Route of Mont Bayard starting from Saint-Claude

Starting from Saint-Claude, this is a short hike in terms of distance but quite challenging during the climb up Mont Bayard. Walking poles are recommended in wet conditions.

Details

n°1621940

Creation:
13 Nov 2018

Last update:
21 May 2025

Last review:
17 May 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 6.72 km
Average duration: 3h 25
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 512 m
Descent: - 508 m
Highest point: 943 m
Lowest point: 435 m

Country: France
Areas: Jura mountains, Haut-Jura
City: Saint-Claude (39200)
Start/End: N 46.386562° / E 5.865638°
Accessible from the train station Gare de St-Claude.
IGN map(s): Ref. 3327OT
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Description of the walk

Park near Saint-Claude Cathedral.

(S/E) Head towards the Passage des Écoles, then turn right onto Rue des Écoles. Continue left along Rue Rosset to the Salle des Fêtes: just after the bridge and just before No. 8, climb a small flight of steps to reach Chemin de la Rochette.

(1) Continue straight on towards the mountain. Climb a narrow lane with a few steps, then follow a path that continues to climb. You’ll reach a track on flat ground: take it to the right, following the yellow markings. The slope then rises gently: at a fork, follow the yellow markings to take the path on the right. This path continues to climb gently.

(2) At a fork, go straight on towards the Belvédère de l'Hermitage, following the yellow markings: you should turn left just before the ruins of the Hermitage: there is a beautiful view at the top. It is also possible to follow the lower path, which is not marked in yellow, to reach another viewpoint (but this area is not secured).
Retrace your steps to return to the fork.

(2): Turn right towards the Grotte Sainte Anne, which is not far away.

(3) The Grotte Sainte Anne is a lovely spot where you can spend a little time. Continue straight on, where the difficult sections begin from this point (following the yellow markings): after climbing a metal staircase, the path climbs quite steeply for a short distance. It then descends slightly.

The slope then becomes steep and continues for a good distance: this is the most difficult part of the route. Further up, you’ll reach the broad ridge of Mont Bayard (with some lovely views at times); the path then continues with a gentle gradient through the woodland. You’ll reach the Cabane du Mont Bayard (or Cabane des Chaumoniers): a lovely spot with a nice view.

(4) The path crosses the hut and continues gently before descending gently with a few bends. It joins a road further down (RD304) at the sign for “Sur le Bugnon”.

(5) Continue left towards Chaumont, then shortly afterwards take the path on the right, heading downhill. You’ll reach the village of Chaumont.

(6) Go straight on towards Saint-Claude. Find the road and follow it straight on (passing the Town Hall Annex), then leave it shortly afterwards. Carry on straight ahead, taking the Chemin de la Fontaine. This path joins the road further down: continue to the right downhill without following the yellow markings (the route is not very visible and runs over somewhat steep terrain). After the hairpin bend in the road, continue for less than 200m to reach a fork.

(7) Take the path on the right (Côte de Chaumont) whilst following the yellow markings; the route is pleasant. Further down, cross Rue Gambetta and turn right (do not follow the yellow markings). Head towards the Cathedral to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 436 m - Cathédrale Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul (Saint-Claude)
1 : km 0.26 - alt. 447 m - Chemin de la Rochette
2 : km 1.14 - alt. 605 m - Access to - Belvédère de l'Ermitage
3 : km 1.49 - alt. 614 m - Grotte Sainte-Anne
4 : km 2.78 - alt. 938 m - Mont Bayard Hut
5 : km 3.82 - alt. 772 m - Signpost "Sur le Bugnon"
6 : km 4.27 - alt. 717 m - Chaumont
7 : km 5.48 - alt. 586 m - Côte de Chaumont
S/E : km 6.72 - alt. 435 m - Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul - Le Tacon (affluent de la Bienne)

Notes

Good walking boots are recommended.
In wet conditions, walking poles are recommended.
The starting point can be seen here.

(3) The main difficulty is encountered during the ascent of Mont Bayard just after the Grotte Sainte Anne; the slope of the path is quite steep in places. Take care! In wet conditions, walking poles are recommended.
The rest of the route presents no major difficulties, which is why the hike is classified as ‘Moderate’ difficulty.

The quality of the route is generally good: regular markings + numerous signposts:
From (S/E) to (1): Urban route posing no problems; no markings,
From (1) to (5): very regular yellow markings + numerous signposts,
From (5) to (6): Yellow markings,
From (6) to (7): Yellow markings (except at the hairpin bend),
From (7) to (S/E): Yellow markings, then urban route.

Worth a visit

Saint-Claude: read here,
Grotte Sainte-Anne: read here,
Mont Bayard: read here,

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5

Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5

Route interest
4.8 / 5

User 8209786

17 May 2025 at 22:31 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk. It gets a bit challenging between 3 and 4 km, so you’d best be reasonably fit. Make sure you follow the map carefully, as there aren’t many signposts.

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Rémy CORNIAU

03 Mar 2025 at 09:59 3600 • Edited: 03 Mar 2025 at 10:00 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely ride in early March in lovely dry weather.
A challenging section rated between 3 and 4, with a steep climb and some steep gradients, bordering on ‘rock climbing’ in places. Not for everyone, I think; you’d better be fairly fit. The arrival in the peaceful and pleasant woodland at the top, followed by the view from the hut, is a fine reward after a good effort.
The return to Saint Claude is a little less ‘natural’, but very peaceful nonetheless.
The section through the cave is a nice little bonus!

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Grol

08 Jul 2024 at 22:21 7200 • Edited: 08 Jul 2024 at 22:29 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this route in the summer, the day after a heavy downpour: the path was very passable. The section between points 3 and 4 is quite challenging and requires good footwear; I made good use of my walking poles.
The arrival at the cave is unexpected, and I would have liked to have had a head torch to explore it a bit further (there’s a ~2m knotted rope to get over a wall, but without a torch and on my own, I didn’t attempt it – be careful, it’s slippery!)
Reaching the hut would have made for a lovely picnic spot, but I arrived too early, and after an hour’s climb, my stomach wasn’t quite ready for it yet! By this point, the hardest part is well and truly behind us, and we’re facing west (so it’s fine, and in summer that’s a real bonus)
A few hundred metres further on, I lost my way; there’s a 90° turn to the right into the woods, and it has to be said that the markings on this route aren’t always clearly visible. Quite a few crosses are missing, and without VisoRando I would have struggled to know which way to go. Especially as the yellow markings seem to be shared by several paths in the area...
The first part of the descent is gentle through the woodland. After the road, on reaching the village, I decided to take a detour via the Queue de Cheval waterfall (2km round trip + a bit of extra elevation gain) to have my lunch break there. Honestly, it’s well worth the detour and really adds something special to this hike – that little ‘wow’ factor it would otherwise have been missing! It makes it a proper little adventure!
After that, the end isn’t really very interesting (road, tarmac path) but you’ve got to get back somehow. Watch out, there are still some missing “turns” and yellow markings here, but by the time you finish at Saint-Claude Cathedral, all these little inconveniences are forgotten!

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lesbubusalain

03 Mar 2024 at 19:32 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, but be warned – it’s quite a strenuous one, with a steep climb in the first half. We did it with our 8-year-old granddaughter (at her own pace), who loved the caves.

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