Grand Ballon

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Grand Ballon
The Grand Ballon from the South
Highest point
Elevation	1,424 m (4,672 ft)
Prominence	1,072 m (3,517 ft)
Coordinates	47°54′03″N 7°05′53″ECoordinates: 47°54′03″N 7°05′53″E
Naming
Translation	Big balloon (French)
Geography
Grand Ballon France
Location	Haut-Rhin, Alsace, France
Parent range	Vosges Mountains
Climbing
First ascent	unknown

The Grand Ballon (German: Großer Belchen) or Great Belchen is the highest mountain of the Vosges, located 25 kilometres northwest of Mulhouse, France. It is also the highest point of the Alsace French region.^[1]

Some still call it Ballon de Guebwiller, after the name of the closest town, Guebwiller, located 8 km to the east. It is 1,423.7 metres high, according to the Institut Géographique National (IGN).

The well known Route des Crêtes (French for "route of the peaks") circumvents the mountain top around east, crossing a mountain pass at an altitude of 1,343 m, between Le Markstein winter sports station and Hartmannswillerkopf, a rocky spur.

The mountain is part of the so-called Belchen System, a group of mountains with the name "Belchen" (in German) that may have been part of a Celtic sun calendar.