Route des Crêtes —Alsace.

Distance

80 km

Duration

1 day

Climb

700 m

Rating

4.7 / 5

678 reviews

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Curated by Rider · Updated Jun 2026

Overview

Route des Crêtes — Alsace.

The D430 follows the Vosges mountain crest for 80 km from Cernay to Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines — wide views over the Rhine plain to the Black Forest in Germany, with winstub villages every 20 km for choucroute and Riesling. The WWI Hartmannswillerkopf battlefield runs directly alongside the road.

Quick facts

SurfacePaved

Distance80 km

Days1

Total climb700 m

DifficultyEasy

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Day-by-day

The route.

ROUTE

6 stops

CernayStart · The southern starting point of the Route des Crêtes. Full services — fuel up here. The road climbs from the Alsatian plain onto the Vosges crest within the first few kilometres.

Hartmannswillerkopf — National MonumentScenic Point · A WWI battlefield monument on the summit of the Vosges overlooking the Rhine plain. 30,000 French and German soldiers died here for a summit that changed hands multiple times. The crypt contains 12,000 unidentified soldiers.

Grand BallonMountain Pass · The highest point in Alsace at 1,424 m — a radar station and a hotel-restaurant at the summit. Views extend east to the Black Forest in Germany and west over the Lorraine plateau. The descent on the Alsatian side reveals the vineyard patchwork below.

Hohneck SummitScenic Point · The second summit at 1,363 m — a classic Vosges ballon (rounded granite summit). The Lac de Longemer and Lac de Retournemer are visible in the valley below.

Col de la SchluchtRestaurant · The major pass on the Route des Crêtes with a full hotel and restaurant. Good choucroute and Riesling at the summit — the French-Germanic food culture of Alsace at its most accessible.

Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines

Reviews

From riders.

678 verified rides logged on this route.

4.7/ 5

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

678 verified rides

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