Grande Cascade de Tendon
Grande Cascade de Tendon is a waterfall near Gérardmer, between Tendon and Le Tholy in the region Elzas Lotharingen/Vosges, France.
Driving on road D11 from Le Tholy to Tendon, the Grande Cascade de Tendon is located halfway on the left side of the road. There is a clear sign along the road pointing to the waterfall, turn left here. The road to the parking is narrow and runs steep down to Cascade de Tendon.
In summertime it can be a little crowded and passing cars can cause some small problems. After a few hundred meter you have reached a natural parking at the foot of Cascade de Tendon. If the parking is full you can park the car near “l’Auberge au pied de la grande cascade”. Here you can take a nice meal/menu (from € 20) or enjoy a drink at the terras.
At the parking there is an information sign and you already can see Grande Cascade de Tendon through the trees. From the right side of the river you will have a great view on the entire waterfall. From the left side you can walk further up along Grande Cascade de Tendon. With its 32 meter it is the largest waterfall in the region Vosges.
Driving towards the village of Tendon there is also a smaller waterfall Petite Cascade de Tendon, but certainly not less beautiful. Actually Petite Cascade de Tendon is the most photogenic waterfall of the Tendon waterfalls. From the roadside there is also a clear sign pointing to Petite Cascade de Tendon. A gravel road (200 meter) leads to a parking with a marvelous view, from above, on the smaller cascade du Tendon. There are benches from where you can enjoy your view. The rocks are mostly covered with moss creating an explosion of several green colors.
Many people make a roundtrip walking from Tendon to both waterfalls and back. I think this one of the most scenic walks in the Vosges. A must to day when you have enough time and the weather is good.
I visited both cascades de Tendon april 26, 2019 and the weather was quite rainy and cold. Still I enjoyed the waterfalls very much and I am satisfied with the pictures I took, especially the ones of Petite Cascade de Tendon. Thee where a lot of leaves on the ground coloring the ground red.
Wintertime, early spring and maybe autumn are the best periode to visit both Cascades de Tendon. In summertime the surrounding is still gorgeous but there isn’t as much water in the waterfall as in the rainy periods.
There are a few other waterfalls in the Vosges like Cascade du Rudlin or Cascade du Bockloch, also nice to visit