The ponds of Girmont-Val-d'Ajol

A beautiful walk through woods and countryside. You will discover a few ponds, magnificent panoramic views and a pretty waterfall.

Details

24880083
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.17 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 659 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 666 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,411 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,759 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the church in Girmont-Val-d’Ajol (hiking information board).

(S/E) From the car park, head right along the D83 and pass between the town hall on your left and the church on your right (look out for the Green Ring signposting). Turn left onto the Route de Clairegoutte. Follow this road as it climbs, passing a farmhouse inn next to a sawmill. Continue until you reach a solitary house on your right.

(1) Turn left onto a small, uphill path. Keep going straight on, ignoring the paths branching off to the right, and walk along the right-hand side of the Étang Tisserand – hidden by a hedge – and then the Grand Étang du Corfaing.

(2) Ignore the turn-offs on the left and follow the path that runs along the edge of the woodland. Cross a small road, continue along a path at the edge of the woodland and join another road.

(3) Turn right onto this road, then, very soon after, left onto a wide path. When the path turns right, take a smaller path on the left and head downhill to a junction with a small road.

(4) At this junction, turn left onto the small road. Ignore a path on the left and head downhill to the D83.

(5) Cross the D83 and continue along the track on the other side, which runs parallel to the road for a short while before curving to the left to reach Étang Houillon.

(6) Then leave the road and take a path on the left. Walk alongside another pond on your left and pass its spillway. At the T-junction, turn right until you reach a Fork in the road.

(7) Turn slightly left and walk along the left-hand side of the Étang de la Mollière, which is partly obscured by fairly dense vegetation. A lovely view awaits you at the far end of the pond. Continue downhill to the Moulin Picard.

(8) Take a path on the right. At a Fork in the road, head slightly left. Cross the Ruisseau du Plain Pré via a wooden footbridge. Continue westwards along the path until you reach a small road.

(9) Follow the road to the right. After a good fifty metres, turn right. Immediately afterwards, take a path on the left. Walk along level ground, then descend steeply back to a road. The Géhard waterfall is on the other side of the road, a short way down towards the stream.

(10) Follow the road to the left.

(9) Continue along the road. As you come out of the right-hand bend, take a path on the left. At the Fork in the road that appears immediately, take the left-hand path (the one with the gentlest incline). After a right-hand bend, you’ll come out onto a road; follow it to the right. Further on, at a T-junction, turn right and you’ll soon reach the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,044 ft - Église de l'Immaculée Conception (Girmont-Val-d'Ajol)
  2. 1 : mi 0.73 - alt. 2,172 ft - Path
  3. 2 : mi 1.18 - alt. 2,267 ft - Étang de Corfaing (Grand Étang de Corfaing)
  4. 3 : mi 1.83 - alt. 2,349 ft - Route
  5. 4 : mi 2.33 - alt. 2,411 ft - Small road
  6. 5 : mi 2.68 - alt. 2,306 ft - Crossing the D83
  7. 6 : mi 2.95 - alt. 2,280 ft - Étang Houillon
  8. 7 : mi 3.54 - alt. 2,113 ft - Fork - Etang de la Molière
  9. 8 : mi 4.17 - alt. 1,969 ft - The Picard Mill
  10. 9 : mi 4.83 - alt. 1,818 ft - Junction of the circular waterfall loop - Géhard (ruisseau) - Affluent de la Combeauté
  11. 10 : mi 5.19 - alt. 1,765 ft - Cascade du Géhard
  12. S/E : mi 6.17 - alt. 2,044 ft - Église de l'Immaculée Conception (Girmont-Val-d'Ajol)

Notes

Car park at the back of the church; toilets available.

The Géhard waterfall (10) is also a pleasant spot for a picnic, but it can get quite busy.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 25 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
lamaix
lamaix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The car park near the church is ideal. It’s a lovely route with very few stones. There’s a beautiful view of the ponds and the countryside in the distance. We went for the route in the morning and were back at the car park by about 1 pm. We had a meal there; there are plenty of tables. The grass is well-maintained. It’s a clean village.

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Latasse marina
Latasse marina

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We went for a walk one Sunday in April in glorious weather and thoroughly enjoyed this stunning route, with its ponds dotted along the way, as well as the many streams and the waterfall at the end 👍 Thank you for this lovely walk

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lyryc28
lyryc28

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, varied route and scenery.
From point 8 (which I almost missed), the route was wetter and muddier, but still passable.

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abrice
abrice

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful walk, with lovely views and picturesque ponds, without any difficulties.

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User 3689507

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

pleasant and very romantic route along the ponds. Large shaded areas, very pleasant in summer

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mondemeilleur88
mondemeilleur88

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with varied landscapes, beautiful ponds and stunning views. Naturally, best enjoyed in good weather

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Pinky07
Pinky07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely high-altitude route with very accessible elevation changes. Done in good weather.
Numerous ponds make for a peaceful and bucolic hike. The loop between points 9, 10 and back to 9 with the Géhard waterfall is interesting.

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randonneur 70
randonneur 70

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

what a beautiful place, magnificent hike, varied landscape.

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Pioponeux
Pioponeux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very pleasant and accessible hike with varied surroundings.
Thanks for the description.

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Fraisdispo
Fraisdispo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short hike. There are beautiful views and scenery. The lakeside areas are enchanting. One of them was covered with water lilies; it was a shame not to have visited during the flowering season.
I encountered very few people and was able to enjoy the peace and quiet of the surrounding nature.

The signage was good, and I didn't get lost once, which is usually my speciality.

I ended the afternoon with a snack at Jardin Une figue dans le poirier, 500 metres from the start, another great place I discovered on my way to the starting point.

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mamipoule
mamipoule

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

__A beautiful day on this route, which we started halfway so we could stop for lunch in Girmont Val d'Ajol at Mimi's or Che Nô's... It sounds Chinese, but it means "at our place" in the local Vosges dialect, as Mimi, the owner, told us. A pleasant and easy route with sections through the forest where we enjoyed the coolness of the undergrowth and open sections offering beautiful views of the mid-mountain landscape. There are a few ponds to admire and the pretty little Géhard waterfall, which is not to be missed. A beautiful route to enjoy with the family

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Katry
Katry

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route with beautiful views

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petites jambes
petites jambes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

pleasant and varied: paths, roads, forest. Easy. Picnic at the waterfall.

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Labrigealex
Labrigealex

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike, beautiful, wide and pleasant trail, sometimes in the forest, sometimes in open countryside with beautiful scenery

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Franpop
Franpop

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy and very pleasant hike
You pass several well-maintained ponds and end up at the waterfall, which was very abundant in April
The hilly landscape alternates with forest passages
Well-marked and easy trails

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