A place called “the Trou de l’Enfer” was not named by chance. This gorge at Le Tholy, in the Hautes Vosges, carries a specific legend that standard tourist sheets tend to mention without telling it in full. Nearby, another figure has run through local stories for generations: the legend of the black wolf, which still haunts the names of certain rocks in the Vosges forest. Here is what these two curiosities actually tell, and how to combine them into a family hike near La Bresse.
Trou de l’Enfer, a gorge at Le Tholy named by legend
The Trou de l’Enfer is a natural site classified “rock, caves, caverns” by Vosges Tourisme, located at the place of the same name in the commune of Le Tholy. It lies within the Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges, deep in the mountain forest, and can be visited freely, with no set hours and no ticket.
Its name comes from a story handed down orally in the region. A village fiddler was walking home from a wedding after nightfall when he met, at this very spot, a tall, gaunt man, richly dressed. The stranger invited him to come play music the next day at his castle, in exchange for gold coins. On arriving, the musician discovered a tall, dark palace lit by blazing flames: without knowing it, he was playing for the dead. He broke the spell only by playing a holy tune, then woke up alone by the Barba stream, as if the entire night had been nothing but an ordeal.
This story belongs to the same body of folklore as the Chapelle du Brabant, in La Bresse, where a shepherd and a mysterious doe explain the origin of a mountain cross. The Hautes Vosges hold several sites of this kind: rock formations or forest spots to which oral tradition has attached a story to explain a name or an unexplained event.
The black wolf legend, a figure that haunts the high Vosges valleys
The black wolf comes up again and again in the evening tales and stories of the Vosges valleys, as a figure of the deep forest and of what escapes control once night falls. Unlike the Trou de l’Enfer, it is not a single story tied to one place: it is a figure that travels, changing shape from village to village, and that long served to keep children and livestock away from isolated woods after dusk.
This folklore rests on a concrete reality: the wolf genuinely lived in the Vosges forests before disappearing from them. It has now naturally returned to some parts of the Vosges massif. The real animal behind the legend is therefore no invention: it simply left the massif before making its own way back.
The memory of the wolf has also been written into the landscape. In the commune of Sapois, not far from Le Tholy and Haut-du-Tôt, a rock cavity bears the name “la Chambre du Loup” (the Wolf’s Chamber). It forms part of a forest hiking loop linking several geological curiosities, including the Lyris cliff. The name alone sets the scene: a rock hollow wide enough to shelter an animal, in a dense forest that offered the black wolf legend a ready-made backdrop.
Where the Trou de l’Enfer is and how to get there
The Trou de l’Enfer is located at the place of the same name, 88530 Le Tholy, on the road linking La Bresse to Gérardmer and Épinal via Tendon. Visits are free and unguided, with no booking needed. For any access questions, the Gérardmer Hautes Vosges tourist office remains the reference contact (03 29 27 27 27).
The site is described as a wooded gorge: plan on closed shoes suited to forest terrain, especially after rain. Since no official walking distance or elevation gain is published for this specific spot, it is best to check directly with the tourist office before setting off if you are planning a full loop.
What to combine with the Trou de l’Enfer
Le Tholy directly borders the commune of Tendon: the cascades de Tendon, with their Grande Cascade around thirty metres high, make an easy addition to the same day. To extend the outing toward the lakes, head to Gérardmer and Xonrupt for the lac de Longemer, for swimming and activities by the water.
For a day built around a longer hike rather than nearby curiosities, the guide du col de la Schlucht covers official routes toward the Hohneck, accessible from the same part of the Hautes Vosges.
Key takeaways
The Trou de l’Enfer and the black wolf legend tell two different ways the Hautes Vosges gave names to their forests: one precise story attached to a gorge at Le Tholy, and a looser figure that still circulates in rock names like the Chambre du Loup at Sapois. Both can be visited freely, with no dedicated visitor facility, and combine easily with the cascades de Tendon or the lakes around Gérardmer for a full day out from La Bresse.
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Frequently asked questions
Where is the Trou de l'Enfer in the Vosges?
The Trou de l'Enfer is a hamlet in the commune of Le Tholy (88530), north of La Bresse toward Gérardmer and Épinal, a few kilometres from Tendon. It is a rocky gorge listed as heritage of the Parc naturel régional des Ballons des Vosges, open for free, unguided visits.
What is the legend of the Trou de l'Enfer?
Oral tradition tells of a village musician walking home from a wedding after nightfall who met a tall, gaunt man, richly dressed. The man invited him to play music at his castle, and the musician found he had in fact been playing for the dead, in a dark palace lit by flames. He broke the spell by playing a holy tune and woke up by the Barba stream.
Where does the black wolf legend in the Vosges come from?
The black wolf is a recurring figure in the folklore of the high Vosges valleys, where the animal long stood for the threat of the deep forest before disappearing from the massif. The wolf has now naturally returned to some parts of the Vosges massif, giving this legendary figure a real anchor.