Ballon de Servance
The Ballon de Servance is a mountain in the southern Vosges and at the same time the highest point in the Vosges Saônoises. It is 1216 meters high. Once a year, the Les 3 ballons cycling marathon leads over the top. The road, which is not very well developed for tourism, was built for military reasons in the 19th century. The approach is also possible from the west over the Col des Croix (height 680 meters). The GR 7 and GR 59 long-distance hiking trails lead past the Ballon de Servance and are marked by the Club Vosgien (Vosges Club). A hotel built on the summit in 1880, which mainly served the military, has disappeared. There has been a military radar system on the summit since 1951, to which a closed road leads from the top of the Col. The climb itself starts at the same spot as the climb to La Planche des Belles Filles. It is a tough climb on a small road through the forest.
Region: Bourgogne-Franche-Comté
City: Plancher-les-Mines
Distance: 10.63 km
Elevation Gain: 626 m
Elevation Loss: 1 m
Difficulty: 521 (Moderate)
FIETS Index: 3.71 FIETS
Avg Grade: 5.94 %
Max cat climb: 2
Min elevation: 532 m
Max elevation: 1157 m
Ride Category: Climb