Tête de Grouvelin and Chaume Francis

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

If you have 20 minutes to spare, start at the bottom of the car park next to the ESF. The climb is steep (about 75 m elevation gain in addition to the hike) then follow the path.
The descent from the top of Grouvelin is steep and uninteresting unless, like us, you have children who want to race down it. Another option after arriving at the chairlift is to continue straight ahead and after 300 metres you will find a very easy trail. Follow it for 700-800 metres downhill. You will arrive at a crossroads with a sign for "chemin raquette" (snowshoe trail). Take this trail and it will take you back to the starting point through the trees and the forest.

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Hello and thank you, pchaffin, for your feedback on the hike. You're right, there are some steep climbs as mentioned, but also a good descent! I had included an alternative route via the blue trail, but unfortunately deleted it when I published the post. I hope to see you on the trail soon.

Hello muesli62, I don't understand why you had trouble finding the start of the hike! It's probably just a lack of experience with the app, because you can get the GPS coordinates by simply tapping on the S/E button. I wouldn't want to go orienteering with you 😂. If the trails aren't marked, that's normal, as it's to discourage tourists, because we've had too many in recent years 😜. Have a great walk!

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Date of your route : Oct 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We really enjoyed this hike, but it wasn't really that easy. We're young, but I can see how some people might find the descent down the red trail quite tricky, as well as the climb up the Loup before reaching the small path. But we'll definitely be back.

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Date of your route : Jul 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The orientation table at the head of Le Grouvelin is definitely worth a look!
However, it's not easy to find the start of the route from Gérardmer!
"Small car park on the edge of the 17 km forest road"... Pff... given the length of this road and the big loop it makes... Not all hikers are necessarily from the area!
Then, and this is a criticism, not of Visorando, but of the ski resorts in the Vosges: there's more to the Vosges than skiing! There are also hikers, all year round, but for them, there are absolutely no signs... it's 'find your own way'! There are names for all the ski slopes, of course, but not a single sign to tell hikers where to find the 'tête du Grouvelin'... Really disappointing!

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Hello, thank you for your feedback. I had included option n*2 via the blue trail, which also leads to Chaume Francis (much less steep), but it was removed by Visorando when the map was published! That's a shame. Enjoy your walks and see you on the trails.

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Date of your route : Jun 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, but the descent via the red trail from Tête de Grouvelin is too steep if you're not very agile. It's better to stick to the marked trails (red circle and green rectangle).

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