The Crête des Éparges

Departure and parking at Place Maurice Genevoix, between the church and the town hall of Les Éparges.

Yellow + red and yellow markings

(S/E) Go up the main street (D154) towards the north, starting from the church side. At the three-way junction, follow the D203 to the right towards Les Éparges. Cross the Longeau and you will immediately reach an intersection.

Yellow + red disc markings

(1) Continue straight ahead towards the Crêtes des Éparges on the D203a. Follow the road to the entrance to the Cimetière du Trottoir.

(2) Go around the cemetery on the left and enter the forest. Climb a path interspersed with steps, cross a wide path and continue climbing opposite. At the top (remains of trenches on the right), find the D203a, follow it to the left and pass the monument in homage to the Engineer.

Yellow sign with silhouette of a soldier (in the opposite direction of travel)

(3) At the road sign, turn right onto a grassy path that enters the forest. Climb up, go around a mine crater on the right and reach the Monument du Coq. Pass the monument.

Green sign with silhouette of a soldier

(4) Then turn left (north-east) and descend. Walk alongside a funnel on your left, then another on your right. Then turn right onto a faint path (be careful to spot this turn-off). Walk alongside a funnel, turn left and pass between two other funnels. At a T-junction, turn right and walk alongside a funnel on your left. Immediately turn left onto the path and join the D203a.

Red signpost with soldier silhouette

(5) Cross the road and follow the path opposite towards Point X via the French lines. Wind your way down (follow the signs carefully), then climb back up. At the top (old shell holes), turn left. Descend, climb back up and pass by a memorial to the 302nd Infantry Regiment. Then turn left and head for the Point X monument (orientation table). Go past the monument to see a bas-relief on the back in tribute to "Those who have no grave". You can also see a well-preserved remnant of a trench behind a hedge.

Green sign with silhouette of soldier + yellow markings

(6) With your back to the front of the monument, take the path on the left and go downhill.

Green sign with silhouette of a soldier

(7) At an intersection (on the left, a good place to stop and enjoy the beautiful view), continue straight ahead on the path. Pass a small collapsed blockhouse and follow the path, which is very grassy, through a clearing in the forest. This will bring you to the remains of a former German aid station.

Blue sign with soldier silhouette

(8) Then turn left towards the Abri du Kronprinz and descend. Cross a wide path and continue straight ahead on the trail. Note a few ruins, including those of a funicular railway. Descend a flight of steps and you will reach the Abri du Kronprinz (blockhouse) on the right-hand side of the road.

No markings

(9) With the blockhouse on your right, turn left twice to take the Chemin de dessous les Crêtes.

(10) Just before the lane you crossed earlier, turn right at an acute angle and descend (be careful to spot this turn). Walk along a fenced meadow on your left and pass by a cross commemorating a lieutenant who died in combat. Then turn left and arrive at the chevet of the church of Combres-sous-les-Côtes.

(11) Then follow Rue Maurice Genevois (D113) to the right. Pass the cemetery, then the sign marking the end of the village. Shortly afterwards (ONF sign), take an uphill track on the left. Pass by an oratory and enter the forest. Ignore a path on the left and continue on flat ground.

Red and yellow markings

(12) At the end of the road, cross the D113 (Abri du Kronprinz shelter visible on the right) and take the tarmac road opposite. At the T-junction, turn right and descend. Back at the roadside, turn left onto a path that enters the forest, pass through a metal barrier and climb uphill. Continue straight ahead and ignore all the side paths. Descend to reach a grassy crossroads. Then turn left into a wide lane.

Red and yellow + yellow markings

(13) Cross a stabilised path and continue along a shaded path downhill. Ignore a very grassy path on the right (plot no. 5) and continue downhill. Then walk along a hedge on your left and a field on your right with the Éparges church in plain view. Continue between two hedges. At an intersection at the corner of a fenced meadow, go straight ahead onto a farm track. Further on, cross a horse farm and then a river. At the T-junction, turn right, pass by the foot of the statue of Maurice Genevoix and you will immediately come to the square that bears his name (S/E).

Hiking boots are recommended.

No water sources identified along the route.

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description) or, better still, follow the route using the Visorando app.

Hike completed by the author on 9 May 2025.

Historical context:
The Battle of Les Éparges was fought between the French and German armies between February and April 1915 for control of the ridge. After very bloody fighting, the French occupied the entire ridge with the exception of "Point X" (6). This battle was described by the writer Maurice Genevoix (1890-1980), who was seriously wounded there. Once the front had stabilised, an intense "mine war" ensued: each side dug tunnels under the enemy trenches and placed massive explosive charges, which when detonated created craters resembling small volcanoes, which still mark the landscape today.

Remains of the battle and memorials along the route:
- Numerous information panels at the start and at various points along the route.
- National necropolis (2).
- Monuments and memorial stones, shortly before (3), in (4), in (6) and before (11).
- Entrenches between (3) and (5).
- Old trenches, before the Monument au Génie and in (6).
- Old blockhouses in (8) and (9).