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Park at the end of the small road signposted "Lac de la Maix" from Vexaincourt, a village on the D392 road between Raon-l'Etape and the Col du Donon. On the left-hand side of the small road, there is space for 4 or 5 cars and, on the right-hand side of the road, access to a larger car park.
=> For information, departure from the car park N 48.477011° / E 7.077776° is not possible from 15/06 to 15/09 (barrier lowered to N48.48398 E7.06911). The remaining distance on the small tarmac road is 2.9 km.
Signs Yellow ring + Red and Yellow
(S) Cross the forest fence (incorrectly positioned on the map) and immediately after take a track to the left. After around 200m, look for a fork in the road, leave the path and turn left onto a path heading towards Prayé (signposted). The path climbs steadily through the forest. From place to place, the summit of the Donon can be seen on the left through the trees. This leads to a track that you follow to the right. After around 100 metres, turn right onto a wide track and immediately reach a crossroads.
(1) Turn left onto a track towards Prayé (signposted). Head east downhill, ignoring the paths to the left and right. You will come to a small road in the Clairière de Prayé.
Yellow Ring
(2) Take the road to the right and follow the Refuge Laederich (Refuge de Prayé on the map) on your right. After about 1.2km, leave the road and turn right onto the Route Forestière du Haut du Bon Dieu (signposted).
(3) This wide track climbs gently up to a large crossroads at Le Haut du Bon Dieu (sign).
Yellow Triangle markings
(4) At the end of the crossroads (west), look out for a tree bearing forest plot no. 72 and signs (on the right is an oratory that you can visit). Turn left onto a track that runs slightly uphill into the forest. At a flat spot, look for a sign on the right indicating "Les Auges": follow this direction and you will very quickly reach the Roches à Auges site (sign). Retrace your steps and turn right along the signposted path. Reach a crossroads.
Unmarked
(5) Turn right onto the path between two trees bearing plot numbers 87 (on your left) and 72 (on your right). Stay on this path, which descends steeply through dense forest cover, ignoring the smaller paths to the left and right. At the bottom of the descent, reach a crossroads.
(6) Take the first track on the right, between plot numbers 73 (on your left) and 72 (on your right). Climb back up and follow the path over open ground (on the left, there is a view of the Tête du Coquin). Ignore the start of a path on the right and head downhill until you come to a Y-shaped crossroads where you will find signposts. Turn right and immediately reach the Fontaine Colas Lorrain (spring at the side of the path, sign).
Red Triangle markings
(7) Take the path opposite the spring, to the north-west. The path winds between trees and rocks and leads to the Roches à Cupules site (sign).
(8) Retrace your steps back to the spring.
Yellow disc (+ red disc at the start).
(7) Turn left downhill towards Lac de la Maix (sign). At a T-junction, turn right and head slightly uphill. After a few dozen metres, leave a path (not shown on the map) marked with a red disc and head left towards the lake. Stay on the wide path marked with a yellow disc, which offers a more open and less steep route. At a fork in the road, take the left-hand path down to the chapel overlooking Lac de la Maix to the west and reach the lake.
(9) Walk alongside the lake, ignoring the paths on your left. Walk past the information signs and continue eastwards as far as the forest barrier, immediately returning to the starting point.
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