View of the Grand Ballon – Grand Ballon loop from Saint-Amarin

Hiking trails & Routes

View of the Grand Ballon – Grand Ballon loop from Saint-Amarin

Hard

4.5

(8)

hikers

View of the Grand Ballon – Grand Ballon loop from Saint-Amarin

07:39

21.7km

1,120m

Hiking

Hard hike. Very good fitness required. Mostly accessible paths. Sure-footedness required. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: August 14, 2026

Tips

Temporary access restrictions

Includes segments with temporary access restrictions.

After 9.49 km for 60 m

Closed: • November-April (otherwise open)

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

11.7 km

Haag – Grand Ballon area

Highlight • Viewpoint

Pleasant part of the loop around the crest of the Grand Ballon. Plus beautiful views.

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12.3 km

View of the Grand Ballon

Highlight • Viewpoint

The Lac du Ballon, also Belchensee, is a karst lake. In the 16th century, Vauban converted it into a reservoir.

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12.6 km

Way to the observatory

Highlight • Other

very beautiful 360° view

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12.6 km

Grand Ballon Civil Aviation Radar

Highlight • Other

The radar was designed as an architectural masterpiece by its designer, Claude Vasconi, and was built in 1997.
Under the radome, visitors can access an orientation table offering superb views.

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12.7 km

Grand Ballon

Highlight • Summit

The Grand Ballon (German: Großer Belchen), at 1,424 meters above sea level, offers a magnificent panoramic view and is the highest mountain in the Vosges Mountains.

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12.9 km

Beautiful trail to the Grand Ballon

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

The path that leads to the Grand Ballon is absolutely essential. First for its destination, but above all for the variety of landscapes you cross: dense forests, ridge paths, balconies. Pure hiking as we like it!

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14.0 km

Haag Pass

Highlight • Mountain Pass

The Route des Crêtes, or the Vosges ridge road, is one of the most impressive mountain roads in France. The scenic Route des Crêtes runs along the main ridge of …

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14.2 km

View of the Grand Ballon

Highlight • Other

Here you can see everything, no wonder it's the highest point of the Vosges (1442m).

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21.7 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

9.75 km

5.45 km

2.86 km

2.24 km

1.40 km

< 100 m

Surfaces

9.48 km

6.24 km

2.87 km

1.36 km

1.32 km

424 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Thursday 15 October

22°C

9°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 6.0 km/h

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Comments

February 3, 2024,Le Grand Ballon par Saint-Amarin 🇨🇵

I'm always looking for new routes to the Grand Ballon, today I started from St. Amarin. Although this starting point is not that new: when the highest Vosges peak became a tourist destination in the 1880s, one of the main access routes started at the train station in St. Amarin - the Route des Crêtes was only created by the …

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