The name Belles Filles literally means "beautiful girls", but is actually derived from the local plant life.

The mountain is attested from the 16th century as lieu peuplé de belles fahys, a "place inhabited with nice beech trees" in the local dialect.

According to legend, young women from Plancher-les-Mines fled into the mountains to escape Swedish mercenaries as they feared being raped and massacred.

[5] La Planche des Belles Filles was first used as a finish in Stage 7 in the 2012 Tour de France, 199 km (124 mi) from Tomblaine on 7 July.

[4] The stage was won by Chris Froome with his Team Sky team-mate Bradley Wiggins taking the race lead.