The Cirque de Baume-les-Messieurs

Discover one of the most beautiful natural sites and one of the prettiest villages in the Franche-Comté.

Details

126995
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.72 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 474 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 474 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 520 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 304 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(1) Set out from the car park at Abbaye de Baume. Walk down into the village, turn right and cross the small stone bridge over the Seille. Then turn left and walk down Rue des Moulins for 50m.

(2) Take the path to the right up to Echelles de Sermu (GR59, red and white waymarks). The slope is steep and rocky and there is a risk you can slip in some parts, so be careful, especially in wet weather.

(3) At the viewpoint, you will have a real reward for your effort, as there is a magnificent panorama. Take the GR59 to the left along the cliffs towards the cirque until you reach Sermu. Some passages can be quite muddy in wet weather.

(4) In Sermu, turn right onto the D70E2 and follow the road until you reach Sur Roche. There are beautiful views from the cliffs.

(5) At Sur Roche, carefully make your way down the steps on the left towards Cascade des Tufs and the caves (Echelle de Crançot).

(6) At the beautiful site of Reculée de Baume-les-Messieurs, you can enjoy a picnic or eat in a café.

Return along the same path to get back to point (5) and walk left along the D70E2 for about 200m.

(7) Take the path that forks off to left and follow the GR59 through the woods. Follow the signs (which are not always obvious) and ignore any paths off to the left or right. After a sharp bend to the left, head towards Croix de Suchot.

(8) At the viewpoint of Croix de Suchot, there is another stunning panorama. Leave back along the same path, ignoring the turning off to the right that you took earlier and carry straight on to the D70, which you then take to your left for about 50m.

(9) Leave the road and take the path on your left down into the forest towards Baume-
les-Messieurs. The slope is quite steep and some passages are tricky especially in rainy weather.

(10) You will come out above Abbaye de Baume, walk around to the left or right to get back to the car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 308 m - Abbaye de Baume car park
  2. 1 : km 0.31 - alt. 309 m - Start of the Echelles de Sermu trail
  3. 2 : km 0.95 - alt. 485 m - Echelles de Sermu lookout point - Belvédère de Sermu
  4. 3 : km 2.27 - alt. 504 m - Sermu, D70E2
  5. 4 : km 3.51 - alt. 507 m - Belvédère de Crançot
  6. 5 : km 3.63 - alt. 506 m - Belvédère des Roches de Baume
  7. 6 : km 4.33 - alt. 373 m - Dard (torrent) - Affluent de la Seille
  8. 7 : km 4.47 - alt. 377 m - Cascades des Tufs - Cascades de Tuf sur le Dard
  9. 8 : km 5.37 - alt. 505 m - Leave the road, take the GR59 to the left
  10. 9 : km 8.95 - alt. 485 m - Suchot cross and belvedere - Croix de Suchot
  11. 10 : km 9.59 - alt. 491 m - D70, left
  12. 11 : km 10.47 - alt. 345 m - Baume Abbey - Église Abbatiale Saint-Pierre
  13. S/E : km 10.72 - alt. 308 m - Abbaye de Baume car park

Notes

Walking boots are highly recommended if not essential.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 165 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
GuyLeroy
GuyLeroy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike not to be missed. As experienced hikers, we really appreciated the quality of the route and the views.
Get to the start early to secure a parking space.
At the start, the suggested GPS track doesn’t quite match the path, but as there’s only one path to follow, it’s all fine.
The waterfall is a bit touristy, but otherwise there’s no one on the route.
Very few roads or tarmac!!!!
So, a superb route through the countryside, peaceful, not difficult, with beautiful views and a bit of elevation gain.

A must-do, and thanks to the creator of the walk.

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User 2093194

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike that takes you around the Baumes les Messieurs cirque.
The yellow markings are a bit old and there are no GR markings.
Fortunately, there are signs.
It's a shame that the tufa formations are dry, but hey, it's still summer.

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lesiol
lesiol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 16 August in very hot weather.
We enjoyed the shaded areas and the magnificent views. It was a shame to see the waterfalls completely dry.

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Dumas Didier
Dumas Didier

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route is very pleasant, with no real difficulties except for the 100-metre climb almost at the start and towards the cave (which is very nice to visit and not very expensive).
The route varies slightly at the start because an access path is closed due to the risk of a wall collapsing. You have to go directly over the bridge, i.e. along the road, before turning off to go uphill.
There are some beautiful views on this route, ideal for a picnic.

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elisabethhartmann
elisabethhartmann

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Good description of the route
Not a drop of water, the waterfall is dry, so you can avoid the steep slopes by staying at the top, which is very pleasant in the forest. However, you still need to be very careful, even in dry weather.
Did this on Saturday 9 August, already a very hot day.
Magnificent landscape.

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patrice.navarro38
patrice.navarro38

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The departure point is no longer via the small bridge, as access is closed. Follow the road and cross the bridge. Then rejoin the route, which climbs rapidly into the woods. Be careful, as the climb is quite steep and slippery! Avoid with young children. There are few places on the plateau with views of the valley floor. The path was closed off with a rope at the first farm; you will need to climb over it. Then it is a road all the way to the Roches viewpoint. The descent into the cirque is straightforward, with a few slippery sections.

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Yoko25
Yoko25

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that has it all: climbing, viewpoints, well-maintained forest paths, history, waterfalls ... this last time, we were surprised by the thunderstorms that were so close and threatening. It is possible to shorten the walk by going directly from point 5 to point 8 and then, if time permits, take the car on the way back to the waterfall at points 6 and 7.

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thlg
thlg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Top-class walk with reasonable effort, magnificent views, nature and old stones

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Fabienne 71
Fabienne 71

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk. We had one doubt at point 3: we didn't dare go through the metal gate used by the cows and got a bit "lost" when we reached private land and came out through their gate, which was fortunately open. The rest of the route is perfect.

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ChBouda
ChBouda

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Start early if you want to park easily in the village.
Quite a steep climb at the start, so take great care.
Nice walk with a variety of paths and viewpoints.

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LoloC54
LoloC54

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It's a lovely walk that takes in almost all the views of Baume. A real feast for the eyes. Beware, however, of the narrow, slippery passages in wet weather.

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Daniel CROXO
Daniel CROXO

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The circuit, with its many attractions, is magnificent.
We were a little disappointed: there was no water at the Tufs waterfall (we had to make do with the photos) and the cave could not be visited from 12 noon to 2 pm. But we made up for it with a very interesting guided tour of Baume-les-Messieurs abbey at the end of the hike.

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vbpartage
vbpartage

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

Hiked today. Magnificent views and close proximity to the abbey, grotto and waterfall.
Be careful though, after the rain the day before yesterday, the ground is still very, very greasy. The climb is doable, we did it at around 8am, but it's not signposted. The descents in greasy terrain (without poles) are suicidal, especially the last descent down the side of a cliff on steep, slippery ground (we passed by the road). Clearly a difficult walk in this weather, but that in no way detracts from its interest.

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Anne NLG
Anne NLG

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An absolutely sublime walk, both the route outside the cirque and the inner loop. The waterfall is incredibly beautiful.
There weren't too many people for such a well-known site.
We did the route in two parts, one day for the outer cirque, one day for the village, the abbey, the grotto and the waterfall.

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Deltounus
Deltounus

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk in an exceptional setting. There are more and more people at the waterfall, but not many elsewhere. The start is a little rough but doable with good shoes. It is advisable to follow the route as the descent can become acrobatic in wet weather.
The village through which the torrent flows is beautiful, and there are a few shops offering food and drink. A site not to be missed if you're passing through the area. Thanks for sharing.

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