Vogesen GR5 Part 1+2 2017

What the Black Forest is to Germany, are the Vosges to France. The same formation conditions is what makes these two mountain ranges so similar: the rift in the Upper Rhine Plain. To the east the Black Forest in Germany, in the middle the Rhine seperating the two countries and to the west the Vosges. It’s as simple as that.

With its highest peak, the Grand Ballon (1424m/4672ft), it is considered a low mountain range with lovely hills as well as gruff rocks.
The long distance hiking path GR5, actually spanning from Nice, France all the way to the North Sea in The Netherlands near Rotterdam, also passes through the Vosges.

Therefore I started in Belfort, France, and walked north to the German border near Fischbach bei Dahn.
I had to to hike the path in two parts, the first in March, second in August, seeing as the weather took a turn for the worse and I was still battling quite a lot of snow. That’s not a nice combination to hike in: snow, rain and low temperatures.
Since I wasn’t that far from home I took a train and bus back and returned later in the year.

More of France?! Here is the GR5 French Alps.

Enjoy the hike!