Vosges, the high crest: 4 stages and when to book
The high heart of the Traversée du Massif des Vosges: four days along the open crest over the Hohneck and the Grand Ballon, with the Alsace plain a thousand metres below on one side and the Lorraine hills on the other. Nothing here is technical and nothing is above 1,500 m, but the hautes chaumes are treeless grassland where the weather arrives from the west unannounced, and the days are long. What makes it its own thing is the ferme-auberge: working farms on the ridge that serve one meal and keep beds under the roof. Four hours from Brussels, and the best-matched geometry in the app.
Start: Le Bonhomme. Finish: Ballon d'Alsace.
The 4 stages
| Day | Stage | Distance | Climb |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Bonhomme → Col de la Schlucht | 19.1 km | 1,147 m |
| 2 | Col de la Schlucht → Le Markstein | 26.6 km | 1,566 m |
| 3 | Le Markstein → Thann | 28.2 km | 1,536 m |
| 4 | Thann → Ballon d'Alsace | 27.5 km | 2,478 m |
The line is the GR5 Vosges relation in OpenStreetMap, walked in member order and cut at the tourism board’s own published stage endpoints. It lands within 1.4% of every one of their four stage distances, the closest match in this library. Elevation comes from a terrain model, so ascent figures are computed rather than surveyed.
Book these first
No central booking system: each ferme-auberge, gîte d’étape or hotel takes its own reservation, usually by phone.
- The fermes-auberges on the crest in July and August, which fill fast
- Anything near the Col de la Schlucht and the Grand Ballon in the school holidays
Fermes-auberges keep their own seasons. Molkenrain, for example, runs Easter to 11 November; others are shorter. Confirm the dates before you rely on one.
The repas marcaire is the standard set meal, roughly 18 to 25 euro, with sleeping arrangements that vary from real rooms to a dormitory under the roof.
When to go
The walking season runs April to the end of October, and the fermes-auberges define it: the first open around Easter, the last close around 11 November. May, June and September are the pick. Winter turns the crest into ski country with no accommodation plan.
- JanuarySnow on the crest, everything shut
- FebruaryDeep winter on the hautes chaumes
- MarchThaw, and still shut
- AprilThe season opens, patchily
- MaySpring on the chaumes
- JuneLongest days, full season
- JulyHigh season on the crest
- AugustBusiest month
- SeptemberThe quiet best month
- OctoberColour, and the season closing
- NovemberThe last week, then winter
- DecemberWinter on the crest
Vosges, the high crest in Treksup
Vosges, the high crest is a paid route in Treksup: its full plan, with every stage, water, where to sleep and weekly trail conditions, comes with the paid tier. 7 routes are open in full for free.
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Page updated 30 September 2026.