The Savoureuse Valley

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this hike in pleasant weather.
It should be noted that the signposting often has nothing to do with the IGN maps.
Many paths are "diverted"
The trail is interrupted after point 4, so you have to be very creative to continue the hike.
We also noticed a total elevation gain of 800 m, which is much lower than expected!

We will not be doing this hike again
Jean-Marie Baur
hiking guide
at the Kingersheim Vosges Club

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Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, varied landscapes, including forests, waterfalls, panoramic views, plains...

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Date of your route : Oct 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route changes from 47°48'31.4" to 47°48'41.4". At the second point, the route returns to the original route. The second difficulty is that the path is interrupted by a dog breeding facility at point 47°46'40.1" on Chemin de la Goutte des Forges. Take the path at the fork at point 47°46'43.3", marked with a yellow triangle, which leads to Malvaux.
A beautiful walk nonetheless, but difficult in terms of distance and elevation.

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Date of your route : May 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

I went hiking on a Friday after a public holiday, accompanied by my dog.
We ended up covering 22 km with an elevation gain of 940 m. I would classify it as difficult rather than moderate.
A trail with magnificent waterfalls, I really loved it! This hike is worth it for that alone.

When we arrived at Ballon d'Alsace, unfortunately the autumn weather was foggy, so we couldn't enjoy the magnificent views that Ballon d'Alsace has to offer.

At the end of the hike, when you arrive about 600 m from the starting point (car park), you come across another small waterfall, which is exceptional and has a real swimming spot. A real little paradise

Compared to the map, I encountered a problem after the Petit Haut pond, around 4.7 km, which led me onto trails that had not been used for some time. I wanted to follow the route rather than the markings that led in another direction to Ballon d'Alsace, but it was complicated.
I eventually found it again, but with several obstacles to overcome and overgrown paths.
It's better to follow the GR5 to avoid this complication.

This hike is very beautiful and challenging, just the way I like it.

THANK YOU

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike
Landscapes, animals, everything is there!

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I had to shorten the route by bypassing the Col du Hirtzelach via the Plateau de la Grange. GPS obliges.
The dry spell doesn't do justice to the Savoureuse waterfalls, but the site is still worth a visit.
The signposting at Gentiane is a little confusing.

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Date of your route : Jul 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with a good variety of landscapes! A river, small waterfalls, forest, a pond, plains, flowers, lots of pretty views... I was particularly (and pleasantly) surprised by the beauty of Wissgrut, which also offers a lovely panoramic view.

The GPX route is accurate, but we didn't follow it exactly. As there are many possible paths, it is also possible to shorten the hike or take other alternative routes. Also, the markings may have changed, as I didn't find any red round markers, but it continued on the GR5.

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Date of your route : Sep 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful but fairly demanding hike. Especially the climb alongside the La Savoureuse torrent: rocks, views of waterfalls, all under the beech and maple trees of this part of the Vosges.
The markings on the ground have changed significantly: the GR5 has changed paths, some of the markings have changed, and above the upper pond, the paths have been unmarked (natural areas of the balloons). In short, as is often the case, the maps on sale and those available online are not up to date with the terrain. However, with a little map reading skill and a sense of direction, there are no real problems.
One detail that may be important: in the last part of the descent, you pass by what appears to be a Czech wolfdog breeding farm. They are quite impressive, but behind fences, of course.

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Best done in spring when the river flow is greater than in summer

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Thank you, juliannaztaz
It's a shame you got lost, especially with a GPS
If you have any suggestions for improving the description, please don't hesitate to let us know.

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The first part of the hike was interesting, especially the view of the waterfalls and the arrival at the balloon. However, some parts of the route are poorly marked and some paths are poorly maintained (one just before the balloon, two others on the descents): we lost track of the path several times and got lost twice despite the GPS track on our watch, ending up walking an extra 3 km...

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Date of your route : Jul 12, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello, we were unable to save the PDF file for the hike. We keep going round in circles and as soon as the file loads, we are asked to register again. Nevertheless, we climbed up the Savoureuse from the Saut de la Truite to the Balon, and came back down via the Col du and the Étang des Roseaux. A very beautiful hike, the Savoureuse is magnificent. Please note that the signposting has recently been changed to GR5.

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Date of your route : May 14, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike along the ridges and, at the end of the route, a superb path along the Savoureuse waterfalls.

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Date of your route : May 26, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike with a special mention for the Savoureuse Valley and its waterfalls!

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Date of your route : Jul 01, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We chose to do the route in reverse, starting from Malvaux and heading towards the Col de Chantoiseau. The advantage we found was that, although the slope was steep, it was a beautiful path without stones, which allowed us to maintain a fairly steady pace. Of course, the descent from Les Démineurs to the Roche aux Cerfs car park posed no difficulties.

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