Carrefour Market car park, Avenue Joseph Lejeune (N66) in 4980 Trois-Ponts.
[SNCB] Trois-Ponts station – line 42 Rivage – Luxembourg (500 m from (S/E) down Rue de la Gare, then follow the N68, then the N66 towards Manhay and Lierneux).
[TEC] Pont de la Salm stop – lines 142 – 294 – 745 (150 m from (S/E) following the N68 then the N66 towards Manhay and Lierneux).
It is advisable not to undertake this hike when there is snow, ice, frozen ground or after heavy rain.
(S/E) Leave the car park and walk down the main road to the left. After a few dozen metres, at the crossroads, turn left into Rue des Villas, towards the cemetery. Cross over the Ruisseau du Bâleur stream.
(1) Turn left up Rue Willy De Backer, following the green, blue and black Extratrail route markings. Shortly after house no. 5, leave the tarmac and turn left, going through a metal gate. Go around a second gate, opposite a playground, just before the junction with a wide gravel path.
(2) At the junction with the gravel path, at the Pont des Soupirs bridge, continue to the right, following the white and red markings of a GR® trail, passing through another gate. Walk along a playground, then a stream to the access path to a small dam. Continue straight ahead, walk along the Étang du Bâleur and pass the access to it. A few dozen metres after two benches, you will reach an intersection.
(3) Go up to the right, following the blue Extratrail route markings. Be careful! After 140 metres, when the path becomes narrow, leave it to begin a short but steep climb of about 50 metres on the left, on a path that is not very visible. At the end of this path, you will come to a wide grassy path. Go up to the left. Pass a path on the left and reach a T-junction. Turn left. After 250 metres, at the junction with a wide stony path that climbs to the right, continue straight ahead until you reach a fork a few metres further on.
(4) Follow the path on the right. After one kilometre, and after passing under a high-voltage power line, as the path begins to descend steeply, at the junction with a path ascending to the right, take the path on the right , following the blue Extratrail markings. On the ascent, as the slope levels out, at the fork continue to the right, following the green disc markings. Pass a path on the left. Pass under the high-voltage power line again. After 350 m on a beautiful forest path, leave the woods shortly after passing a path that descends to the right. Continue on a grassy path between the meadows. Pass under another high-voltage power line and come out onto a road.
(5) Cross it and continue straight ahead on the asphalt road towards the first houses of the hamlet of Brume. On the left, you can see the dam of the upper lake of Coo. At a rock at the entrance to a right-hand bend, just before a farm, descend to the right with the Red Mountain Bike Route No. 3. After a few metres, you will come to a road. Follow it to the left until the next bend.
(6) Just after house no. 13, leave the asphalt road and turn right. Pass a path that descends to the right and another that ascends to the left. Continue along a wide forest path. At the end of a wide bend to the right, at the bottom right, you can see the lower lake of Coo. Reach a crossroads with a concrete structure on the left, which is an aqueduct collecting water flowing down from the hill.
(7) Leave the wide path and descend to the right. At the next fork, turn left, still following the Red Mountain Bike Route No. 3, and go through a metal gate. Pass through the area known as Lac de Coo (altitude 360 m). After a long stretch through the forest on the hillside above the lake, you will come to a T-junction. Turn right, leaving the Red Mountain Bike Route No. 3, which goes left, but following the Blue and Black Extratrail signs. After about 100 metres, you will come to a high-voltage pylon (just after this, you will see the fence of the Coo game park).
(8) A few metres before this pylon, descend to the right on a very rocky path facing the lake. A rope handrail comes in handy throughout this descent. You will come out onto the road that goes around the lake.
(9) Follow it to the left. After 850 m along the lake, turn right and cross the dam. At the end of the dam, follow the asphalt road to the left and go around a high barrier. Immediately after, climb the road to the right, following the PL Croix Jaune. After house no. 22, continue on the narrower asphalt road. Opposite the entrance to the last house (no. 24), go up to the left on a gravel path until you reach a fork.
(10) Leave the yellow cross trail and descend to the right along a path with a rope handrail, following the blue and black Extratrail route markings. The first part of the path is very rocky with numerous roots. At the bottom of the descent, continue along the path, which is once again very close to the lake, until you reach a fork.
(11) Continue along the path on the right, which eventually joins a wider path where you will find the Yellow Cross trail. At the end of the path, walk a few metres on the asphalt, then turn right to cross the second dam of the lake (which is horseshoe-shaped, hence the two dams). At the end of the dam, turn right and you will come to a junction with a road.
(12) Go up to the left. At the junction with Rue Sur les Fosses, go up to the right on Promenade des Merles and Promenade des Papillons, following the yellow and red markings of a GRP®. At the fork, continue left on the gravel path. At the next fork, where you can see the lake again on your right, as well as the entrance to the underground power station, ignore all markings except those for the Extratrail and descend to the right. Pass to the left of the power station (as is usually the case) and, immediately after, at the fork, turn left to reach a water catchment.
(13) At the water catchment and facing a high-voltage pylon, climb a narrow path on the left (ignore a wider path shortly before) to go up a small stream on the right bank. The path curves sharply to the left, away from the stream, becomes very rocky and starts to climb steeply. At the top, continue straight ahead on a wider path, between deciduous and coniferous trees, for a long, almost horizontal stretch, with the lake below on your left. Join a path climbing from left to right.
(14) With the blue diamond sign, climb to the right. After a few metres, at the fork, continue to the right with the black and blue Extratrail markings. At the edge of the woods, cross a wooden chicane, then crossa meadow. First, cross straight ahead towards a coniferous forest, aiming for a ladder leading to a hunting post. Near the hunting post, continue to the left along the fence. Caution! When the meadow begins to slope downwards, turn a quarter turn to the left towards the woodpiles (outside the meadow) and water troughs (in the meadow). At the water troughs, leave the meadow via a wooden chicane.
(15) Turn left onto a dirt track, following a GR® trail. Follow this forest track downhill, ignoring several side tracks. You will come out onto a wide track behind a hotel. Follow it to the right, following the Yellow MTB route no. 2, but leaving the GRP® trail. You will reach the Monti area.
(16) Descend the road to the left. At the Trois-Ponts sign, leave the asphalt road to cut across a bend in the road by descending a grassy path on the left. When you reach the road again, cross it and descend a small road marked "Except for local traffic". At the fork, continue downhill to the left. Pass an old bunker (plaque in memory of five Ardennes fighters who died during the 1940-45 war), then come out onto a road. Descend to the right.
(1) Cross back over the Ruisseau du Bâleur stream and follow the same route as on the way up to return to the car park (S/E).