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Head to the Col des Croix on the RD486 between Servance and Le Thillot. Take the RD16 towards Château Lambert. Park in the car park opposite the RD135 leading to Château Lambert (altitude 711m).
(S/E) Take the tarmac road D135 which descends towards Château Lambert (marked with a Green Rectangle). Drive through the village, noting the mountain museum on the left.
which you can visit in the evening if time permits.
(1) On leaving the village, take the nature trail (Green Rectangle and Red Disc) which crosses the Ognon and climbs through the moorland.
(2) At the ‘Labour’ stop, turn left behind the hunters’ chalet to reach a tarmac road. Turn left until you reach the RD16. Walk down for about a hundred metres (Green Disc), passing the monument in memory of the 1st Morvan Regiment.
(3) Turn right.
(4) Follow the Jean Tissot path (Red Disc). At the second “state-owned forest” sign, leave the marked path and follow the track on the left alongside some lovely little ponds.
After 500 metres, on the left in a bend, you will find the source of the Ognon.
(5) Retrace your steps slightly, turn left, go through the gate and follow the path (old Red Disc) which winds beneath the fir trees to rejoin the Chemin Tissot. Turn left. The path crosses a wild landscape of rocks eroded by the ancient glacier and old glacial cirques. Here is the RD16 at a place called La Pransière.
(6) Turn left and follow the path heading north-east (marked with a Yellow Disc). The descent is easy until you reach the first forest track. Turn right and you’ll come to a second one (marked with a White Rectangle/Red Rectangle forthe GR®®7). Turn right until you reach the Longeligoutte refuge. We used to know this very charming refuge, but sadly only the walls and the roof remain. Being too close to built-up areas and easily accessible by car, it is regularly targeted by vandals. It is strongly advised not to spend the night there.
(7) Continue along theGR®® which descends behind the refuge and follow the forest track that circles the Gouttes du Ballon.
(8) Pass in front of the refuge of the same name and you’ll reach the junction with theGR®®533(marked with a green rectangle – Alt883). Follow this path towards Saint-Maurice, taking the lower section of the path known as the ‘If’.
(9) After the descent, the path runs alongside the stream cutting through the mountain. At the foot of a small cliff, a small pool beneath a waterfall offers a refreshing dip for the bravest. In summer, the water temperature reaches 16°C. After crossing the river, follow the tarmac road. Note on the left the remains of a forgotten energy source (sluice gate and canal), and you’ll soon reach the tranquillity of the Étang de Presle.
(10) Facing the pond’s embankment after the chalet, turn left and follow the road (Blue Triangle markings) which passes in front of a factory, then follow the path that runs alongside house no. 3. A short but steep climb along the stream, which jumps from rock to rock, takes us to the hamlet of Allègrerie, with its buildings decorated in an original and rather humorous style. Don’t forget to close the gate behind you.
(11) Leave the path and turn right to follow the tarmac road. After 800 m, turn left again onto the street called ‘Chemin des Mineurs’. A stony path through the woodland follows the road and leads us into a pretty little beech grove. Guided by the sound of water, take a short detour to the right to the edge of the Cascade de la Goutte de l’Oiseau.
(12) Return to the path and continue climbing. On the road, turn right, cross the bridge and immediately turn left onto the path that winds its way uphill. After 300 m, at the entrance to a clearing, turn right onto the faint path that descends through the grass towards the stream. Follow the stream slightly down the right bank to find and cross the dry-stone bridge, an 18th-century structure
(13) Climb another 100 m along the narrow path through the vegetation to reach a tarmac road. Turn right for a few hundred metres, then left to follow the path leading towards the Vierge des Breuleux and the Étang du Frac.
(14) After 400 m, you’ll reach the Vierge des Breuleux or Vierge de Fresse, then another 400 m (Red Ring markings) and you’ll arrive at the Étang du Frac with its well-maintained shelter, which is always open and equipped for a packed lunch.
(15) After a break, continue along the Red Ring path which passes behind the refuge, then turn left. The path climbs up to the Col de Couard.
(16) At the crossroads, at an elevation of 641 metres, take the path all the way to the left again (marked with a Yellow Disc, towards La Pransière).
After a clearing, the path crosses a babbling brook, then veers left and climbs a slope that makes you regret the massive snack you’ve just eaten. It emerges onto a forest track marked with theGR®®7sign
(17) Turn right and head down to the Percepteur stone.
(18) Continue along the correct path, still following the white/red markings, to the “Hautes Mines” site. At the bottom of a descent, you arrive at station 2 of the discovery trail.
(19) Continue along the path; look to your left at the old mining site. Head towards the car park and, 50 metres further on, turn left onto the path that climbs steeply up to the Col des Croix.
(20) For those who aren’t too tired, a quick visit to Notre-Dame des Neiges and its viewpoint over the Moselle valley to round off the day.
For the rest, take one last look at the valley and its autumn colours before heading back to the car.
This walk can be done as two circular loops:
- the western loop starting from the Col des Croix (approx. 11km).
- the eastern loop starting from Étang du Frac or Étang des Presles in Fresse-sur-Moselle (approx. 12km).
Visorando Member
Moderate 
Easy 
