From Malsaucy near Évette-Salbert to Bavilliers via the forts

Departure from Bas-Évette station.

The route is marked with a yellow and red rectangle.

(S) On leaving Bas-Évette station, turn left onto the D24 (watch out for traffic). Cross the railway line carefully and continue straight on along Rue du Lac (do not take the street on the right).

(1) Turn left onto Rue du Val and continue along the path, which climbs very gently. Don’t forget to look back from time to time to admire the beautiful views of the lakes and the Vosges. Walk past the lagoon that treats wastewater: information boards explain how it works.

(2) Cross Rue des Clarines and carry on straight ahead along Rue de Verboté. At the next junction, turn right, following our Yellow Rectangle and Red Ring signposting onto Rue du Verboté (do not go straight on following another green Rectangle or Green Ring sign). At the top of the hill, turn right onto Rue des Cerisiers and, immediately afterwards, take the path that joins the D24.

(3) Cross the D24 with care: please note this is the road to Belfort, so there is heavy traffic. Follow the road opposite along Rue des Bouleaux. The street becomes a track leading into the Salbert Forest. At the next junction, carry straight on, following our yellow and red rectangular signposts. (Do not take the track marked with a Red Ring on the right).

(4) When you reach the forest track, cross it and continue straight ahead along the path that leads uphill. Do the same at the next junction. Follow the signposts carefully.

(5) You’ll arrive at the esplanade of Fort Lefebvre or Fort du Salbert. On the summit platform there are three orientation tables: a superb 360° panoramic view over the entire Trouée de Belfort, the Vosges mountains, the Alps and the Swiss Jura. Go down the stairs and turn left. 200 m further on, leave the wide path and turn right onto a path that descends steeply.

(6) When you reach the D4 road, which has a hairpin bend, follow it for 20 metres and then take the path on the right just at the end of the bend. About 300 metres further on, join the fitness trail on the right and follow it for almost 1 km.

(7) Leave the fitness trail and head down the path to the left. Follow the signposting carefully, as it is very well marked.

(8) Cross the D16. 100 m further on, turn right and head uphill, skirting Mont Coudrai. In this section, follow the signposting carefully as there are numerous paths branching off to the left and right. Emerge from the forest with a lovely view of Essert. Head down Rue du Lieutenant Prévost.

(9) When you reach the roundabout, turn left and cross Rue du Général de Gaulle. Opposite, take the D47 (Rue de Lattre de Tassigny). Cross the Haute-Saône canal and the green corridor. Pass in front of Saint-Léger Church.

(10) Turn right onto Rue du Sergent Leiris. Cross the little river La Doucette (which further on is called La Douce). Admire the fountain. Continue along Rue Leiris until you reach the very pretty Notre-Dame-du-Vœu Chapel. At the chapel, turn right onto Chemin des Combattes. After 200 metres, turn right and head up into the forest. Follow the signposts carefully.

(11) You’ll reach the Ouvrage de la Côte, which forms part of the Belfort defence line. Just in front of the main entrance, turn left, following the signposts, and head back down onto the forest track. Leave the forest, pass under the high-voltage power line and arrive in Bavilliers via Rue du Fort.

(12) About fifty metres after entering the housing estate, turn right onto Rue des Champs Grenier, then take the^second left onto Rue des Chênes. Cross Rue Paul Barret and continue straight ahead along the path leading to numbers 6 and 8.

Walk through the small copse and go down the stairs. At the bottom, cross Rue de la Libération, walk past the supermarket and continue straight ahead along Rue Jacques Pignot. Cross the River Douce, turn right immediately afterwards and walk alongside the river. You’ll arrive at the town hall, which is the finish line (E).

The bus stop is next door on Grande Rue François Mitterrand.

The departure point is at Bas-Evette, near the station (trains from Belfort-ville station). If you’re travelling by car, there’s a large car park near the Malsaucy leisure centre.

The finish is at Bavilliers Town Hall, next to the bus stop for line 2 of the Optymo network. You can download the Optymo app onto your phone to check timetables. It is possible to pay for your journey using your phone. There is a car park near the town hall, at 38 Grande Rue François Mitterrand, at the finish, and another car park near the shopping centre on the corner of Rue de la Libération and Rue Jacques Pignot in Bavilliers.

A fortified belt was built after the War of 1870. General Séré de Rivières oversaw the operations. For further details, see the following link.

Le Salbert, between the Vosges and the Jura.
Geologically speaking, Salbert Hill (alt. 647 m) is composed of schist and is notable for being the first peak of the Vosges mountain range. Mont Hill, situated just further south, is composed of limestone from the Jura Massif. The boundary between these two geological formations is a fault that formed the Cravanche Cave. At the summit, you can enjoy a 360-degree panoramic view of the region.

The Fort du Salbert
This Séré de Rivières-style fort was designed to monitor the transport routes around Belfort. Named after General Lefebvre, it was built in 1874 to accommodate 500 men and 44 guns. It featured artillery platforms on the rampart crowning the moat as well as above its central barracks.
An optical telegraph station.
When you arrive in front of the fort, you will notice a curious, isolated ruin; this is an optical telegraph station which was used to communicate with the forts at Mont Vaudois, Mont Bart and as far as Besançon.
An underground NATO base.
In 1953, a major NATO radar station was built: vast underground premises housing the technical installations and an air defence operations room were constructed. The base was operational for only a short time. Its entrances are now sealed off.
A mountain bike enduro area.
Several downhill mountain-bike trails wind their way down the slopes of the Salbert, with a vertical drop of around 700 metres in the heart of the forest. It is therefore not uncommon to come across fully kitted-out mountain-bikers.

An unfinished canal
Following the loss of Alsace and part of Lorraine in 1870, it became necessary to establish a link between the industrial region of Montbéliard and that of French Lorraine. A project for a canal from Montbéliard to the Haute-Saône was therefore launched. The return of Alsace-Lorraine to France in 1918 made the plan for a direct link between the Doubs and the Saône less relevant, and it was soon abandoned. Only the Belfort section (12.5 km), linking the Rhône–Rhine Canal to the Port of Botans, was completed and filled with water in 1926. Today, the Canal’s ‘Coulée Verte’ (Green Corridor) allows walkers and cyclists to travel from the lock at Essert to Montbéliard.
The Côte Fortification
Situated between the Vosges and the Jura, the Belfort Gap is the only plain linking the Rhine and Danube valleys with that of the Rhône: it therefore had to be protected. Various fortified systems were thus built in succession, culminating in the famous Séré de Rivières fortified belt (1874). The Côte d’Essert fort, built in 1890, is part of a new generation of modern forts, entirely carved out of the rock, in which concrete was first used. The facilities, which are entirely underground, were designed to accommodate more than 250 men.