Mont Ordon-Verrier circular loop

Park in the car park at Auxelles-Haut opposite the town hall (18 Rue des Bruyères, 90200 Auxelles-Haut).

(S/E) Take Rue des Bruyères, going round the town hall and the church. At the next bend, turn right onto Rue des Étangs, follow it to the last houses and reach the bridge over the Rhôme.

(1) Cross the bridge and follow the steeply ascending forest track, which leads, after about 150m, to the Yellow Ring-marked path. Turn left onto the wide, stony path marked with a Yellow Ring, heading towards Le Querty. A little further up, on the left of the first memorial stone, continue the climb until you reach an information board explaining the activities of the Resistance fighters.

At this junction, do not take the forest road coming from the right but carry on straight ahead until you reach the second memorial stone.

(2) Continue uphill to the Col du Querty.

(3) At the pass, turn right onto the forest road towards Giromagny – the road is flat at first but then gradually descends – and follow it to La Haute Planche. The map shows a viewpoint on the left, but the view is now obscured by trees; there’s no point in making a detour.

(4) Turn right onto the forest road towards Auxelles-Haut. Further down, pass the ‘sentier des mines’ on your left (a forest road towards La Tête des Planches) and continue straight on along the forest road, veering slightly to the right. Further on, after a short climb, the Yellow Ring will direct you off the forest road.

(5) Take a small path on the left, which descends steeply. A little further down, cross a forest track (be careful, there is a ditch to cross). Continue down the slope to the Croix du Bois bus stop.

(6) Take the road on the right and, after 20 metres, turn right into Rue des Phalandriers. Follow this road – do not take Rue de la Serrurerie – and continue until you reach Rue de l’Ordon-Verrier.

(7) Leave the Yellow Ring route and head down Rue de l’Ordon-Verrier to Rue des Bruyères, which comes from Auxelle-Bas.

(8) Head back up Rue des Bruyères to the right until you reach the car park where you started (A/D).

The walk starts from Auxelles-Haut, 15 km north of Belfort. The car park is on the left-hand side of the road as you approach the town hall.
The walk is signposted as the ‘Yellow Ring’ route. To join the ‘Yellow Ring’ route, follow the FFI signposts (memorial trail).
Wear sturdy footwear as there are stony sections.
There are numerous information boards along the route.
At the Col du Querty, the path runs along the edge of the Ballons Comtois National Nature Reserve, where dogs are not permitted.
Visorando was provided with this information by Mr Phulpin, a volunteer member of Balisage 90, based on leaflets published by the Territoire de Belfort department.

The walk starts from Auxelles-Haut, a charming mountain village situated on the southernmost foothills of the Vosges. You cross through Auxelles-Haut, enjoying a beautiful view over the Savoureuse valley and the Salbert, then head uphill through a lovely forest, following part of the ‘Chemin de Mémoire’ (Path of Remembrance). A sign recounts the actions of the Resistance fighters. Two memorial stones, commemorating two young men who fell in action whilst fighting with the Maquis in September 1944, line the path. Continuing along the path, you can see, on the left, through the trees, the Planche des Belles Filles. At the Col du Querty, you emerge from the trees into a widening clearing; you are now on the edge of the Ballons Comtois National Nature Reserve, with an information panel 100 metres to the left as you reach the pass. The walk continues along a forest track with a view to the left, through the trees, of the Ballon d’Alsace and Trémonkopf. From La Haute-Planche, there is a partial descent along the ‘Sentier des mines’, which traces the mining history of Giromagny. You arrive at Auxelles-Haut with a magnificent view over the valley towards Plancher-Bas, then Auxelles-Haut and Mont Ménard.