Circular Beucinière from Lepuix

Start at Lepuix (Route du Ballon d'Alsace coming from Giromagny).
Park in the car park in front of the church.

The circular path is marked with the Green Ring trail sign.

(S/E) From the car park, turn right onto Rue de l’Église, walk past the town hall and continue along this street to the end. Continue along Rue de Chauveroche. At the crossroads in the La Gonfle district, visit the remains of the old Demouge sawmill. Continue to Chemin du Prieuré Saint-Benoît.

(1) At Chemin du Prieuré Saint-Benoît, turn right to visit the priory.

(2) Return to the path you left earlier and continue to the right along Rue de Chauveroche.

(3) Turn right onto the wide grassy path that leads into the forest. The climb begins from this point. The path is wide but quite steep. Join a stony track, then arrive at a crossroads.

(4) Continue along the gravel road to the right, which runs alongside the Beucinière, a beautiful river, especially in spring when the water is abundant.

(5) Leave the gravel road by taking the narrow path on the right. It continues to run alongside the Beucinière, which in places turns into a waterfall. As you climb, you can admire the jumble of rocks. The path becomes very steep and leads to the crossroads towards the Col de la Rougerie at an altitude of 1,016 m.

(6) At the junction for the pass, you have two options.
Either turn left (Green Triangle markings) to make a detour via the Col de la Rougerie: 70 m elevation gain, 1.5 km and 45 mins round trip. First go straight up, then at the junction, take the wide path on the left. After about 350 m, turn right onto the narrow path which climbs steeply to the pass. View of the Ballon de Servance.

Alternatively, follow the Green Ring markers, turning right onto the descent towards Lepuix via the Plain des Joncs.

(7) Head back down to the crossroads you passed earlier.

(6) Follow the descent via the Plain des Joncs. A very beautiful path with a gentle descent through the forest, offering occasional glimpses of the Wissgrut and Trémonkopf between the trees. You eventually reach a forest road.

(8) Turn right onto the forest road. The view opens up to the Swiss Jura in the distance, including the Chasseral, and even the Swiss Alps. Following the signposts, after about 250 m, take the narrow path on the left, then cross a wider path. Begin the final section of the route, which leads down a steep descent to the village of Lepuix. Continue to Rue de la Charrière.

(9) At the junction with Rue de la Charrière, turn left for a few metres then immediately right onto Rue du Moulin. A beautiful view of the imposing church of Lepuix. Continue along the street which goes round the church.

(10) At the bridge over the Savoureuse, the street changes name to Rue de l’Église. Turn right twice to return to the car park at the foot of Lepuix church (S/E).

Wear sturdy shoes and bring walking poles. The climb is quite steep. Don’t forget a water bottle!

A 3-hour 45-minute hike, 9 km long with 510 m of elevation gain, excluding the detours to Prieuré Saint-Benoît and Col de la Rougerie.

Please do not stray from the paths between 15 December and 14 July anywhere within the reserve’s boundaries for walking activities.
As this walk passes through the Ballons Comtois Nature Reserve, dogs are not permitted, even on a lead.

Do not hesitate to stop at the Demouge sawmill: a sawmill dating from 1878. The sawing mechanism uses water channelled via an overhead wooden aqueduct to power a bucket wheel.

At the point (1), do not hesitate to visit the Saint-Benoît Priory, founded in 1980: a very pretty chapel and beautiful grounds.

At the point (6), you can turn left towards the Col de la Rougerie, following the Green Triangle signposting.