The Col du Bonhomme is a quiet pass in the Vosges, nine hundred and forty-nine metres up on the border between Alsace and Lorraine, where the D415 crosses the main range between Le Bonhomme on the Alsace side and Plainfaing on the Lorraine side. It is not a dramatic pass, with no bare rock or snowfields, but it has the long, steady, forested feel that gives the Vosges their character: dark firs, damp meadows and a wind that smells of resin. The ridge here marked the French border from 1871 until 1918.
That history is easy to forget in the sunshine, but it is written into the land. During the First World War the front line ran along these mountains, and French and German troops fought for the high ground and the passes. The Route des Crêtes, the long ridge road that runs south from here toward Cernay, was built by the French army to supply the front, and today it is a scenic road rather than a military one. Memorials and old trench lines are still found in the woods nearby, and respect for the dead is worth remembering as you ride.
The riding is a pleasure. On the Alsace side the road drops through Lapoutroie in long, open bends, with views down the valley to vineyards, while to the west it winds through forest and meadow. The surface is generally good, there are plenty of tidy hairpins, and traffic is light outside summer weekends. Weather can change quickly, with fog on the ridge when the valleys are clear. Early autumn is lovely, with the beeches turning gold, and the road may be snowy or icy in winter, so check conditions before setting out in the cold months.
This is also a country of distillers and cheesemakers. Lapoutroie is known for its eaux-de-vie, spirits made from plums, raspberries and other fruit, and the munster, a strong washed-rind cheese, is made in the high farms. Farm inns, called marcairies, serve hearty meals of potatoes, smoked meat and cheese. There are few services at the col itself, so the nearest reliable fuel is at Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, about ten kilometres away, or in the larger towns of the valley below. Bring a warm layer even in summer.