L'ETANG NOIR

Places of interest: Plateau des 1000 Etangs, lookout of the Etang Noir. Departure : Parking lot of the church of Ramonchamp. Access : Coming from Le Thillot, take the national road 66 towards Epinal. The first village you cross is called Ramonchamp. You have to take the road on the left after the bakery, at the crossing of the pharmacy, to reach the center of the village and the church. Description of the route: Follow the path marked with the blue ring: it crosses a bicycle path called "Voie Verte des Hautes Vosges" then goes along a spinning mill before turning right in the middle of the workers' housing estate. It goes up through a meadow before joining a tarred road that you must take on the right. After 80 meters on this road, you arrive at the beginning of the loop. You have to continue on the asphalt road marked with blue rings. The itinerary passes near a chapel that watches over the village before joining a paved road that you must take uphill on the left. When you reach the last houses, the road ends and gives way to a path that zigzags up to the crossroads of Grammont (altitude: 675 meters). From there, continue on the wide forest road on the right for about 1 kilometer and then turn left to walk on a charming little path on the side of the mountain. This path crosses a wooden footbridge at the picturesque site of the Noir Étang waterfall before reaching the Étang Noir (altitude: 750 meters) a little higher. This site is ideal for a well-deserved break, especially since it is equipped with a picnic table. Continue in the direction of a lookout at the end of the pond, overlooking the waterfall you saw on the way up. The panorama allows you to see the whole town of Ramonchamp in its green setting with the backdrop of the Ballons des Hautes Vosges and even the Route des Crêtes. From the lookout, always follow the blue ring. This portion of the walk is part of the Sentier des Étangs (Ponds Trail) which leads you after 1 kilometer to the place called "les Noirs Étangs" (Black Ponds). From this place, you have to leave the Sentier des Étangs which goes straight ahead to take the left path also marked with a blue ring. It goes back down to the crossroads of Grammont crossed on the way. For the return, you have to continue on the 2nd path on the left (not the one you took on the way up). This path crosses successively the chalet of Grammont, a remarkable rock then a cave before joining a small mountain road that you have to leave immediately to take the path on the left that goes back down to the village. It joins the intersection of the start of the loop. You have to take the road on the right and follow the same path as on the way out via the workers' housing estate and the spinning mill to reach the church. Marking : blue ring.