Grand Ballon & the Route des Crêtes from Thann
Thann sits at the foot of the Vosges and is one of the best-positioned gateways to the Route des Crêtes, the ridge road that runs along the watershed between Alsace and Lorraine. A short drive brings you to the Grand Ballon (1,424 m), the highest peak in the Vosges, where the views on a clear day sweep from the Alps to the Jura.
Driving the Crêtes
The D431 winds up from Thann through pine forests and emerald meadows grazed by Vosgien cattle, passing the Col de Bussang and the Col du Hundsruck before the landscape opens onto the bare, windswept summit plateau. Stop at every pull-off — each one reveals a different angle on the valley below.
In winter the road can be snow-covered and magical; in summer wildflowers carpet the verges and paragliders launch from the slopes above Cernay.
On the Grand Ballon Summit
A radar dome and a simple auberge mark the top — the Auberge du Grand Ballon serves hearty Alsatian food and local Munster cheese to hikers year-round. The GR5 long-distance trail crosses the summit, so you can walk sections of it without a car.
The Alsace side drops steeply into the vine-covered foothills; the Lorraine side rolls away in gentle forested waves. The contrast in a single glance is quietly astonishing.
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