Route des Crêtes, Vosges Mountains
The Route des Crêtes is a 77-kilometre ridge road built during World War I to keep troop movements hidden from German observation, and it now offers the most dramatic driving and cycling route in Alsace — a high spine of open moorland, glacial lakes and panoramic balcons (viewing platforms) that runs from Thann in the south to Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines in the north. On a clear day you can see the Alp
Key Stops Along the Ridge
The Grand Ballon (1,424 m) is the highest point in the Vosges and the natural centrepiece of the route: a broad, wind-swept summit with a radar dome, a refuge selling hot tarte flambée, and views on clear days as far as Mont Blanc, 300 kilometres to the south-east.
Lac Blanc and Lac Noir are two glacial cirque lakes just off the ridge near Orbey, linked by a 3-hour hiking loop through silver-fir forest. Lac Blanc in particular has a startling turquoise colour and a terrace café perched above its dam wall that serves local trout.
The Champ du Feu (1,099 m), in the northern section near Schirmeck, is the most accessible high point from Strasbourg (1 hour by car) and has a 54-metre observation tower offering a 360-degree panorama that is especially spectacular in autumn when the beech forests turn amber and gold.
Driving, Cycling and Hiking the Route
The full route takes roughly 3 hours to drive without stops, but a more rewarding approach is to base yourself in Munster or Orbey and tackle 20–30 kilometre sections by road bike or e-bike. Several rental shops in Munster offer e-bikes with GPS-loaded routes.
The GR5 long-distance trail runs parallel to the road for much of its length and can be walked in sections; the stretch between the Grand Ballon and Markstein (about 12 km) is the most scenic and the least technical, crossing open chaumes (high moorland) grazed by Vosgien cattle.
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