From the Ballon d'Alsace pass to the Grand Langenberg farmhouse inn

Car park at the Col du Ballon d'Alsace, access via Sewen in the Masevaux valley via the D466, and via Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle or Giromagny via the D465.

(S/E) Cross the road, leave the return path on your right and head up opposite, straight into the scree via the GR® trail, clearly marked with Yellow Discs. Reach a junction, just before the summit, near the statue of Joan of Arc.

(1) Ignore the Red Disc path on the left, which descends towards La Jumenterie. Walk around the Ballon following the Yellow Disc; after about 200 m, you will reach the summit.

(2) Head off to the right towards the Vierge Notre-Dame du Ballon, passing a beautiful viewpoint over Lake Sewen.

(3) From the Vierge Notre-Dame du Ballon, turn right and after about a hundred metres you will reach the junction of the route with the GR®5 Red Rectangle.

(4) Head towards the Ronde Tête and the Col des Perches. Caution: steep section strongly advised against in snowy conditions due to the risk of avalanches. Reach the junction at the Col de Ronde Tête (IGN elevation 1091).

(5) Continue along the GR®5 to the right as far as Ronde Tête (or Rundkopf).

(6) Leave the GR® to your left and turn right onto the Blue Ring marked trail, which very quickly reaches a multi-way junction (elevation 1044).

(7) Continue along the Blue Ring path to the right, which, alternating between descents, ascents and sections along the hillside, leads through a forest up a rocky slope to the ridge. Here you will find the restaurant La Chaumière. Before reaching La Chaumière, there is another beautiful viewpoint.

(8) Head straight south from the viewpoint to La Chaumière and rejoin the DR5 Red Rectangle.

(9) Follow it straight south, keeping the road on your right, until you reach the foot of a ski lift. Head up the ski run on the left and, once past the summit (Tête des Redoutes), cross another ski lift.

(10) Keep to the right until you descend towards the Route du Ballon.

(11) Cross the road and take the path opposite that heads left and descends to the Grand Langenberg farmhouse inn.

(12) Retrace your steps along the same route as on the way out until you reach La Chaumière.

(9) Take the short, steep climb to the right of the ski lift towards the Ballon d’Alsace, following the Red Rectangle markers to the Ballon pastures. Then follow the path running alongside the road to the Auberge du Ballon d’Alsace.

(13) From the inn, follow the road to the Col du Ballon d'Alsace car park (S/E).

Grand Langenberg Farm Inn: 03 89 48 96 98

La Chaumière Restaurant: 03 84 29 31 66

Auberge du Ballon d'Alsace: 03 84 23 97 21

The views from the Ballon d'Alsace over the Lorraine Vosges, Franche-Comté, the Alsatian Doller valley... And on a clear day, the Alps and Mont Blanc.

The statue of Joan of Arc at the summit of the Ballon d'Alsace.