lovely path through the meadow. Ignore the tarmac road on the left near a house and carry on straight ahead. Two hundred metres further on, you can turn left to reach a statue of the Virgin Mary (monumental and modern) with a view over Le Thillot. Otherwise, carry on straight ahead.

(4) Turn left and retrace the ascent route in the opposite direction to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,611 ft - Car park on Rue du Tacot
1 : mi 0.14 - alt. 1,614 ft - T-junction
2 : mi 0.25 - alt. 1,624 ft - Junction
3 : mi 0.48 - alt. 1,713 ft - Start of the Yellow Triangle trail
4 : mi 0.69 - alt. 1,850 ft - Junction of the circular loop
5 : mi 1.09 - alt. 2,031 ft - Junction
6 : mi 1.52 - alt. 2,392 ft - Junction
7 : mi 2.06 - alt. 2,448 ft - Junction
8 : mi 2.69 - alt. 2,467 ft - Crossing the D57
9 : mi 3.27 - alt. 2,457 ft - Junction - L'Étang Noir
10 : mi 4.32 - alt. 2,215 ft - Crossroads
11 : mi 5.15 - alt. 1,709 ft - Hairpin bend
12 : mi 5.46 - alt. 1,880 ft - Junction
S/E : mi 6.63 - alt. 1,614 ft - Car park on Rue du Tacot

Notes

Auberge du Gramont: enjoy a drink, have a meal (book in advance), stay overnight (book in advance) – website

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 13 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5

Route interest
4.5 / 5

ChrystelleCG

11 Aug 2026 at 17:59 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the cool forest and by the lakes.
Thank you for this lovely route!

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User 7099749

08 Sep 2025 at 11:16 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We set off from the black ponds, following the clearly marked blue circle

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Catherine Catouche

12 May 2025 at 14:32 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A parish specific to Brittany, easy hike with lovely spots, especially near the ponds.
We had a picnic on the only bench along the route, almost at the end
I recommend it especially for the peace and quiet and the beautiful views.

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Youkis

28 Feb 2025 at 07:21 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route that is very well signposted
Lovely views and the ponds are magnificent

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Pierrot DAVID

28 Oct 2024 at 09:31 3600 • Edited: 28 Oct 2024 at 09:33 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The route is very charming, especially the pond area, which is absolutely magnificent and representative of this region known as the "Milles Etangs" (Thousand Ponds). There are beautiful views of the first hills and the Moselle valley as you climb the Prés Martin (Pt5) and the developed area (Pt 9). The only downside is the steep descent on the tarmac road between points 10 and 11. I will try again by going from point 10 to 5 following the GR.
To avoid the urban section, I personally started at point 3 (1.5 km less than a round trip section and not very interesting).
I recommend going around the Peau pond on the right (anti-clockwise and also marked with blue rings). It's a little wilder and you can take advantage of the local fishing society's shelter with its comfortable canopy.
With the explanations and markings, which seem to have been improved, it's easy to follow the route. Just pay a little attention to spot a few markings that are slightly misplaced.

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Maryse Nauroy

19 Aug 2024 at 22:30 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike accessible to beginners, with pleasant and varied trails and lovely views.

I suggest three changes:
In (1), remove the parenthesis indicating faulty signage, as this has been significantly improved.
(2) Clarify at the beginning of the sentence: At the junction located at a place called Saint Martin...
(3) A slight error in the route should be corrected by replacing "turn right" with "continue straight ahead, following the Anneau Bleu markings".

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Clémence :)

19 Aug 2024 at 10:09 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

As novice hikers, we completed this circular in just three hours, including a lunch break. The variety of terrain is enjoyable, but the view of the ponds leaves something to be desired. You can't see much and they are very small, which is quite disappointing. You see them all in the first part of the hike, and the next big part is just to make a circular route back, but it's mostly on the road or on ordinary paths with no view.
The only place that really took our breath away was around point 6 at ≈5km, with an unobstructed view of the Thillot valley.
I think it's a good circular for trail running (it was originally mountain bike trails), but not for enjoying the view and the landscape.

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randonneur 70

15 Apr 2024 at 20:47 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, enjoyed by everyone. There were 12 of us, and we loved the little chalet open to the public at point 4. A series of ponds and pleasant little paths.
Thank you to the creator of this hike.

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Michel JACQUET

06 Nov 2023 at 08:58 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, we started the hike from the Black Pond car park. We modified the route to keep the most interesting points by following the GR to Grammont.
It's a beautiful hike that allows you to discover a series of ponds that are generally well hidden from view. The trails are really very pleasant. I recommend it.

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tremblois

21 Aug 2023 at 11:22 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

For this route, using a GPS is very useful.

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lamaix

20 Jun 2023 at 08:53 7200

Hello
I found another car park. You need to park near the black pond. There's a picnic area and shade. Change the starting point on Visorando. I'm going to do it the other way round. Have a good hike!

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demeaux

20 Jun 2023 at 08:48 7200 • Edited: 20 Jun 2023 at 08:49 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike with lovely scenery of ponds. The route is recommended for discovering these remnants of the last ice age. However, the car park at the start needs to be changed. Park before the last path.

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Sylvie Marie

30 May 2023 at 09:11 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did not follow the entire suggested route because at the fork in point 3, we turned right towards Grammont.
The same signposting on the right and left does not help.
It is important to note: do not follow the sign for "haut de Grammont" (top of Grammont) and follow the Martin field on the left.
We came back down this path, which is very steep.
Otherwise, it was a lovely walk.

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lamaix

29 May 2023 at 15:14 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
As the creator of the hike said, the signage is a little lacking. There are markers along the route but not at intersections. Beautiful views of the peaks and valleys. We heard frogs in a pond. You need to be a good hiker, but then again, this is the Vosges...

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