Col du Petit Haut and Le Rocher de la Salière

Loop hike starting from Fouchy, through beautiful pine and deciduous forests. Gradual climb to Col du Petit Haut, alternating between paths and trails.

Return via pleasant trails on the slopes of Rougerain and Guichat, with the Rocher de la Salière and the Roche du Cheval Tombé.

The walk ends with part of the heritage trail "Une forêt en pays welsche" (A forest in Welsh country) and the viewpoint at the Fouchy reservoir.

Details

1617888
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.66 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,371 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,371 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,310 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,102 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at Fouchy at the top of the village, car park above the church (follow signs for “Mairie-Eglise”)

(S/E) From the church, take the road uphill towards the town hall (look for a sign for the heritage trail).

Green Disc markings towards the Col de Fouchy

Follow the reservoir path up a very steep climb. Once at the top, continue along the path to the right. Join a tarmac road and follow it uphill to the left.

(1) Take a path on the right. Look for another Heritage Trail sign; the path veers slightly to the left. Further on, ignore a path marked with a Red Triangle heading down towards Noirceux.

(2) At the next junction, continue straight ahead along the Froidefontaine forest track.

(3) After passing a series of buildings, you’ll reach a three-way junction; take the left-hand path. Further on, turn right; the path takes a wide bend to the right.

(4) Before reaching the main road (D155), take the forest track veering sharply left, heading towards Col de Fouchy through the woods. Then, shortly afterwards, take a path climbing to the right.

(5) At the next three-way junction, take the forest track to the right. (Ignore the Red Cross signpost opposite pointing towards Rougerain). At a three-way junction, keep right on a flat path. After a short descent, the path turns left for a very steep climb lasting about fifteen minutes.

Blue Ring markings towards Col du Petit Haut

(6) At the end of the climb, at a crossroads, continue straight ahead. (Ignore the signpost to the right for Col de Fouchy – ignore the signpost to the left for Col de Rougerain). Further on, ignore the descent towards Prérebois. A series of unmarked paths or tracks follows, which are not described here, as you must always follow the Blue Circle markings.

Red Saltire markings

(7) At Col du Petit Haut, take the path on the left, marked with a Red Saltire, towards Place des Charpentiers. After a descent of about fifteen minutes, you will come to a signpost markedGR®®532.

Yellow Rectangle markings towards La Salière

(8) Take the path on the left towards La Salière. Cross a forest track and continue straight on.

(9) Upon reaching the Rocher de la Salière, follow the path that goes round it to the right, then climbs to the left via steps and leads to the top of the rock. Further on, a secure viewing platform offers a fine view of the Ungersberg massif. Continue towards the Roche du Cheval tombé.

Blue Triangle markings

(10) After the Roche du Cheval tombé, turn right towards the Col de Rougerain. At the next junction, head straight on. After 5 minutes, leave the forest track and take a path branching off to the right.

(11) Arrive at the Col du Rougerain, then take the first turn left then right towards the Croix du Guichat (north-west). Please note: at the pass, ignore the signposted route to Villé on the left, also marked with a Blue Triangle. At the next three-way junction, continue straight ahead (ignore the Red Cross markings).

(12) Arrive at the Croix du Guichat, head right. Continue downhill.

Follow the yellow triangle signs towards Fouchy Belvédère

When you reach a junction, continue left along a wide path.

(13) At a sharp bend, leave the path and take the track opposite, following it to Fouchy (signs for a former botanical trail, then the heritage trail)

Arrive at the Fouchy reservoir viewpoint. Continue along the road until you reach the junction of the circular route.

(1) Return to the starting point via the same route as on the way out (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,102 ft - Car park above the church
  2. 1 : mi 0.45 - alt. 1,293 ft - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 1.11 - alt. 1,302 ft - Froidefontaine forest track
  4. 3 : mi 1.47 - alt. 1,417 ft - Three-way junction after the lodges
  5. 4 : mi 2.09 - alt. 1,667 ft - Forest track before the D155
  6. 5 : mi 2.37 - alt. 1,850 ft - Junction with forest track
  7. 6 : mi 3.17 - alt. 2,182 ft - Crossroads after the steep climb
  8. 7 : mi 4.01 - alt. 2,300 ft - Col du Petit Haut (698m)
  9. 8 : mi 4.29 - alt. 2,100 ft - GR 532 signpost
  10. 9 : mi 4.79 - alt. 2,192 ft - Rocher de la Salière
  11. 10 : mi 5.12 - alt. 2,119 ft - Roche du Cheval tombé
  12. 11 : mi 5.56 - alt. 2,008 ft - Col du Rougerain (611m)
  13. 12 : mi 5.78 - alt. 1,923 ft - Croix du Guichat
  14. 13 : mi 6.57 - alt. 1,381 ft - Turn (towards the old botanical trail)
  15. S/E : mi 7.66 - alt. 1,102 ft - Car park above the church

Notes

Benches at Col du Petit Haut.
No shelter or water source.

Note: On the 1:25,000 IGN map, there is an inconsistency regarding the location of the Col du Rougerain.

Club Vosgien signposting:
https://www.club-vosgien.eu/wp-content/u...

Worth a visit

The Val de Villé Heritage Trail, “A Forest in Welsche Country”, offers the chance to meet a clog maker or shingle maker and admire the types of timber worked by these craftsmen.
See http://www.tourisme-valdeville.fr/

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

4.7 / 5
Based on 21 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 1388814

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike gets off to a bit of a tough start with a steep climb. After that, the climbs are more gradual.
The scenery along the route is varied and very pretty.
The view isn’t particularly impressive as the trees are too tall and block much of the scenery.
The route description is very precise.
We didn’t walk very fast, yet it only took us 3 hours and 40 minutes to complete the circular route.

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gizmo
gizmo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route with stunning scenery; forests and meadows stretching as far as the eye can see, dotted with pretty villages; we often followed some very pretty paths. As we had plenty of time and the weather was fine (apart from the cold wind that blew for much of the day), we extended our walk in two places: after point 4, we went to the Col de Fouchy to rejoin the route at point 6, and after point 7 we made a circular loop to the right to see the ‘rondes roches’ and the ‘rocher des fées’ before returning to point 8; the detour was well worth it and we rejoined the original route at point 8. In total, we therefore covered just over 16 km
Contrary to what is stated in the practical information, there are tables and benches at Place des Charpentiers, at the Col du Rougerain and at the Croix du Guichat. As we extended the route, there were also tables and benches at the Ronde Roches and the Rocher des Fées

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vgraff
vgraff

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful forest trail, ideal for hot days. There is a short climb at the start and the same steep slope on the way back, but the rest is moderately difficult. There is a lovely fountain at the end of the hike with exceptional water quality, which is especially appreciated on hot days! It takes about 5 hours for average walkers.

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thom67500
thom67500
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the forest, with some nice climbs.
The route took 3½ hours to complete.

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schwartz philippe
schwartz philippe

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice outing, peaceful

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Thomas H5.
Thomas H5.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, pleasant surroundings. Few "viewpoints", hike mostly in the forest. The Rocher de la Salière rock is original but the only "attraction".

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Sophie Herzog
Sophie Herzog

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The area around Villé is very beautiful. Apart from two fairly steep climbs, the loop is easy.

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Lokes
Lokes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, mostly in the shade, which is cool during heatwaves.

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Papou etienne
Papou etienne

Yes, I can confirm that the work was indeed underway, and frankly, from what I saw, it is preferable to respect the restrictions. Now everyone must take responsibility....

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virgule
virgule

Hello,

when I see a sign saying "forestry work in progress" (or "hunting in progress"), I prick up my ears, because very often there is neither work nor hunters.

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Papou etienne
Papou etienne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good evening, a very beautiful hike for experienced walkers. Please note that during winter there is a lot of forestry work on the route, which is closed to the public. You will need to find an alternative route to get around this. Congratulations to you...

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michelrando67
michelrando67

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

beautiful, uncrowded hike for a Sunday

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Nature57
Nature57

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and pleasant hike, mainly through the forest, with excellent descriptions, peaceful with few people encountered and birds singing constantly. What a joy!

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GrosNounours67
GrosNounours67

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A peaceful and pleasant hike accompanied by birdsong throughout, encountering one squirrel... and two fellow hikers
A forest trail with beautiful rocks and lots of photo opportunities!

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Thecla
Thecla

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. Very well marked, no complaints. Also suitable for hot weather. We didn't meet a single person!
Highly recommended!

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