Observatoire de Merelle, Gerardmer

We walked up the diretissima from the lake and were excited to enter the tower. But when we arrived we found a queue of ~ half an hour waiting time. Do our timing (Saturday, 17:00) was not perfect - be early or late.

Tower that has a nice view over the Gerardmer lake. Parking is a challenge and there can be long a long waiting line. Max 4 persons can climb up each time. Go early or late

You can make your way up the adventurous way, off road. Or you can go the sensible route by walking up the road. We went off road far more exciting but there are no signs, so you just have to follow your own instincts. It's not an easy climb. Google maps will give you some indication if you are heading in the right direction. Off road is steep and very rocky so be fit and very careful. By road if you are not able to climb or prefer not to. You can also drive up. By road you will find a number of free picnic areas. There is no dedicated parking anywhere en-route, just stop where it is sensible and convenient. It could take you an hour off road, but when you eventually get there you still need to climb the spiral stairs to the top of the tower. If you have a head for heights it's well worth the journey and the final climb. You'll 970 metres up on a small platform! The views are a worthy reward for your efforts. Simply stunning.

After hiking one hour from the lake, we finally arrived at the top and reach the Tower ... But there was a big queue to go up (the Tower is limited to 5 persons)... Only people going by car :( And we couldn't wait because the light was going down and we had to walk back ... What a shame! Still the walk was nice.

We went there during light rain and it was cloudy, so the views were only a little impressive, but the walk in the magical quiet forest surrounding it was an envigorating and joyful conclusion to our stay at Gerardmer :)