Pleasant urban itinerary over the hills and the forests of Lower Vosges, with magnificent viewpoints over the town.
Épinal
Liven up your holidays!
Pleasant urban itinerary over the hills and the forests of Lower Vosges, with magnificent viewpoints over the town.
| Department | Vosges |
|---|---|
| Departure municipality | Épinal |
| Outing type | Hike |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Duration | 3:00 |
| Recommended period | from april to september |
| Environment | Urban |
| Kilometres | 10 km |
| Change in altitude | 321m |
Since the Office of Tourism Épinal, go to the basilica, which you follow by taking Thierry street Hamelant. You cross the square of the chimney to reach on your right the street of the suburb of Ambrail then Ambrail to the street of Sighs. At the entrance of this road you find on your left the starting panel of the circuit near the Collot career (climbing wall).
GPS Coordinates: Latitude : 48.173708, Longitude : 6.456339
On the way out of the car park, turn left and follow the o signposting along Rue des Soupirs for 50 m, then climb the stairs on the left and, slightly further on, turn right on to Chemin des Gardes. At the top of the stairs, you will arrive on a high path which offers a beautiful panoramic view over the town and leads to Rue des Corvées. Climb 30 m up on the left and then turn right on to Chemin du Mont Carmel. (1) Pass through the wood and descend to Rue des Soupirs on the way to Quarante Semaine. Follow the o signposting to the Guéry Fountain (2) after passing under a sandstone bridge for the old railway line which used to serve the fortified outskirts of Épinal.
From the fountain, turn right along the path which leads around the base of the overhanging rocks. Climb the hill to the ridge top near a platform with a 100 m high antenna.
Continue left to a stele built in tribute to the Resistance fighters shot in 1944. Then, spend a long moment passing through a varied forest of beech, oak, fir, spruce and Scots pine, still following the o signposting.
On the way out of the forest, after the farm, you will find, 115m left of the trail, the Pestiférés Cross (3).
Return to the path across the fields. Near an old farm, turn left on to a road and then turn right along the path which leads you back to where you started via the viewpoint, Rue de la Pelle and Ruelle du Coteau.
