La Roche Mère Henry via the Malfosse Chapel

This is a hike with two different atmospheres: first a little mysterious and timeless with the Adrienne Fountain and the Malfosse Chapel, then historical and educational with the Roche Mère Henry memorial trail and its belvedere offering a breathtaking view of Senones and the Rabodeau valley.

Details

9590037
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.78 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 416 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 417 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 670 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 407 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To get to the starting point

In the centre of Senones, on the D424, follow signs for La Combe (on the left coming from Moyenmoutier). At Clos Malpré, enter the clearly visible car park on the left of the chalet.

(S/E) Leaving the car park, go up to the left to the path that enters the forest (Sentier Picot - Red Triangle). Arrive at the Quatre Bancs crossroads.

(1) Pass the picnic shelter on your left, then take the path on the right signposted Fontaine Adrienne (Anneau Bleu).

(2) Fontaine Adrienne, with the poem engraved on the rock. Beautiful wetlands and bench. Continue straight ahead, coming out onto a forest path and keeping to the left: the Ruisseau de la Basse de Malfosse stream runs alongside us on our left.

(3) Climb the path on the left towards the Malfosse Chapel (Blue Ring and Red Easel).

(4) Malfosse Chapel with a large picnic area. Fountain of the Virgin Mary nestled in the vegetation on the left. Continue following the double markings to the Croix de Malfosse crossroads with a picnic area and benches.

(5) Take the path that climbs left towards Roche Mère Henry (Blue Ring - Green RectangleGR® 533). At one point, the markings leave the main path: follow them to pass in front of the Sartorio Monument.

(6) Continue straight ahead until you reach the Croix du Pelé.

(7) Continue along the path to reach Roche Mère Henry.

(8) Roche Mère Henry: staircase, footbridge and viewpoint over the Rabodeau valley. Picnic area. Descend towards Les Quatre Bancs, following the same markings (Green RectangleGR® 533) with a few slightly technical sections.

(1) Turn right and descend the Sentier Picot (Red Triangle) trail, which you took on the way up. Return to the Clos Malpré car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 441 m - Clos Malpré car park
  2. 1 : km 0.98 - alt. 579 m - Carrefour des Quatre Bancs
  3. 2 : km 1.3 - alt. 551 m - Adrienne Fountain
  4. 3 : km 3.47 - alt. 407 m - Intersection - path on the left
  5. 4 : km 3.96 - alt. 480 m - Malfosse Chapel and Virgin's Fountain
  6. 5 : km 4.77 - alt. 592 m - Carrefour Croix de Malfosse
  7. 6 : km 6.18 - alt. 629 m - Sartorio Monument
  8. 7 : km 6.66 - alt. 633 m - Mont Pelé - Croix du Pelé
  9. 8 : km 7.28 - alt. 660 m - Roche Mère Henry
  10. S/E : km 8.78 - alt. 442 m - Clos Malpré car park

Notes

There are several picnic areas: Carrefour des Quatre Bancs, Chapelle de Malfosse, Carrefour Croix de Malfosse and even at the summit of Roche Mère Henry.

There is a shelter at the Quatre Bancs crossroads.

Rather than driving up to Clos Malpré to reach the starting point of the hike, it is also possible to walk there from the centre of Senones: either via the low-traffic road (1,200 m) or via La Louvière (see Col du Dialtrepoix hike).

By bike, the centre of Senones can be reached via the secure greenway starting from Etival-Clairefontaine station, passing in front of Moyenmoutier Abbey (10 km).

Worth a visit

The second part of the trail, from the Croix de Malfosse to the Roche Mère Henry, consists of a memorial trail commemorating the battles of 1914 in the area, with numerous panels explaining the evolution and diversity of the German fortifications that prevented any enemy advance.
This domination was illustrated by the German occupation of the Roche Mère Henry viewpoint, which was their main observation post during the conflict in this sector.

More information: Senones Tourist Office (Place Dom Calmet)

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
crazyfred
crazyfred

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

What a hike! There were some proper climbs at times, and it was a bit busy, but the views we were rewarded with were magnificent. I’d say 90% of the route was through the forest on paths that were sometimes rocky, and we also had to navigate around some fallen trees. I can’t recommend it highly enough.

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maicha
maicha

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a superb, well-shaded route, with very few people on this long weekend Sunday.
however, between the start and point 1, the path is blocked by red and white tape over a short section, so in theory it is off-limits, even if one wonders "why" as I did not see any obstacles

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Megel
Megel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, well-marked blue circle trail, not very busy until you reach Malfosse Chapel.
Once you reach the ridges, four trails intersect on the GR. Between points 6 and 8, there are countless relics and tributes to the First World War. At point 8, you will be rewarded with an exceptional view of Senones and its surroundings. A very beautiful walk. Taking the road to the place called Les Quatre Bancs, you gain 110 metres in altitude and cover about 2 kilometres of trail. Finally, I recommend good shoes and walking sticks. A must-do.

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Magali_J88
Magali_J88

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A delightful hike to discover, combining beautiful scenery at the end of the trail with numerous historical points of interest along the way.

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Chris Alsace
Chris Alsace

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting tour with many points of interest. A journey through the history of the First World War.

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sylve67
sylve67

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Departure from the crossroads of the 4 benches, to reduce the elevation gain (300m despite everything). Done in the opposite direction, in grey and very cloudy weather, we enjoyed all the sights and explanations along the route, but unfortunately not the views.

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Ulysse8837
Ulysse8837

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful hike with remnants of the First World War and a stunning viewpoint at the end

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Raouland
Raouland

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful hike, perfect description.

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gerasyl
gerasyl
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

good description. Moderate difficulty. Quite a few beautiful sights to discover

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randokarine
randokarine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk starting higher up, at the crossroads of the four benches, reducing the distance to 6.8 km with a 225 m elevation gain, taking just over 2½ hours. The road leading there is very damaged, with almost no tarmac in places, but nevertheless without any major problems (even with a motorhome).
A bucolic fountain, a beautiful forest, a chapel, several very pleasant picnic spots, war relics and a beautiful viewpoint at Roche Mère Henry. Highly recommended.

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air&nature
air&nature
• Edited:

Thank you for your comments.

I should point out that this walk is about 9 km long with a little over 400 m of elevation gain. I do it regularly and it's true that it climbs non-stop for almost 4 km, from point 3 (Basse de Malfosse) to point 8 (Roche Mère Henry), with 270 m of elevation gain, and that's mostly in the second half of the hike.

If you take the route in the other direction, most of the elevation gain will be from the start (Clos Malpré) to Roche Mère Henry (240 m elevation gain over 1,600 m). After that, it's all downhill, with only a gentle climb (180m elevation gain) from Basse de Malfosse (point 3) to the Quatre Bancs crossroads (point 1).

In short, if you're in good shape, you can enjoy the first option (Roche Mère Henry at the end of the walk), but if you're not sure about your fitness level, start the walk in the opposite direction to the description (in order: Roche Mère Henry, then Croix de Malfosse, then Chapelle de Malfosse, etc.).

Enjoy your walk!

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dupays charlie
dupays charlie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

beautiful hike with an elevation gain of 500 metres over a distance of 10 kilometres

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moncam
moncam

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the forest, perfect for a hot day. Fairly easy but very interesting, with the forest, water, landscapes and World War I memorial area. The view at the end of the hike is a magnificent reward!

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26122013
26122013

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with lots of points of interest. I had wanted to do it for a long time and am glad I
i did it.

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Philou22
Philou22

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with a highlight being a stunning view of Senones

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