Dive into an ocean of green
Lucky stars shine down on the Vosges Mountains!
The range is wild by nature, but the Vosges Mountains can be tamed by those who respect the rich fauna and flora, including boreal peatlands, lynx, chamois, capercaillie, and thick coniferous forests.
A few figures for taming the abundant beauty of the mountains:
• 440,000 ha of forest
• 30 bodies of water
• 7 nature reserves
• 14 peaks over 1,000 m
• 2 regional nature parks
• 1 World Biosphere Reserve - UNESCO
Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park
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Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park
The Northern Vosges Regional Nature Park, created in 1975, covers parts of the departments of Bas-Rhin and Moselle. With an area of 1,300 km², there are 111 towns within the limits of the park and its rich natural, historical, cultural, and culinary heritage. The park is also home to remarkable fauna and flora, with gentle slopes, clearings, ponds, and large forests (65% of its territory).
The park's visitor's centre is located in the castle of La Petite-Pierre, which has been undergoing major restorations since 2017. The welcome area provides visitors with information about the park and the activities on offer. There’s also a shop featuring local crafts highlighting the know-how and natural resources of the Northern Vosges.
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Ballons des Vosges Regional Nature Park
The Higher Vosges are at the heart of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park, stretching into the valleys of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. The park also boasts a second exceptional natural site, the Mille Étangs Plateau in Haute-Saône. Formerly a border, the park is today a land of encounters, inviting you to admire its landscapes or take part in outdoor activities. The park's heritage and renowned know-how are just waiting to be discovered. Exceptional landscapes abound in this vast park covering 3,000 km²: upper mountain pastures, glacial cirques, valleys, thick forests, Alsatian villages, and more. These environments shelter exceptional fauna and flora including boreal owls, lynx, peregrine falcons, capercaillie, mountain pansies, sundews, and black woodpeckers.
While the park is home to exceptional natural heritage, it's also lively with human activity, with a population of nearly 250,000. Here, rare species and remarkable landscapes coexist with cities, villages, and tourist sites. Aware of both the strengths and fragility of this territory, the Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté regions came together to create the Regional Nature Park in 1989.
The Ballons des Vosges Park welcomes the public all year round at two sites: in the visitor's centre in the town of Haut-du-Them-Château-Lambert in Haute-Saône and at the Col de la Schlucht mountain pass in the Tetras 1139 building. There are also welcome centres at the Grand Ballon and the Ballon d'Alsace in July and August.
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Grand Ballon
Peaking at 1,424 m, the highest point of the Vosges Mountains boasts views of the entire Alsace Plain. It’s also sometimes called the Ballon de Guebwiller for the town the summit overlooks. Located on the Peak Route, you can't miss the large dome on its summit, used for civil aviation radar. The site was reconfigured a few years ago with a discovery trail circling the mountain all the way to the top. You can see the Swiss Alps on a clear day, with the peaks of the Jungfrau, the Eiger, and the Möncher in the foreground.
Donon
At an elevation of 1,009 m, the Donon is the highest point of the Lower Vosges mountains, at the crossroads of Alsace and Lorraine. A sacred site since prehistoric times, the mountain remains clouded in mystery still today. Its isolated location helped these legends grow, combining myth and reality. The Romans were mysteriously seduced by the peak and dedicated the site to Mercury. In 1869, a temple in a convincing ancient style was built on the summit. Take the archaeological discovery trail, with drawings and explanations along the way.
Rothenbachkopf
Further north, this summit is sometimes referred to as the Matterhorn of the Vosges because it is the only pointed peak of the range. At its foot is the Rothenbach welcome centre for discovering the fauna and flora typical of this part of the Higher Vosges, including gentian, blueberry moorlands, arnica, and chamois.
Petit Ballon
The summit is reached via the Munster Valley, starting in Luttenbach. Cattle graze on the slopes of the peak, with the Alsace Plain, Germany’s Black Forest, and the Swiss Alps to the east. To the west is a unique and breathtaking view of all the peaks that line the Peak Route. Here, deciphering the landscape is an essential activity: from the summit of Tanet in the north to the Grand Ballon in the south, the entire range of the Vosges spreads out before your eyes.
Hohneck
It's the other iconic summit of the Vosges Mountains. Rising to an elevation of 1,363 m, the Hohneck the only peak that can be reached by car. But if you want to truly "experience the site", tackle it on foot starting at the Peak Route. Gradually make your way to the summit along the glacial cirques, with the historic Hotel Bernez at the top. The Bernez family put their heart and soul into this high-altitude site that began as a wooden hut in 1903. It was founded as a place to admire Alsace, a province that had been lost since 1871! The summit boasts a stunning panoramic view, with information on the larger-than-life landscapes on the viewpoint indicator: 360° guaranteed!
Ballon d’Alsace
The southernmost peak of the Vosges Mountains sits at the intersection of three regions: Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. Two long-distance hiking trails also intersect on the summit (GR5 and GR7). In 1918, the peak marked the reconciliation of the end of World War I. The summit is accessible via the Masevaux Valley (Haut-Rhin), by Belfort and Giromagny (Territoire de Belfort), or by the Upper Moselle Valley via Fresse and Saint-Maurice (Vosges). You can see the Bernese Alps from the summit on a clear day.
