Landscapes Menu Heritage and Tours Sceneries and Men History of Men Geology and Climate Landscapes Hautes-Vosges The “Plateau des Mille Etangs” Fougerolles and Val d’Ajol Valleys Ballons of Franche-Comté Vosgian Valleys Haut-Rhin Valleys Wine-growing Foothills Natural Heritage Orchards Forests High Stubble Lakes, Ponds, Peatlands Ravines, Cliffs and Scree Slopes Calcareous Grasslands Local Products and Craftsmanship The Park Certification Label Drink Producers The Granite Industry The Wood Industry Meat Producers Medicinal and Aromatic Plants Mineral and Natural Spring Waters Fruit and Vegetables Products Fougerolles Orchards and Kirsch Fish Farming Vosgian Cattle Breed Cheeses Small Fruit, Aromatic and Medicinal Plants Alsatian Wine Smoked Meats and Andouilles Farmhouse-Inns Farm Shops Craftsmanship Textile Granite Lava Sandstone Wood industry Farm Markets Cultural Heritage Thermal Heritage Industrial Heritage Farms Country of Art and History Religious Heritage Intangible Cutural Heritage Heritage and Memory Castles Thematic Roads and Tracks Tourist Routes Treetop Adventure Park Barefoot Trails Environment Awareness Structures Parks and Botanical Gardens Museums and Heritage Sites Thermal Baths Venues for Shows, Exhibitions and Festivals At the Park Doors Colmar Remiremont Belfort Lure Mulhouse Luxeuil-les-Bains Saint-Dié-des-Vosges Nature activities Sylvotherapy Nordic Walking Guided Walks and Discovery trails Landscape walks along the Crest Road A Farm, A Hike Mountain Guides Pedestrian Hikes Club Vosgien / Club Alpin (Vosgian / Alpine Clubs) Reception Centres for Educational Stays Trail Running Mountain Biking and Cyclo-Tourism Equine Activities Climbing Hang Gliding Aeromodelism Fishing Water Sports Winter Activities Nature stays Camping in Nature ‘Valeurs Parc’ certified Furnished Accommodation and Guesthouses Hotels and restaurants The Southern Vosges Mountains’ remarkable natural and cultural heritage is a wealth of emblematic landscapes that attract many visitors and earn it the Regional Natural Park status. Touring the Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park means discovering this heritage and meeting the men and women who keep it alive. The Great Wooded Crest forms the Hautes-Vosges. Along with Alsatian, Lorraine and Franche-Comté valleys, it motivated the creation of the Ballon des Vosges Regional Natural Park in 1989. The “Plateau des Mille Etangs” (Thousand Ponds Plateau), located in Franche-Comté, represents its second great natural wealth. The mountains host rare natural environments, such as high stubble, peatlands, beech wood plantations, oaks and beech hill forests, calcareous grasslands, watercourses, lakes and ponds. These highly diversified environments shelter our Mountain’s emblematic fauna and flora: Tengmalm Owl, Lynx, Peregrine Falcon, “Oeillet Superbe” (carnation), cranberry, drosera, arnica… the high rounded summits – called “Ballons” – stand in the way of oceanic perturbations. Winters are cold and summers cool. Rains are substantial on the crests with sometimes over 2 meters of water per year. These conditions favour forest development, spanning across two thirds of the Park territory. Below, meadows and orchards, the vineyard and its calcareous grasslands circle or crisscross the forest. Traces of an ancient human presence are maintained through museums and interpretation structures – indeed, these landscapes were shaped by the hand of Man. Author advisa View all posts