Beautiful passes In the Vosges Mountains

Here René Pottier defeated on 11 July 1905 the first pass of the Tour de France. The balloon d'Alsace then remained unrivaled for five years - until you discovered the much tougher passes in the Pyrenees.

At 1,247 meters, the pass is by far not the highest in the Vosges, and today nobody would put him in the list of important passes - but there is still a certain amount of magic about him.

The second highest of the Vosges mountains is at 1,363 meters at the same time the highest point to reach on asphalt point of the mountains. Although it is at the entrance only a short spur road that branches off from the famous route of the Crêtes. But the view from Hohneck is worth it.

The Grand Ballon rises to 1343 meters and is therefore the highest peak in the Vosges mountains.

The complete ascent from Willer sur Thur extends over 16 kilometers including 974 meters of elevation gain, but this Essential segment is reduced to 6.8 kilometers including 530 meters of climb. This segment of the Col du Grand Ballon connects with the Col Amic, the segment of which is 8.8 kilometers long with 460 meters of elevation gain.

The climb is not too steep as the maximum gradient is less than 9%, but the climb is quite long. The road is in good condition but quite busy. The views are magnificent, both on the climb and on the ridge road.

This road is in principle cleared of snow, which is not necessarily the case for all the roads in the region.

Although the Col de Fréland is rather unspectacular in terms of altitude, but he attracts with fantastic scenery and an almost car-free pleasure ride away from busy roads. It connects the Strengbach- with the Béhine valley and is alone scenic worth the detour.

The pass is known more for its name than for its beauty, as it is very busy. The road into the Münstertal is still a sensible descent, as it is well paved for the Vosges (and the traffic is less disturbing on the descent).

The Champ du Feu has less to do with fire than one would expect: "Feu" in this case is the French corruption of the German word "cattle". Why the pass is so, you quickly realize. On a low-alpine plateau, cheerful cattle graze while one or two cyclists pedal up to the observation tower built in 1898.

The Ballon de Servance belongs to the Vosges mountains and rises to 1216 meters above sea level.

The highest point in the Haute-Saône department, the Ballon de Servance is partly requisitioned by the army but the summit is accessible to the public.

Access roads partially close in winter because the road is not cleared of snow.