The Fox Nature Trail in Étueffont

Park in the small car park at the junction of Rue de Rougemont and Rue de la Madeleine, next to the Étueffont Forge Museum. The walk is signposted with a picture of a fox.

(S/E) Head towards the roundabout and follow Rue de la Madeleine straight ahead. Just near the roundabout, look out for the small building displaying the river’s flood level: impressive. Just after that, there is an information panel about the Sous-Vosges region. Turn left onto the small footbridge crossing the river, then right to head up Rue de l’Usine and cross Rue de la Madeleine again.

(1) Cross the D55 (Rue de la Madeleine) with care and follow Rue de la Chayère straight ahead.

(2) At the junction, turn left onto Rue des Champs du Gravier. Walk past the buildings of the Éclaireuses et Éclaireurs de France and admire the pond with its attractive information panel. Continue along the path that climbs into the forest.

At the next crossroads, follow the signposts carefully: turn left, then, 20 metres further on, leave the path on the left and, another 20 metres further on, turn left. Look out for a very informative sign about birds, their songs and their morning schedules. Walk alongside a pasture on the right.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right and head back down towards the Ferme des Echancées. In addition to the fox markings, you’ll find Yellow Ring markings coming down from the Tête le Moine. Just before the farm, turn right onto the tarmac road, follow it down for 200 m, then turn left to follow the path across the meadow. The signposting is very clear. At the next crossroads, turn right and continue down a gentle slope.

(4) Turn left and follow the Route du Quartier du Mont Bonnet. A beautiful viewpoint with an information board allowing you to identify the peaks of the Southern Vosges.

(5) Turn right and leave the tarmac to follow the Chemin des Cochons: a lovely viewpoint with views of other peaks and another information panel. Continue along the path, turn left and arrive at the Mont Bonnet chapel, built after 1870, bombed in 1944 and since renovated.

Continue along the path, which descends steeply and has been fitted with steps. When you reach the first houses, turn right and continue downhill. At the bottom, turn right and follow the main road (D2 Rue de Rougemont) to reach the smithy and the car park (S/E).

Start at the Étueffont Forge Museum (museum).
Accessible by Optymo bus. Check the website. Line 21-22, stop: Forge Museum in Étueffont.

Visorando was provided with information by Mr Chevalley, a volunteer member of Balisage90.
This walk was created by the municipality of Étueffont.

Étueffont
Its inhabitants are known as the Taffions (from the local dialect).
Place names: Étueffont-Bas: Estuefon (1260), Eytauffen (1296), Eitufun (1316), Stauffen prope Rotenburg (1337), Stoffen/Eisthoffan (1427), Nider Stauffen (1579), Estueffond (1779). In German: Nieder Stauffen.
Étueffont-Haut: Ober Stauffen (1579), Estueffon-Dessus (1620), Stueffon/Stouffont/Stueffont (1533), Étuffont le Haut (1793), Étueffont-Haut (1801). In German: Ober Stauffen.
In ancient times, a fortified Gallo-Roman camp was established at the summit of Le Fayé.
1188: First mention of the name Étueffont in a papal bull issued by Pope Clement III.
1296: Thiébaud, Count of Ferrette, ceded the right of patronage over the church to Lucelle Abbey.
1354: Étueffont is considered the administrative centre of a parish attached to the seigneury of Rosemont.
From the end of the Middle Ages, the village turned to the nascent industrial sector: a forge processing iron produced by the Bethonvilliers furnace, the mining of silver-bearing lead in the nearby Vosges mountains (the peak named Tête du Mineur stands as a reminder of this), forestry, and the production of charcoal. Subsequently, a mill was built on the river and ponds were dug. From the early 19th century, hand weaving developed, followed in the mid-century by the Boigeol-Japy mechanical weaving mill.
In 1879, the Zeller brothers, originally from Oberbruck (Haut-Rhin), set up weaving mills and a spinning mill in Étueffont. These factories thrived for half a century (1880–1930), providing work for several hundred workers. However, the 1929 crisis marked the beginning of the decline of the textile industry, which ceased operations in Étueffont around 1960. René Zeller’s former château has housed the Thérèse-Bonnaymé vocational training centre. It is currently undergoing renovation.
Source: Wikipedia