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Opened by the Jesuits in the early 1700s, the snaking ROUTE DE LA TRACE , or N3, rises into the foggy altitudes of Mont-Pelee and the Pitons du Carbet northwest of Fort-de-France before heading to the Atlantic coast. The major stop along this route is the botanical Jardins Balata (daily 9am-5pm; ?6.48; ), 10km northwest of Fort-de-France. The landscaped gardens contain lily ponds and hundreds of palms and fruit trees, and afford awesome vistas of the Pitons de Carbet. Three kilometres back, the Byzantine Sacre-Coeur-de-Balata overlooks the capital from a hillside plateau; the 1928 domed church is a miniature replica of Montmartre's. Heading another 10km inland from the gardens, the N3 reaches the Site de l'Alma , a cascading river with shallow pools in a dark rainforest, then moves onward to Martinique's highest settlement, Morne-Rouge , located 450m above sea level. The town's proximity to Mont-Pelee , the 1397-metre-high volcano that dominates northern Martinique, is the main reason to stop here; the Maison du Volcan (tel 0596/52 45 45, fax 52 33 02), signposted off the rue Principale, organizes hikes to the summit. Nearby, the island's youth hostel , Auberge de Jeunesse , on rue Jean-Jaures (tel 0596/52 39 81, fax 52 39 64; up to US$25 with breakfast), has beds in dormitory, single or double rooms. A junction at the northern outskirts of Morne-Rouge marks the end of the Route de la Trace; the eastern N2 hits St-Pierre in 8km while the westward N3 carries on past the access road to Mont-Pelee, signposted to Aileron 2km after the turn-off
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