The Haut du Roc as seen from Saulxure

A trail offering numerous views of the surrounding peaks. A special mention goes to the viewpoint at Haut du Roc, which offers a panoramic view of the Moselotte Valley stretching as far as Remiremont, not to mention the Tables de Charlemagne.

Details

10670161
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.01 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,487 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,493 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,320 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,542 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Head to Saulxure-sur-Moselotte on the Cornimont side, to a place called La Médelle. Park along the street near the restaurant: L’Angélus.

(S/E) Walk back a short way towards Cornimont and turn left onto Rue de l’Étang des Fées, following the Yellow Triangle markings, opposite the factory buildings. You will soon reach the far end of the pond and the Source des Fées.

(1) Walk along the left-hand side of the Étang des Fées and, at its far end, continue along the path, marked with Yellow Triangles and red FFSP signs.

(2) As you approach a second, smaller pond, turn left. Now the going gets tough: the climb is quite steep but the surroundings are very pleasant. After two kilometres, turn left, following the Yellow Triangle markings, then turn right.

(3) After about fifty metres, turn right towards Zéfeut. On the right-hand side of the route, look out for a spruce tree that is well over a hundred years old. You’ll reach the top of Zéfeut at the Étang de Zéfeut.

(4) Continue to the right until you reach the Col de Lauvy. Cross the road.

(5) Then take the path marked with a Red Cross, taking the right-hand branch towards the Col de Lansau to reach the hunters’ hut and its viewpoint over La Bresse.

(6) Turn left. You’ll come out onto a tarmac road. Continue to the Col de la Croix des Moinats.

(7) Then turn left and follow the small tarmac road as it descends gently, marked with a Red Diamond. After 400 m, a path on the left enters the forest, leading to the hamlet of Closfaing, known locally as Le Spechey.

(8) Climb up to the left across a meadow, then turn left again onto the road to reach the Col des Hayes.

(9) Turn right onto the wide path towards the Bois de Sarimont.

(10) Go round Sarimont via the path on the left, marked with yellow, red and blue rings, which runs along the edge of the woodland and offers beautiful views of the Southern Vosges from the Grand Ventron to the Planche des Belles Filles, and is less strenuous than the direct ascent.

(11) At the crossroads, turn right, following the Yellow Ring alone for 50 m. When you reach the road, cross it and take the path which climbs steeply, marked with Red and Blue Crosses. You’ll emerge at a bend in the road leading to the mast. Follow the road for about a hundred metres. Before the flat section, 30 m before the mast and at the last wooden electricity pole, turn right onto the path that circles the summit of the Haut du Roc anti-clockwise (Green Ring – Route des Roches). Please note: the sign is visible only if you turn round. The path winds its way beneath the rocks, some of which are truly monumental. Cross a small ravine via a wooden footbridge (Pont Gérard), which is rather charming amidst the heather. At the crossroads beneath the cross, do not head towards the holiday camp but continue straight on along the “Circuit des Roches”, still following the Green Ring route. A little further on, several paths climb to the summit. Take the third one, just before the puddingstone boulders, as this is the easiest. Here you’ll find the large cross, the altar and the viewpoint over the valley (tables and benches available).

(12) Set off again along the path behind the cross, towards the mast. At the large crossroads, turn right towards Planoise (Red Triangle) and Saulxure (Red Cross and Blue Cross). You will soon reach the “Table de Charlemagne”. Continue along the path, leaving the Sentier des Roches (Green Ring) on your right, and follow the gentle descent marked with Red Cross and Blue Cross signs, which leads onto a wider path.

(13) Pass the sign for Planoise on your right and turn left, following the Blue Ring, Red Cross and Blue Cross markings, then head downhill to the crossroads known as ‘Les Bouleaux’.

(14) Continue straight down (Blue Cross only) to reach a good tarmac road, which you should follow until you reach another crossroads. Keep following the Blue Cross markings and keep an eye out for the right-hand side.

(15) Take a path on the right, signposted ‘Le Châtillon’ (sign). Begin a series of climbs near Châtillon, with fairly technical descents offering beautiful panoramic views of Saulxure. Pass by La Roche Fendue to emerge onto a tarmac road.

(16) Turn left, following the Yellow Ring markings – Chemin des Retraités – then, at the junction, continue straight ahead along the road without any markings. At a sharp bend to the right, turn left, guided by the sound of the Ruisseau de Rupt.

(17) Do not cross the footbridge but turn right and follow the stream. You’ll come across the markings for the permanent FFSP route, marked with a red plaque. This leads to the Musée du Bois.

(18) Follow some charming little paths behind the houses, alternating with Rue des Coteaux, Impasse de la Rouheule and Rue de la Résistance, until you rejoin the main road (Rue d’Alsace). Turn left and continue to the starting point. (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,562 ft - Rue de la Médelle (Angélus). Near the - Moselotte (rivière)
  2. 1 : mi 0.38 - alt. 1,585 ft - Source des Fées
  3. 2 : mi 0.83 - alt. 1,637 ft - End of the second pond
  4. 3 : mi 2.16 - alt. 2,523 ft - Crossroads with a choice of routes
  5. 4 : mi 2.98 - alt. 3,045 ft - Zéfeut
  6. 5 : mi 3.42 - alt. 2,936 ft - Col de Lauvi (892m)
  7. 6 : mi 3.86 - alt. 2,808 ft - Hunters’ chalet
  8. 7 : mi 4.87 - alt. 2,920 ft - Goumois Monument
  9. 8 : mi 5.65 - alt. 2,720 ft - Le Spechey
  10. 9 : mi 5.98 - alt. 2,917 ft - Col des Hayes (888m)
  11. 10 : mi 6.4 - alt. 3,064 ft - Sarimont rest area
  12. 11 : mi 6.99 - alt. 3,094 ft - Crossroads
  13. 12 : mi 7.57 - alt. 3,317 ft - Haut du Roc (1012m)
  14. 13 : mi 7.75 - alt. 3,241 ft - Crossroads
  15. 14 : mi 8.51 - alt. 2,799 ft - Carrefour des Bouleaux
  16. 15 : mi 9.14 - alt. 2,405 ft - Crossroads towards Le Chatillon
  17. 16 : mi 10.2 - alt. 1,995 ft - Tarmac road
  18. 17 : mi 10.8 - alt. 1,726 ft - Crossroads before the footbridge
  19. 18 : mi 11.06 - alt. 1,588 ft - Wood Museum
  20. S/E : mi 12.01 - alt. 1,562 ft - Rue de la Médelle (L’Angélus)

Notes

Sturdy walking shoes and walking poles are strongly recommended.
Make sure you bring plenty to drink as there are no water points along the route and no refreshment stops.
There are no shelters or refuges; the hunters’ hut is closed.
There are tables and benches at Sarimont and Haut du Roc

Worth a visit

Between (6) and (7), take a short pause for reflection at the Monument to the Goumiers, the Moroccan Tabors who liberated the Vosges and this region in particular.
(18) The Wood Museum along the route in Saulxure-sur-Moselotte

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Nono 88
Nono 88

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great route for experienced hikers!
Route with elevation gain.

Machine-translated

Pierrot DAVID
Pierrot DAVID

Great – so the changes made have been beneficial
Thank you for your feedback – it’s a great encouragement for future visitors

Machine-translated

minela
minela

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike with stunning views.
The elevation gain is at the beginning, after that it's easier.
No trouble finding my way, very detailed description.
Thank you very much.

Machine-translated

jackylajiux
jackylajiux

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is well marked, though I didn’t enjoy the climbs in the last hour. If I were to do it again, I’d do it the other way round.

Machine-translated

Pierrot DAVID
Pierrot DAVID

As promised, I’ve re-done the walk today to take thd55’s feedback into account. The route has been altered at Haut du Roc to take the ‘Sentier des Roches’ path around the summit, which adds an extra dimension to this walk. The route description has been updated accordingly.
However, on the return journey to Saulxure, I didn’t spot anything out of the ordinary.

Machine-translated

Pierrot DAVID
Pierrot DAVID

Thank you for this initial feedback, and I’m sorry that reading the map and the instructions didn’t enable you to complete this walk successfully. As soon as possible, I’ll head up to the Haut du Roc to make the necessary changes to the route description for the summit section. For the descent, you simply need to follow the ‘Blue Cross’ signs, so that shouldn’t be a problem.
I’m glad to see that you still found the route worthwhile. That’s a lovely sign of encouragement.

Machine-translated

thd55
thd55

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The description is very good up to the Haut du Roc.
But as soon as it heads back down, it’s not precise enough.
I must have missed a junction (!!), and ended up heading towards
Luckily, I know how to read a map, so I managed to find my way to Saulxures.
In the end, it was 23 km instead of the 19 km it was supposed to be....
It’s a shame because the route is lovely, with superb views. A good assessment of the difficulty (as all the elevation gain is at the start!!).
The author should be more specific in their description: from the summit, “Continue along the ridge on a path marked ‘Green Circle’.”

All in all, a lovely walk

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.