From the Col des Bagenelles to the Mines d'Échery

Date of your route : Jun 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very quiet walk, which explains the tranquillity of the place; we nearly stepped on a grass snake that was just as surprised as we were between points 3 and 4. We came across a fox and other animals, which ran off as soon as they saw us.
A pleasant walk full of ‘adventures’ thanks to its somewhat vague route description in places. It’s a good idea to take an IGN map or your mobile phone to help you find the route, particularly between points 12 and 13.
Most of the walk isn’t particularly difficult, but things get tougher at point 12 with a long, steep climb!
At point 11, there are numerous information boards about the history of the mines. It’s interesting.
Here are a few details:
Point 1: follow the blue and white Rectangle (Tree of Liberty – Col de Marie)
Point 2: to get to ‘Place Mandray’, follow the Blue Rectangle; the path is fully marked by stone boundary stones (those that once marked the Franco-German border)
Point 3: Three paths lead off from Place Mandray: one going uphill (marked with a Blue Rectangle) and two paths to the right (one flat and the other going downhill). In the end, we took the first one (Blue Rectangle)
Point 4: Place de la Liberté is actually the Tree of Liberty.
Point 8: take the path on the right; I learnt that the annotation ‘cote 638’ is an altitude point on an IGN map – thank goodness I was accompanied by one of my sons who does orienteering!
Between points 8 and 9, we turned off onto the ‘red dot’ trail, which took us to the St Marie aux Mines water tower (a very pretty path, but afterwards we had to walk through town towards Echery
Point 10: the Clock Tower is also known as the Miners’ Tower
Unfortunately, the artisanal soap factory was closed (it was Sunday)
Point 11: option to continue along the GR (Red Rectangle and White Rectangle). This alternative route ensures you don’t get lost and takes you to the end of point 11, which leads to the place known as “Hunolstein 940 m”
Point 11: a long climb up the Rauenthal Forest Road – be warned, the hard going begins here, as does the orienteering course !
During this climb, you’ll come across a sign reading “Water Services – Water catchment area – No entry”. This sign is on your right as the forest track bends to the left. To the left of this sign, the number 120 is written on a tree. Take the path to the right of the Water Services sign and continue uphill.
The number 130 on a tree on the right-hand side marks the end of the path. Take the path on the right, then follow the track that climbs up to the left. Be careful – the slope is very steep! Eventually, you’ll arrive near a hut and a table surrounded by a tree bearing the Hunolstein sign. If you turn round, you’ll see a sign reading ‘Town of Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, Water Services, Water Catchment Area, No Entry’. Have we left this area yet???
Follow the red and white Haycot red rectangles
Back to civilisation with plenty of walkers! The end of the route is easy going once again.
Not far from the car park (come on, it’s only a 500-metre walk now), the farmhouse inn “La Graine Johé” offers a lovely, well-deserved gourmet break!

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Hello,

I’ll do this route one day, but starting from Echery. The large car park at Col des Bagenelles isn’t the sort of place I like to go to. Besides, it’s nicer to start with a climb.

I saw that a variant is suggested further up. It’s not necessary; with the app, you can start the walk at any point. The miners’ tower and its history are really interesting.

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Date of your route : Apr 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very well. I had a bit of trouble with the return route (I got a bit lost on the forest tracks, but a quick check on my GPS got me back on the GR). I’m glad I finished it. I was a bit worried about the distance and the elevation gain, but it’s manageable if you take your time
Despite the detour, a slow pace and the visit to the soap factory, it took me less than 8 hours
Don’t forget to visit the Savonnerie d’Echery.

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Date of your route : Sep 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good hike with a fairly steep climb at the end, but the route isn't great

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Date of your route : May 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, but the route is unreliable in several places. We lost our way several times, but managed to find it again each time, which meant that we ended up walking almost 23 km instead of 19 km.
Apart from the distance, we didn't find it particularly technical.

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Date of your route : Jan 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in difficult conditions with snow and wind. Very good route with beautiful views. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
The added bonus is the shelter of the tree of liberty, where you can refuel in the dry and warm. The climb from Echery to the Col des Bagenelles has quite a steep gradient 😏.

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Date of your route : Aug 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with lovely spots such as the Tree of Liberty and its chalet! The climb up to Grand Brézouard from the village of Echery requires a good level of fitness. However, the view from the summit is superb! Be careful, as the route does not always correspond to the actual terrain. In addition, the author's description is sometimes incomplete in relation to the route, for example from point 15 to the arrival at Col des Bagenelles, or between points 13 and 14! I therefore strongly recommend using a GPS device for this hike.

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Date of your route : Jun 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very beautiful and long hike. The first part is very pleasant with beautiful views.
The only downside is the description and map between points 13 and 14. It is easy to get lost there.
We have very fond memories of it.

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Date of your route : Jul 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I did not complete the entire route.

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Date of your route : May 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike starting from the clock tower closest to my home rather than the Col des Bagenelles. I used my GPS to guide me as I was unsure at several points. Map or GPS required. There are several variations, particularly between the Col du Pré de Raves and the Tree of Liberty. I was unsure at several points.
Beautiful views, a lovely hike.

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Hello,

We are planning this hike in November, perhaps with a trailer like this one https://www.amazon.fr/Tiggo-Convertible-... with a puppy inside... Are the paths wide (let's say wide enough for two people) or not? Are there any particularly difficult sections? (basically, where a mountain bike wouldn't be able to pass?)
Thanks in advance.

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Date of your route : Sep 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk, but personally, I would start from the bottom and climb up to the Col des Bagenelles via one side, then descend via the opposite side...

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful, challenging but enjoyable route; rocks, blockhouses, casemates and mines add interest to the hike.
The route was completed in fine weather and warm temperatures, which made it challenging, and the profile, which is mainly downhill in the first part, means that the return to Col des Bagenelles from Echery is quite physically demanding.

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Date of your route : Jul 08, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, great hike today; however, you need to prepare for it. The route isn't very precise. Without my smartphone, I would have got lost many times. The climb up to Bezouard is tough. In the end, it was 26 km and 1,090 metres of elevation gain because I hesitated a lot. Thank you for sharing this beautiful walk.
The school was also closed but easy to get around.
You need a smartphone to find the start, otherwise it's impossible.

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Date of your route : Jul 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, excellent hike. However, I didn't want to finish with the hardest part, the climb from Echery to Bezouard, so I started from the Clock Tower, keeping the same direction. What's more, Echery was closer to my home than the Col des Bagenelles. I used the description to plot my own route on an IGN map, which was perfect, except for the end of the descent to Echery to return to the tower, where I had to use my smartphone to find my way.
To be done again.

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