The tour of Roc du Taurupt via Haut de Chaumont

Parking at the exit of Vexaincourt, on the other side of the river, on the side of the road near a Y-junction where there are rubbish bins (coordinate 387 on the map).

Access:
- from Vexaincourt, take the small road that crosses the Plaine river and leads to a place called Le Taurupt (signposted);
- from Allarmont, follow the D392 towards the Col du Donon and, a few hundred metres after the exit, turn left onto the D184 towards Halbach and continue to the junction.

No signposts

(S) Take the small road that climbs gently towards the north-east. After about 100 metres, at the fork, take the right-hand road towards Le Taurupt.

Yellow disc signposting

(1) When you reach a large white house on the right-hand side, ignore the private roads on the left and continue straight ahead. The tarmac gives way to a stony path. Ignore a forest road on the right and pass a ruined building on the right. Cross a stream in a hairpin bend to the right (small pond on the left). You will come to a crossroads (shelter; viewpoint).

No markings

(2) Continue straight ahead on a slight downhill slope. At the fork that follows, after about 250m, take the wide path on the left and climb again.

(3) Take a hairpin bend to the left. Continue climbing, staying on the wide main path and ignoring the side paths (including those that are marked). Pass a hut in a hairpin bend to the right and reach the Col du Taurupt.

(4) Descend opposite (north-east). After about 100 metres, take the^first path on the left. You will immediately come to another path; follow it to the left.

Markings: Red disc + blue cross

(5) At the fork, take the left-hand path, which is fairly flat, towards Haut de Chaumont and Scierie du Marquis. Walk south-west then south to go around Roc du Taurupt. You will reach a large crossroads at a place called Haut de Chaumont (military graves with simple wooden crosses).

Yellow disc markings

(6) At the end of the crossroads, take the hairpin bend to the left down towards Luvigny/Scierie du Marquis. Pass a ruined shelter and continue downhill, staying on the main path and ignoring the paths branching off to the left or right. Cross several streams and return to the crossroads you took on the way out.

(2) Turn right at an acute angle and descend towards Le Taurupt.

No markings

(1) Follow the small road south then south-west to return to the starting point.

The hike crosses a private forest: do not stray from the paths. At Haut de Chaumont (6), at the start of the path that descends towards Luvigny, there is a "private road" sign. According to information obtained from the relevant section of the Club Vosgien, you are perfectly entitled to hike on this marked path.

Hiking boots are required.
There are no water sources along the route.
Shelter at the crossroads (2) and just before the Col du Taurupt (4).
A 1:25,000 map is required. A compass may be useful and is not cumbersome.

Hike completed twice by the author, the first on 9 May 2015, the second on 10 January 2021.

At the crossroads (2): viewpoint over the Celles valley (Plaine river).

At Haut de Chaumont (6): three graves, one of which indicates that it is a German soldier killed in November 1915 (we can assume that the same is true for the other two).