Balveurche tour from Lac de Retournemer

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The path is steep and very rugged at the start, running along the edge of the cliff, then continues along a dirt track. There is a beautiful viewpoint at the top of Haut Gazon.

Details

n°3342887
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.56 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,362 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,358 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,930 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,572 ft
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Description of the walk

Park near Lac de Retournemer and head along the D67 towards the Maison Forestière.

(S/E) Set off to the left of the Maison Forestière. At the Fork in the road just ahead, turn left onto the path marked with a Yellow Disc and begin a fairly steep climb up to the D417 near the Roche du Diable.

(1) Turn right, with your back to the rock, and follow the path below the road for about 150 m. Cross carefully and continue the climb to the Col de Malakoff.

(2) At the Col de Malakoff, take the Ingold path on the right. Follow it to Balveurche and its inn. Go round the inn on the left to find the start of theGRP®® Tour de la Vologne to the north of the inn.

(3) Take this path towards Le Collet, following the Blue Disc signposts.

(4) At the top of Haut Gazon, enjoy a remarkable view over Lake Retournemer. Head back down towards Le Collet. The path arrives at the junction of the D34D and the D417 opposite the Chalet-Hôtel du Collet.

(5) Cross the D417 road with care, then take the path immediately on the right behind the Chalet-Hôtel du Collet to head back down, with the D34D on your right. This will take you to the bottom of the Retournemer ski lift.

(6) On the right, carefully cross the D34D towards the Chemin des Dames, marked with a Green Disc, which crosses the Vologne and descends towards Lac de Retournemer (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,572 ft - Maison Forrestière
  2. 1 : mi 0.5 - alt. 3,212 ft - D417 - Roche du Diable (Xonrupt-Longemer)
  3. 2 : mi 1.23 - alt. 3,510 ft - Col de Malakoff (1071m)
  4. 3 : mi 2.04 - alt. 3,537 ft - Chaume de Balveurche
  5. 4 : mi 2.72 - alt. 3,927 ft - Haut Gazon. Viewpoint over the - Lac de Retournemer
  6. 5 : mi 3.11 - alt. 3,638 ft - Le Collet
  7. 6 : mi 3.48 - alt. 3,497 ft - D340 - Ski lift
  8. 7 : mi 3.86 - alt. 3,061 ft - Vologne (rivière)
  9. S/E : mi 4.56 - alt. 2,572 ft - Maison Forrestière

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 11856963
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, but watch out for the signposting at the Devil's Rock. You need to go back up the departmental road
for about 300 metres, keeping to the right, then cross the road on the left. Also be careful of the steep climb at the start. I would not recommend this hike with children or people looking for a gentle walk. I rate it as difficult

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User 17875920

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Beautiful hike. Just the signposting at the Roche du Diable road crossing, where you have to follow the road for about 100 metres and then cross to the left, whereas the route indicates that you should follow a path below the road, which is not signposted and, more importantly, does not reach the crossing point to rejoin the trail.

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Sonia71
Sonia71

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very steep climb to Devil's Rock. Once you reach the road (rock on the left), turn right and walk carefully along the road for about 150 metres (before climbing up again once you have crossed the road on the left).
There are several narrow passages along the route, particularly on the climb after Devil's Rock.
The descent to small pass is also very steep.
Final descent to Lake Longemer is quite steep.
For me, the highlights of the hike were the view from the Devil's Rock and the high grass (above the Balveurche inn), otherwise there wasn't much to see.

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Ulysse8837
Ulysse8837
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The section between Rocher du Diable and Col de Malakoff has been cleared by the Club Vosgien. Apart from that, the route is interesting for its rugged terrain, views of the mountains and the Charlemagne waterfall at the end of the trail. Best done in summer: I did it on 23 April with 40 cm of snow and had to put on snowshoes.

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Fhen5757
Fhen5757

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike starting from point 5 (Hotel Le Small Pass), which avoids starting with the difficult climb to Lake Retournemer.
This is a fairly strenuous short hike with two long, steep and narrow sections (not recommended for children or people looking for a long but gentle walk).
Mostly in the woods, with few open spaces except at Balveurche, which offers a beautiful view of the two lakes (Retournemer and Longemer).
We are not experts and completed it at a leisurely pace in 2 hours 50 minutes.

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randonneemaximale
randonneemaximale

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route follows the map accurately. However, be careful of dangerous sections, particularly due to faulty equipment along the way (a support cable came loose after accessing the path just after crossing the road, making this section dangerous as the path is narrow, high up and overlooks the road you have just crossed). In view of the above comments, I would not recommend this route for young children as there are too many narrow passages.
A very beautiful hike accessible on foot from Longemer, offering numerous viewpoints!

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Franpop
Franpop

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The start is indeed very steep and rugged. In the section above Roche du Diable, the path is narrow and overlooks the road. Not suitable for those prone to vertigo.
There are beautiful views of Lake Retournemer near Roche du Diable and Lake Longemer on the Balveurche hilltop above the restaurant.
We extended the route by starting at the Charlemagne waterfall and returning via the Tour de la Bresse trail from the small pass
Total: 14 km
To be done again.

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BABARORUM
BABARORUM

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A difficult start, but it's worth it. The few road crossings didn't bother us.

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AetG22
AetG22

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike. On the way back, if you have time, you can descend to Charlemagne Waterfall via an unmarked path through the woods and from there join the lake tour.

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Nicole Gérard
Nicole Gérard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike and accurate description

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