The Vosges…. once, together with the Black Forest, a huge mountain range. Until Italy found it necessary to collide with Europe some thirty million years ago. This created the Alps and the huge plate on which the old mountains lay broke and largely collapsed. In the enormous groove that was created then, the Rhine now separates the Western Vosges from the Black Forest in the East.

The ridge that remained formed the border between France and Germany from 1871 to 1918. 1918, you read that right. The end of the First World War. Afterwards, boundaries were literally shifted, but you can already imagine that the terrain of the Vosges in WWI was particularly turbulent, and the Route des Crêtes (literal translation: road over the mountain ridges) is a remnant of that.

The road was built by the French army at the time to connect the southern front in Alsace with the northern and ran just behind the front line for the Rhine Valley. There are several 'mountain ridge roads' in France, but none carry as much history as the Route des Crêtes in the Vosges.

Our route starts at Motorhotel Col de Bussang, located in the southern side of the Vosges.
Although you drive over the highlights of the Route des Crêtes, given the XXL format of this route (and the fact that the Route des Crêtes is in principle only 85 km long…) we would also like to treat you to this route beforehand. some tire-guzzling bits that are often overlooked. The Vosges are so much more than the Route des Crêtes and this mouth-watering route will make that clear to you.

The actual Route des Crêtes can therefore only be reached at kilometer 247 of this route at the height of the Col du Bonhomme, but in the meantime, as mentioned, you will certainly not be bored: with its 345 km this route covers most of the mountain range of the Vosges and runs over a total of 21 'cols'. Almost 70 kilometers of the route effectively runs along the Route des Crêtes and its highlights follow in quick succession.

The start is therefore at Hotel Col de Bussang and you will find a first gas station after a good 8 km. A 'boring' stretch of track pushes up to Bitschwiller-les-Thann and there the playground of the Vosges opens for the first time.
A first col (Diebold-Scherrer) presents itself and then the party starts…
After the Col La Gentiane (wonderful exit curves…) you make a loop around (again) a sad story.

The 30 Years War, a large-scale religious conflict between 1618 and 1648, involved almost all of Europe. Even the Swedes came down here because they were thoroughly tired of the whims of the German Emperor Ferdinand II. And the Swedes were no softies, as the legends surrounding the 'Planche des belles Filles' testify.

After all, the beautiful village girls were a sought-after booty for the barbarian Swedes. To escape the brutal rapes and other violence, the girls fled to this mountain, but their hiding place was unfortunately discovered. But rather than fall into the hands of these rough soldiers, the girls jumped to their deaths in the water of the 'Etang des belles Filles'…. The Vosges have therefore never been spared from serious tragedy.

Keep this story in mind as you drive through the Foret de la Beucinière. The 'Planche' is the mountain you see first on your right, then on your left after you've rounded the corner and head north.
You pass the youthful Moselle before a first stop is reached. We recommend that you go through the break points anyway. Of course you determine your own rhythm, but given the length of the ride and the technicality of some points, a number of rest points are recommended.

After the resting point, you wind your way up quietly and here it is mainly a matter of enjoying the surrounding wonderful nature. You pass one forest and/or nature reserve after the other and it is inevitable that the purity of the western Vosges will touch you anyway… Yes, it is less winding and steep, but certainly no less beautiful, as evidenced by the fact that you mainly drive on so-called 'green' Michelin roads. In other words, these have been 'officially' designated as beautiful roads and that will certainly not contradict you… And don't worry, the mountains are also not missing in this first part… You will have already had a lot of cols under your wheels before you arrive at the highest road, the famous 'Route des Crêtes'.

In Fraize you leave the 'big' road (but not the green…) and the curve party starts again. This is a sign that you have reached the 'big' ridge again and the approach has been made. We make a very nice detour on this XXL route of about 65 kilometers so that an hour later you may arrive at the Col du Bonhomme, and with that also the Route des Crêtes, licking your lips.

Now you enter the more 'touristy' part of the Vosges. Home-garden and kitchen tourists think that the Vosges consists only of the Route des Crêtes, but they are so wrong that it is almost painful.

On the Route des Crêtes you first pass the Gazon du Fang, one of the highest peaks of the Vosges (1306m), completely surrounded by a beautiful nature reserve and a majestic viewpoint. From the car park it is a few hundred meters to the cliffs on the edge of the plateau overlooking the plains of the Rhine and Alsace. Here you can even, with good weather, see as far as Switzerland (Jungfrau). For the Mont Blanc you have to wait a little longer. You can only see these, of course only in excellent conditions, on the Grand Ballon, together or with the Rhine Valley and the Black Forest. So as far as views are concerned, this route has you covered…

Continuing the route, you will also pass the Col de la Schlucht; posing here is pleasant and, if you feel like it, a 'toboggan ride' is a pleasant change here.

9 kilometers after the Col de la Schlucht, we are happy to offer you a delicious alternative. You can choose to let the delicious Bramont slide under the wheels and, frankly, if the conditions are right and you still have the time and the will, then this is absolutely recommended. The Bramont is a delicious curler that should not be missing from your Vosges palmares. In the route collection to which this ride also belongs, you will have ample opportunity to go through this Bramont, but if this is the only route you take in the Vosges, then it is best to continue with the Bramont.
You will then leave the Route des Crêtes, but the Col de Bramont is really a worthy alternative and you will not miss a single highlight of the Route des Crêtes with this deviation.
40 'thrilling' curves follow each other very quickly on the Bramont and via the D27 you return gently to the Route des Crêtes.

Once back on the Route des Crêtes, the next place to consider a short stop is the Grand Ballon. It is the highest point of the Vosges and the views, in good weather conditions, are truly breathtaking as already written above. Even Mont Blanc can be observed here in ideal weather conditions.

A little further on you will also catch your breath, although for a completely different reason. Here you become quiet. Very quiet even in this historic cemetery of the Hartmannswillerkopf…. 50,000 people died here in trench warfare between 1914 and 1916. For nothing….or at least…for the cockiness of a few officers who absolutely wanted control of the mountain on their record. By the way, a mountain that carries nicknames such as 'The Man-eater' and 'The Mountain of Death'. An absolutely pointless and truly hallucinatory battle was fought here. For example, on December 21, 1915 alone – in one day – 250,000 shells were fired by the French Artillery. You can probably imagine the massacre and the rebuttal of the Germans. 6000 bunkers were built here. Half of these are still visible along a 90-kilometer course of trenches from which the smell of death may never disappear.

So something to think about while you drive towards Cernay where the route des Crêtes ends.

We make a northern bend again and then drive on the main road back to the Hotel 'Col de Bussang', perhaps after you first have the opportunity to refill the tank for the next route that you will find in the route collection to which this route belongs.

The Route des Crêtes XXL is an XXL route that is not for everyone. Endurance is needed on this route that has the majority of the Route des Crêtes sliding under your wheels.
You will visit some of the highlights of the Vosges Mountains and witness the bloody battle that was once fought here.
Add to this the excellent roads, beautiful views (up to Mont Blanc!) and unsurpassed nature, and you may understand the 5-star rating.

However, be careful. Do not embark on this tour and any annex of the Col de Bramont if you are not ready for it. The trip requires 9 hours of concentration on winding, beautiful, and also busy roads.
But if you drive it, the satisfaction will just show on your face as you recuperate at Hotel Col de Bussang during an undoubtedly delicious evening meal.
The night will fall on you while a smile graces your face….