Pissevieille Waterfall, Grotte des Sazarins and Belvédère de la Corbière

A few kilometres from Saint-Claude, beautiful beech forests, a 70-metre-high waterfall, an unusual cave and the magnificent Belvédère de la Corbière viewpoint.

Details

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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.61 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 514 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 511 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 883 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 467 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking for five to six cars near the hamlet of Noire Combe, going up La Bienne on the left bank.

(S/E) Descend the road towards Roche Blanche.

(1) Turn left and continue to the bridge.

(2) Turn around.

(1) Turn left onto the path to reach the bottom of the Pissevieille waterfall.

(3) After a short return, take the path on the left to reach the top of the same waterfall.

(4) After the bridge, turn right onto the path for a steady climb along the right bank of the Ravin de Pissevieille. You will reach a fork near a stream.

(5) Turn right, cross the Pissevieille stream and continue to the remarkable Grotte des Sazarins cave.

(6) Turn around and cross the stream again.

(5) Follow the wide path opposite and head towards Orcières.

(7) At the crossroads, turn left and then immediately right. Follow the road for about 1.6 km until you reach the large dairy farm at an altitude of 878 metres.

(8) Turn left, then further on, look for a path on the right.

(9) Turn right until you reach the Belvédère de la Corbière viewpoint.

(10) Retrace your steps to the previous fork.

(9) Turn right and follow the wide path along deep precipices. Pass a first hairpin bend to the right, then a second to the left, and reach a T-junction.

(11) Turn right and continue downhill to another intersection.

(12) Leave the direction of Pont de Longchaumois on your right.
Turn left onto a flat path until you reach the top of the waterfall.

(4) Continue straight ahead through the clearings and reach the hamlet of Noire Combe. Turn right and follow two hairpin bends to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 549 m - Car park at the crossroads.
  2. 1 : km 0.95 - alt. 467 m - Fork in the road - Access to the bridge - Bienne (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.08 - alt. 467 m - Pont de Roche Blanche
  4. 3 : km 1.41 - alt. 497 m - Bottom of the - Cascade de Pissevieille
  5. 4 : km 1.87 - alt. 572 m - Top of the - Cascade de Pissevieille
  6. 5 : km 2.78 - alt. 784 m - Fork in the road. Return trip to the cave.
  7. 6 : km 4.22 - alt. 795 m - Grotte des Sazarins
  8. 7 : km 6.39 - alt. 832 m - Orcières - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 8.01 - alt. 877 m - Intersection - Dairy farm
  10. 9 : km 8.51 - alt. 868 m - Fork in the road - Access to the viewpoint
  11. 10 : km 8.94 - alt. 862 m - Belvédère de la Corbière
  12. 11 : km 10.67 - alt. 727 m - Fork in the road
  13. 12 : km 11.28 - alt. 601 m - Signpost
  14. S/E : km 14.61 - alt. 549 m - Car park at the crossroads.

Notes

The access road to the car park is very steep and narrow.
Recommended route in the direction of the description, especially in case of rain.
Caution! Access to the top of the waterfall is dangerous.

Worth a visit

At Roche Blanche, admire the beautiful fish pass.
In summer, visit the Maison de la Flore in Longchaumois.
You can reach the Belvédère de Cuvet from Orcières by turning left 200 m after the (7).

Reviews and comments

5 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
PascaleB.
PascaleB.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At the beginning of December, the waterfall was magnificent! Unfortunately, it was not possible to cross the ford leading to the Sarrasins cave (point 5): the river was 3 metres wide and 20 centimetres deep! The Belvédère du Cuvet is a must-see. And indeed, the climb (from 4 to 5) is beautiful, but arduous!
Many thanks to the author!

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Wifike
Wifike
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in the forest, with beautiful places to discover, including the waterfall (even when dry), the Sarrazins cave and the viewpoint!
Apart from the steep (but relatively quick) climb, the rest of the hike is easy and well signposted.

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Liru
Liru

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and varied hike (the description doesn't do it justice). I can confirm that even without water, the Pissevieille waterfall site is magnificent (be sure to see it from below, on the path that starts from the bridge). The climb to the top of the waterfall is steep and slippery, so caution is advised. It is also steep up to point 5. Don't hesitate to take a detour to the Cuvet viewpoint.

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Dominique 21
Dominique 21

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike, steep slope to reach the waterfall, there wasn't much water.
The final descent at the end is a bit steep and covered in leaves, so be careful if it's wet.
We parked at the indicated spot, but then had to walk back down to start the hike. At the end, we had to walk back up to the car along the road, which was a bit of a climb, but after a 15 km walk, it was tiring.
You could park directly by the small bridge on the edge without causing any obstruction.

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ppillon
ppillon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. The Pissevieille waterfall site is magnificent. The Sarrasins cave is worth the detour despite a steep climb at the beginning.

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beury philippe
beury philippe
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very difficult hike with a complicated passage to reach the Sarazins cave, it's a steep climb... But it's worth it, don't hesitate to take the short detour once you reach the top to see the cave...
And I can confirm that even without water, the Pissevielle site is worth the effort! So with water, it must be sublime... We'll go back in the spring.
A very beautiful hike.

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Claude L2.
Claude L2.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Even without water, the Pissevieille site is worth a visit. The paths to the viewpoint and the strange anticline cave are also worth the extra effort.
I did the big circular in the other direction, climbing gently from (4) to (12) and saving the descent from (5) to (4) for last. This has the advantage of not having to climb the almost 400m of steep climb in one go.

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