MTG1 04 Gerardmer LaBresse Cornimont LeThillot and roundtrip BallondAlsac
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 12-02-2021
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Verdict
Duration
2h 19m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
113.58 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review Bert Loorbach, the writer, is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself and lived in France for a year and a half. During that time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful roads of France especially for motorcyclists.
This is the fourth route from the book. Start in Gérardmer and end in Chernay.
There are hotels and campsites in the vicinity, which are listed as POIs.
There are several beautiful passes (cols) in this route, such as the Col du Haut de la Côte, the Col de Grosse Pierre and the Col La Gentiane.
The ride starts in Gérardmer, which lies between the mountains covered with dense pine forests on the largest lake in the Vosges; Lac de Gérardmer. This is a nice base for several journeys and this is one of the three routes that start here.
The first part of the route goes to La Bresse where we drive the Col de Grosse Pierre and drive through a beautiful valley.
From La Bresse we follow the D486 which runs along the Moselotte river to Cornimont. From Cornimont we drive through a beautiful valley to Le Thillot (see the header photo), where you can stop to have a cup of coffee in one of the cafes.
From Le Thillot we drive 6 km on the N6 to the exit (RP3) that marks the start of the circuit that runs right through the Ballons des Vosges regional park and takes you past the famous Ballon d'Alsace. This road is among the French motorcyclists in the top 10 of the most beautiful roads in France. So take the time to enjoy this road and the beautiful panoramas. There are plenty of opportunities to stop and enjoy the surroundings.
The 1247 meter high Ballon d'Alsace is a mountain in France in the south of the Vosges. The Mont Blanc can be seen from the top in good weather. The road that connects the Moselle valley in the north with the Savoureuse valley in the south and the Doller in the east, passes at 1171 meters above the summit over a pass. The Ballon d'Alsace is also very popular with cyclists, so keep in mind that it can be busy and ride at the right speed.
The first part immediately contains a number of nice hairpin bends and at RP5 you pass the hotel where you stay in the evening, so it is an option to stop and check in and leave luggage.
You drive the Rue de Ballon d'Alsace clockwise, the first part is a beautiful descent in a wooded area. The route offers beautiful panoramas along the way and if you drive an adventure machine you can also occasionally deviate from the route and take unpaved roads, I have indicated two with pink Route points (RP7 and RP12).
The first point to stop and take pictures is Lac d'Alfeld (RP6), this is one of the most beautiful lakes in the Vosges and really beautiful. You can also walk.
In Masevaux-Niederbruck (RP8) there is possibility to visit the Museum for the Historical Society. The museum is a 50 meter walk from the parking space in the center. This village also has many small restaurants and cafes for something to drink and / or eat, so a longer stop is an option.
The route continues via Masevaux, Rougemont le Château, Grosmagny, Petitmagny and Giromagny, this is also a very beautiful road also known as La Trouée de Belfort and is a narrow passage between the Vosges and the Jura mountains.
At Rouge route you deviate from the original route for a while to follow the D24 and if you have neither had lunch, this is possible at RP11 (note that it closes at 13:30). The D24 is a beautiful winding road and from Giromagny you follow the original route again, which goes up to the end point on the Ballon d'Alsace with a few very beautiful hairpin bends from RP15.
At the top of the mountain you have arrived at hotel Hôtel du Sommet where you can spend the night. There may also be a campsite near the village of Oberbruck (between RP6 and RP7).
Take the time for this route; you can occasionally deviate from the road and turn into a small road somewhere that is not on the route; please note, some roads can be very narrow and gravel roads.
Along the route there are not many places of interest to visit, but because of the beautiful nature and nice steering roads I still rate this route with 5 stars.
Tip: If you have enough time, you can also reverse the route.
The route has been made suitable for Garmin, TomTom, Harley-Davidson BoomBox 2019 and Navigation App.
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Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Grand Est
About this region
Grand Est (French: [ɡʁɑ̃t‿ɛst] (listen); Alsatian: Grossa Oschta; Moselle Franconian/Luxembourgish: Grouss Osten;
Rhine Franconian: Groß Oschte; German: Großer Osten [ˈɡʁoːsɐ ˈʔɔstn̩]; English: "Greater East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (pronounced [alzas ʃɑ̃paɲ aʁdɛn lɔʁɛn]; ACAL or, less commonly, ALCA), as a result of territorial reform which had been passed by the French Parliament in 2014.The region sits astride three water basins (Seine, Meuse and Rhine), spanning an area of 57,433 km2 (22,175 sq mi), the fifth largest in France; it includes two mountain ranges (Vosges and Ardennes). It shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2017, it had a population of 5,549,586 inhabitants. The prefecture and largest city, by far, is Strasbourg.
The East of France has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the Latin and Germanic worlds. This history is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there (Alsatian, Champenois, and Lorraine Franconian). Most of today's Grand Est region was considered "Eastern" as early as the 8th century, when it constituted the southern part of the Francian territory of Austrasia. The city of Reims (in Champagne), where Frankish king Clovis I had been baptized in 496 AD, would later play a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. The Champagne fairs played a significant role in the economy of medieval Europe as well. Alsace and Lorraine thrived in the sphere of influence of the Holy Roman Empire for most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and subject to competing claims by France and German over the centuries.
The region has distinctive traditions such as the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas markets, or traditions involving the Easter hare in Alsace and Lorraine. Alsace-Moselle are furthermore subject to local law for historical reasons. With a long industrial history and strong agriculture and tourism (arts, gastronomy, sightseeing), the East of France is one of the top economic producing regions in the country.
Read more on Wikipedia
Rhine Franconian: Groß Oschte; German: Großer Osten [ˈɡʁoːsɐ ˈʔɔstn̩]; English: "Greater East") is an administrative region in Northeastern France. It superseded three former administrative regions, Alsace, Champagne-Ardenne and Lorraine, on 1 January 2016 under the provisional name of Alsace-Champagne-Ardenne-Lorraine (pronounced [alzas ʃɑ̃paɲ aʁdɛn lɔʁɛn]; ACAL or, less commonly, ALCA), as a result of territorial reform which had been passed by the French Parliament in 2014.The region sits astride three water basins (Seine, Meuse and Rhine), spanning an area of 57,433 km2 (22,175 sq mi), the fifth largest in France; it includes two mountain ranges (Vosges and Ardennes). It shares borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany and Switzerland. As of 2017, it had a population of 5,549,586 inhabitants. The prefecture and largest city, by far, is Strasbourg.
The East of France has a rich and diverse culture, being situated at a crossroads between the Latin and Germanic worlds. This history is reflected in the variety of languages spoken there (Alsatian, Champenois, and Lorraine Franconian). Most of today's Grand Est region was considered "Eastern" as early as the 8th century, when it constituted the southern part of the Francian territory of Austrasia. The city of Reims (in Champagne), where Frankish king Clovis I had been baptized in 496 AD, would later play a prominent ceremonial role in French monarchical history as the traditional site of the coronation of the kings of France. The Champagne fairs played a significant role in the economy of medieval Europe as well. Alsace and Lorraine thrived in the sphere of influence of the Holy Roman Empire for most of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, and subject to competing claims by France and German over the centuries.
The region has distinctive traditions such as the celebration of Saint Nicholas Day, Christmas markets, or traditions involving the Easter hare in Alsace and Lorraine. Alsace-Moselle are furthermore subject to local law for historical reasons. With a long industrial history and strong agriculture and tourism (arts, gastronomy, sightseeing), the East of France is one of the top economic producing regions in the country.
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Route Collections in this region 25 Magnificent trails in France
This MRA route collection contains 25 beautiful motorcycle routes in different parts of France, such as the Ardennes, the Alsace, Vercors, the Drôme, the Ardèche, Cote d'Azure, Gorges du Verdon, the Ariège, the Dordogne and Brittany.
The routes have been carefully created by Bert Loorbach, who is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself. He lived in France for a year and a half, during which time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful back roads of France especially for motorcyclists.
The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.
I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.
The routes have been carefully created by Bert Loorbach, who is an enthusiastic motorcyclist himself. He lived in France for a year and a half, during which time he devoted himself to mapping the unknown and beautiful back roads of France especially for motorcyclists.
The routes are bundled in the Motortourgids France part 1 of Kosmos publishing house and now also available in MyRouteApp.
I have taken over the routes in MRA and sometimes adjusted them slightly to make them even more interesting for the motorcyclist.
View Route Collection
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Be sure to check whether the passes are open before you leave.
These are routes for experienced drivers.
The start is in Geldermalsen Netherlands, the first 7 days you drive through the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, France and a piece of Luxembourg with overnight stays in hotels.
The last three days you stay in Barweiler (D) in the Eifel and you drive two beautiful tours through the Eifel, Luxembourg and parts of the Belgian Ardennes.
There is no highway in the routes, only beautiful provincial and country roads, many beautiful passes with beautiful panoramas.
Be sure to check whether the passes are open before you leave.
These are routes for experienced drivers.
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