The century-old Douglas firs of the Épinal Forest

A family walk in the heart of the Épinal forest, passing by the Roche Charlot and the Roche Goutteuse.

Make sure to download the map before you lose mobile signal.

As forestry machinery is present, ruts are to be expected; as with all hikes, wear sturdy footwear and don’t be afraid of the mud. 

Details

40440120
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.25 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 142 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 142 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 446 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 350 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Coming from Aydoilles via the D159, turn right into the car park just after the hairpin bend. Please note that this is not signposted. Follow the forest track for 50 metres before parking.

(S/E) On a large oak tree, you will find a sign from the Club Vosgien indicating the various trails. Head north-west along the Blue Disc trail until you reach the forest road.

(1) At the end of the forest track, turn left onto thesecond forest road which runs alongside the Ruisseau de Saint-Oger. On your right, you will see the private estate of Noir Bois. Join a road.

(2) Continue south on this road until you reach a three-way junction.

(3) Turn left onto a track until you reach the Carrefour de l’Àge d’Or (picnic table, a good spot for a break). Set off again, taking the path on the right, heading due south, until you reach the Croix des Bossottes junction.

(4) A wooden sign, located to the left of the path, points you towards the Grands Douglas. Follow this direction until the next junction on your left. Follow this path to the Grands Douglas.

(5) Planted in 1880, you can admire these majestic trees along a 50-metre path. When you reach the last tree (dead end), retrace your steps to join a path signposted towards La Roche Charlot. Follow the Yellow Diamond markings to the junction (marked with a Blue Ring towards La Roche Goutteuse). You will arrive at La Roche Charlot.

(6) The Club Vosgien offers a 15-minute circular walk around the various rocks. To do this, simply follow the Blue Ring markings. An information board indicating the route to take is located on site. Once back at this point, you can continue by retracing the start of this loop. Given the magnificence of the site, this is not a problem.

(7) The Goutteuse rock, on the Yellow Diamond trail: admire this rock and listen to the sound of water droplets falling from the moss. Continue along the trail to the forest road. Take the path opposite, climb the fairly steep slope for a few metres, and you’ll reach a fairly flat path thereafter. Continue to a crossroads.

(8) Take the path on the left and follow the Blue Disc markings to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 446 m - Car park – Trailhead
  2. 1 : km 3.32 - alt. 350 m - Crossroads - Forest road
  3. 2 : km 4.96 - alt. 383 m - Route
  4. 3 : km 5.51 - alt. 424 m - Three-way junction
  5. 4 : km 6.07 - alt. 423 m - The Croix des Bossottes
  6. 5 : km 6.84 - alt. 411 m - The Great Douglas Fir Trees
  7. 6 : km 7.28 - alt. 390 m - Charlot Rock
  8. 7 : km 7.81 - alt. 400 m - La Roche Goutteuse
  9. 8 : km 8.14 - alt. 419 m - Crossroads
  10. S/E : km 9.25 - alt. 446 m - Car park – Trailhead

Notes

You will find various Saint-Oger spring catchments along the route.

This route is shaded by trees, making it ideal in hot weather.

Worth a visit

The Great Douglas Firs of Épinal were planted in 1880. They stand between 45 and 48 metres tall and have diameters ranging from 65 to 127 centimetres.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
jumachris
jumachris

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike along beautiful trails... starting from the tall Douglas fir trees, you'll be amazed by Charlot Rock and Goûteuse Rock... the first part of this hike is a bit long and the ground is still very muddy, but you'll quickly forget that when you discover the rest... enjoy your hike, everyone! 😁

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User 8163211

I’ve already done this walk in the spring before the leaves have come out. The tall Douglas firs, the large sandstone boulders and the climb up the little stream are the highlights of this route.
A pleasant, shaded walk with no difficulties. Logging operations have left the paths in a terrible state at the start, with deep ruts filled with water.
No problems with navigation when loading the GPX file.

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User 21522127

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We need more details about the route from the starting point

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User 8163211

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk before the leaves came out, and a bit muddy after heavy rain. The route should be well shaded in summer. The group of large Douglas fir trees is well worth the diversions and the short circuit to Roche Charlot among the beautiful spruce trees is a nice bonus. Using the GPX avoids any orientation problems.

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stinger
stinger

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very interesting route
It was very wet on the day we did it, so it was slippery
You need good shoes
A bit of road, but the trail section is well worth the trip
One of the best we’ve done in the Vosges

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Cassandre
Cassandre

Thank you!!

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Cassandre
Cassandre
• Edited:

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

As a keen hiker in the Hautes Vosges, I was very disappointed and felt completely lost by the directions! This is thefirst time I’ve got lost due to a lack of clear directions… And that was right from the start.

Be careful if you don’t have a compass. “North-west” or “due south” should guide you… When you’re faced with three paths and these directions, it’s enough to make you doubt which way to go.

Luckily we had mobile coverage for part of the hike, but once we reached the rocks, the signal dropped... So we decided to turn back until we got signal again. Had the directions from VOSGES PATTES been clear, we would have reached our destination much sooner.

That said, the hike is very accessible and lovely to see.

On reaching point 7, the path straight ahead is obscured by trees and moss... that’s what threw us off track... A tree trunk right in the middle of the path... A sign saying to take a small bridge would have been much clearer... Nothing was noted about this.

Finally, the signposts should rely on diamonds, discs, circles... Sometimes the signs are on two tree trunks side by side with the same markings... enough to get lost and raise plenty of doubts....

I don’t recommend this hike if you don’t have a compass!

The hikes in the Hautes-Vosges are much better signposted.

Cassandre

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franchie
franchie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, best done in dry weather, as the first part was through mud and ruts left by forestry machinery. The highlights are, of course, the Grands Douglas, the Roche Charlot and the Roche Goutteuse.
Thank you, Vosg'patt

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