The lower fields of Petitefontaine. The Birds of Prey Walk.

Parking is available at the church and behind the town hall in Lachapelle-Sous-Rougemont.

At the start of the walk, follow the Blue Ring markings .

(S/E) Join the D83 (Rue du Général de Gaulle) and follow it to the left (north-east). Cross Rue des Vosges and turn left into the next street.

(1) At the fork, by the hiking information sign, turn right (Blue Ring markings; ignore the Yellow Ring markings, which go left). Walk north for about 750m, ignoring the paths branching off to the right.

(2) At the junction, turn right. At the next junction (elevation 398), go straight on.

(3) At the end of the path, turn left. The path curves to the right then to the left and passes under a power line twice.

(4) At the junction, take the path on the left. At the next junction, continue straight ahead.

(5) Turn left just before the tarmac road D11, at Petitefontaine. Admire the artwork depicting horses.
Look out for the first information sign describing “the hay meadow”. There will be many other signs.
Head south and leave the path on your left (elevation 396m). Continue straight on and return to the junction with the hiking sign.

(1) Turn right, then right onto the D83 and return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Start at the car park by the church and behind the town hall. Address: 29 Rue du Général-Charles-de-Gaulle, 90360 Lachapelle-sous-Rougemont.
It is possible to park at the exit of Petitefontaine heading towards Lauw. There are only one or two spaces at the side of the road. In this case, start the walk at point (5).
Visorando was provided with information by Mr Chevalley, a volunteer member of Balisage90.
This walk was created by the Southern Vosges Community of Communes.

La Chapelle-sous-Rougemont.
Place names: Capella (1214), Ecclesiam de villa que Capella nuncupatur (1234), à la Chapelle vers Roigemont (1295), Capel (1576), Capplen (1579). In German: Welschen Kappelen.
Its inhabitants are known as Chapelons.
The name of the village, Capella, is first mentioned at the end of the 11th century. At that time, it was part of the seigneury of Rougemont. La Chapelle served as a post house and a popular stopover lodge. During the Restoration, in 1818, a minor seminary was established which operated until the war of 1870. Having become a private secondary school in 1873, by 1882 it was attended by around 300 Alsatian pupils who came to study in French to escape the Germanisation of their province.
In 1914, La Chapelle was linked to Belfort by a branch of the local metre-gauge railway passing through Les Errues. From the start of the war, the line was extended by the military engineers as far as the Alsatian village of Sentheim. The trains were hauled by electric locomotives, which were less conspicuous than steam engines, which would have been immediately spotted by the enemy nearby.
Source: Wikipedia:

Petitefontaine.
Toponymy: Brun (1576), Dz dorff Brun (1628), Petite Fontaine (1793), Petite-Fontaine (1801), Petitefontaine (1962). In German: Klein-Brunn
The village’s name is first mentioned in 1388. At that time, it was likely already attached to the parish of Angeot and formed part of the seigneury of Rougemont. Following the war of 1871 and the implementation of the Treaty of Frankfurt, Petitefontaine was separated from the canton of Masevaux along with the other municipalities: Rougemont, Leval and Romagny.
Source: Wikipedia: