Where to Stay?

The diverse landscapes of the Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park offer a perfect setting for a wide range of outdoor activities, including hiking, mountain biking, climbing, water sports, and winter sports. The Park actively encourages these activities, ensuring they are enjoyed responsibly and with respect for the fragile wildlife and ecosystems. Let’s embrace the Quietude Attitude!

Now that your is mapped out, it’s time to find accommodation. Whether you prefer simple or comfortable options, there is something to suit all preferences and budgets!

Here are a few tips to help you reflect on and improve certain habits.

Bivouac or Wild Camping

Mountain Refuges

Farm Inns (Fermes-Auberges)

Accommodation with ‘Valeurs Parc’ Certification

Bivouac ou camping sauvage

It’s important to distinguish between:

  • Bivouac: A lightweight overnight camp, set up for one night only, between dusk and dawn.
  • Wild Camping: A campsite set up for several days in the same location.

Can I Bivouac in the Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park?
In France, bivouacking is allowed unless explicitly prohibited. Before pitching your tent for the night, check whether the land is private or public. If it is private, you must obtain permission from the landowner..

Bivouacking is strictly prohibited in protected areas, such as national nature reserves and protected sites. Within these designated areas of the Park, camping under tents, in vehicles, or in any other type of shelter (including forest huts) is not allowed. Some accommodation facilities are available near certainnature reserves.

Outside private properties (or with landowner consent), bivouacking and sleeping under the stars are tolerated. There are no restrictions on the number of people or tents per bivouac site, but good environmental practices must be followed. It is advisable to check with local councils in case of municipal regulations prohibiting the practice.

Can I Make a Campfire?

Fire regulations fall under French forestry law. It is prohibited year-round for anyone other than the landowner to light or carry a fire within 200 metres of woodlands and forests. Due to increasingly severe droughts, local authorities may impose temporary fire bans. Before setting off on your hike, check with the local councils along your route for any current fire restrictions.

In protected natural areas, fires are only allowed in designated stoves or fireplaces within forest shelters.

Au sein des espaces naturels protégés, il est interdit de faire du feu en dehors des poêles, cheminées présents dans les abris forestiers.

> More Information:

Bureau des Espaces Naturels – Wildenstein: +33 (0)3 89 82 22 10

Some mountain guides accredited with the ‘Valeurs Parc’ label in the Ballons des Vosges Regional Natural Park offer safe and immersive bivouac experiences in the heart of nature:

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Mountain Refuges

A wide range of accommodation options (refuges, unmanned huts), both free and paid, are available across the massif. Here are some useful links

> See the map 

In protected areas of the Park, camping in tents, vehicles, or any other shelters (including forest huts) is strictly prohibited. However, accommodation facilities are available on the perimeter of certain nature reserves..

Farm Inns (Fermes-Auberges)

Many farm inns offer gîte-style accommodation, bed and breakfasts, and camping areas.

Accommodation with ‘Valeurs Parc’ Certification

Whether summer or winter, outdoors or with local hosts, rustic or comfortable, the Park offers a variety of certified accommodation options under the ‘Valeurs Parc’ label. These providers, committed to sustainable tourism, offer unique stays in the southern Massif des Vosges, combining comfort and environmental responsibility.