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Parking at the Le Rouge Gazon hotel-restaurant via the D 90 from Saint-Maurice-sur-Moselle.
(S/E) With your back to the car park, from the left of the inn, leave the inn on your right and take the flat path on the left marked with a blue rectangle (GR®531). Follow this path along the mountainside, which leads towards the lake via the Col des Perches crossroads.
(1) At the crossroads, stay on theGR®531to begin a very steep descent to the shore of Lac des Perches. Walk along the shore to the ford.
(2) Cross the ford and walk along the accessible edge of the lake. Continue on theGR®531, taking the path that climbs furthest to the right. Signs indicate the Neuweiher lakes. Pass the Rocher du Corbeau and then cross the Haute Bers stubble field, from where, in good weather, you can see the Alps in the distance. Continue to the crossroads just before the entrance to the forest.
(3) Leave theGR®531for its blue and white rectangle-marked variant. The path starts opposite you, on the right, to go around the Joppleberg to the north-west. Follow the winding path to the first footbridge, which you will pass on your left, and continue to the stream. Follow the stream and pay attention so you don't miss thesecond footbridge below on your left.
(4) The access to the footbridge is not very visible and is via a path marked with a red ring that branches off sharply to the left at a signpost. Shortly afterwards, the trail passes close to a viewpoint over the Grand Neuweiher lake.
(5) Take a short detour to the right to enjoy the view, then continue downhill towards the Neuweiher lakes. At the next crossroads, the path rejoins theGR®531. Turn right towards the lakes and keep to the right to pass between them.
(6) Once you have passed the lakes, there are two options:
- shortcut option: stay on the clearly visibleGR®531;
- option chosen on the map: follow the wide path that leads to the Auberge du Neuweiher and climbs gently in two hairpin bends, which cross theGR®531twice before meeting it athird time at a crossroads.
(7) Leave the wide path on your left and take theGR®531(blue rectangle, the markings are not obvious at this point). It climbs into the forest on the right towards Lake Alfeld. You will come out of the forest at the Ferme-Auberge du Gresson Moyen.
(8) Cross the farmyard and, just after the exit gate and still on theGR®, climb up to the right through the fields towards the ridge. At the crossroads, leave theGR®531and turn right to reach Gresson Haut before the forest.
(9) The view from the top is a delight for the eyes and a great place to stop for a short break. Go past a small stone wall and take the path that climbs to the left into the forest, following the sign for "Col des Charbonniers" marked with a blue cross (see Practical Information).
Stay on this path, climbing northwards for about 1 km. Your path joins another coming from the left (marked with a blue triangle) and then, shortly afterwards, meets theGR®5marked with a red rectangle. Be careful not to take the first path on the right that leads to the Col des Charbonniers: continue for 50 m to find asecond path, which is a variant ofthe GR®5.
(10) Head sharply right to reach Roche de l'Enfer and then theGR®5. Leave the trail to admire the view from Roche de l'Enfer, then retrace your steps to rejoin theGR®5and arrive at Col des Charbonniers after a left turn.
(11) The Col des Charbonniers pass is marked by a sign on the left-hand side of the path. A more clearly marked path appears on your left, but stay on theGR® marked with red-white-red rectangles heading north to reach another magnificent viewpoint after about 700 metres.
(12) Leave the path for a moment to reach a picnic table at the edge of a small cliff, where the view is very beautiful. Retrace your steps to rejoin the path heading north-east. Continue through the forest until you reach and overlook the Haute Bers moor, which you crossed on the way there, this time passing above the Haute Bers Chalet. A hundred metres further on, you will come to a crossroads.
(13) Take the path (marked with blue and white rectangles) that climbs furthest to the left, leaving theGR®5heading towards the Col des Perches on your right (this path can also take you back to the starting point). Continue north until you reach the crossroads at an altitude of 1189 metres.
(14) Leave the marked trail and turn right towards Tête des Perches. After about 200 metres, you will come to a remarkable viewpoint over Lac des Perches on your right.
Return to the path to reach the Rouge Gazon ski slopes shortly afterwards. Continue along the edge of the forest, then take a very small path on the right to reach the last viewpoint of the hike. Finally, descend to the inn's car park by taking the path that starts at the top of the ski lift and descends along the stone wall where you will pass the border markers between Alsace and Vosges (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
