You don’t have to cross the Atlantic to find an adventure worthy of the great American trails. Launched in 2022, the HexaTrek traverses France’s mountains over a little more than 3,000 km. This extraordinary journey begins near the German border and ends with your feet in the ocean, on the beach at Hendaye.
The HexaTrek: A 3,034-km Journey Across France
The route connects Wissembourg, in northern Alsace, to the Basque Country. Between the two, it combines 47 existing long-distance hiking trails to form a continuous 3,034-kilometer route, divided into six major sections. In total, hikers taking on this challenge will tackle approximately 140,000 meters of elevation gain and traverse 14 natural parks.
The first few days wind through forests, past ruined castles, and along the ridges of the Vosges, before reaching the Doubs River and then the Jura. The terrain then takes on a whole new dimension in the Northern Alps: the Beaufortain, Vanoise, and peaks near Mont Blanc follow one another for several hundred kilometers. The Écrins, Belledonne, and Vercors extend this long Alpine stretch, undoubtedly the most demanding part of the route.
After so much high-mountain terrain, the gorges and plateaus of the Cévennes completely transform the landscape. The trail then crosses the Corbières, enters the Eastern Pyrenees, and even passes through Andorra and Spain for short stretches. The final kilometers follow the terrain of Béarn and the Basque Country before descending toward Hendaye.
Completing the entire HexaTrek obviously requires serious preparation. The route is a summer hiking trail and does not require mountaineering skills under good conditions, but the long distances, elevation, and steep ascents make it a physical and mental challenge.
However, there’s no need to hike for three or four months: each of the six sections can be a journey in its own right. The first, from the Vosges to the Jura, spans 670 km, for example, while the crossing of the Western Pyrenees covers about 437 km. The official app includes offline maps, mountain huts, water sources, and places to restock supplies. A community of “Trail Angels” also offers, depending on the area, a meal, a shower, or a place to camp to passing hikers.