The “Chemin des Cimes” in Alsace, a one kilometer trail in the heart of the forest of the Northern Vosges, offers visitors the opportunity to discover an imposing landscape at 30 meters high.
From a 360 degree terrace, visitors can see the Vosges, the Black Forest and even, on a clear day, the cathedral of Strasbourg, located 70 km away. The path, nestled in the heart of the Vosges du Nord forest, has a gentle 6% slope.
“The route takes us gradually from 5 meters to 20 meters high before finishing at the highest point, the panoramic tower at 30 meters,” said Laurence Lacalmontie, marketing manager of EAK France, the German company EAK that created the concept in 2011. There are already 10 other trails of this type in Europe, but the one in Drachenbronn (Lower Rhine) is the first in France.
The path allows you to walk at the height of these giants. You can smell the scents of the conifers, touch the bark of towering trees
Laurence Lacalmontie, marketing manager of EAK France
To reach the entrance of the site, some will choose the small train chartered especially from the parking lot, while the more athletic will prefer a first 45-minute walk through the “Vasgovie”, a lush Franco-German forest where fir, spruce and beech trees are found side by side. These trees are the real stars of the “Chemin des Cîmes”.
The path is sprinkled with signposts allowing visitors to learn more about the squirrels and lynxes that make up the biosphere of the Northern Vosges, a “world reserve” classified by UNESCO. If the 15 euro entrance fee per adult may seem a bit expensive for a tour completed in less than an hour (especially if the weather is not good), families will find their money’s worth with a fee of 35 euros regardless of the number of children.
There’s a descent inside a 75-meter long slide to come down from the panoramic tower and finish the visit in the middle of this oasis of tranquility surrounded by trees. For its first year of operation, EAK’s French subsidiary hopes to welcome 180,000 visitors.
The journey includes mobile and trilingual (French, English, German) learning panels with information around sustainable development.
