Grand Crêt d'Eau via the Crête du Fort l'Écluse

The aim of the route is to reach the Crêt de la Goutte via the Crête du Fort l'Écluse.
The main difficulty will be encountered during the ascent; the slope is quite steep up to the red and white high-voltage pylon, and at times you will need to use your hands (avoid this when descending and on wet ground).
From Chalet Bizot, the route is straightforward.

Details

n°699951

Creation:
02 Aug 2017

Last update:
09 Sep 2024

Last review:
07 Sep 2024

Activity: Walking
Distance: 14.08 km
Duration according to the author: 5 hrs
Difficulty: Very difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 1,133 m
Descent: - 1,137 m
Highest point: 1,619 m
Lowest point: 497 m

Country: France
Areas: Jura mountains, Haut-Jura
City: Léaz (01200)
Start/End: N 46.119384° / E 5.882789°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3330OT
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Description of the walk

In Longeray, park on Route du Fort in the car park by the barrier.

(S/E) Take the Route du Fort (closed to traffic) to reach Fort l'Écluse du Haut.

(1) Just before the fort, look for the start of a path on the left (there are no signs): this path climbs quite steeply through boxwood vegetation. There are a few tricky sections where you may need to use your hands. If you turn around, you will see some beautiful views.

(2) After reaching the red and white high-voltage pylon, quickly turn left to find the start of a path. In the undergrowth, this path is steep at times (but less so than just before).
After a good walk, the path passes by the edge of the Plat des Roches overlooking the Combe de l'Enfer.

(3) Continue along the path, which gradually becomes less steep.
The trail joins the one coming from Collonges (marked in yellow).

(4) Turn left to quickly reach Chalet Bizot.

(5) Continue to the right of the chalet to take a path (marked in yellow) towards Crêt de la Goutte (you can make a short detour to Crêt du Miroir). The path joins the^GR®9.

(6) Turn right. After going around Crêt du Milieu, the trail climbs fairly quickly to reach Crêt de la Goutte. This summit (1,621 m) is topped by a cross. There is an orientation table here.
You may not be alone at this spot.

(7) Take the same path (^GR®9) to return to the previous crossroads.

(6) Continue on the^GR® to the right and you will soon reach Sorgia d'en Haut (ruins are visible).

(8) Turn left onto the^GR®9- 509 towards Métral and Sorgia d'en Bas.

(9) The trail enters the forest; at a fork, leave the^GR® and head towards Chalet Bizot.
Once you reach a large meadow, turn right onto a small path leading directly down to Chalet Sorgia d'en Bas (no difficulty).
You will rejoin the^GR® from the chalet (towards Métral and Bellegarde-sur-Valserine).

(10) Continue along the GR®, crossing a number of meadows. Once in the forest, the slope becomes steeper.

(11) Shortly after the^second hairpin bend, go straight ahead (leaving the^GR®). A little further down, leave the forest and walk past a house (marked on the Guidi map).

(12) After a gentle descent, turn left (90°) at the fork, following a path between two hedges (marked in yellow): it continues to descend gently and, after a good walk, joins the Route du Fort (the presence of high-voltage power lines in the area spoils the landscape a little).

(13) Turn left onto the road to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 517 m - Parking Route du Fort
1 : km 1.17 - alt. 597 m - Fort du Haut - Fort l'Ecluse
2 : km 1.79 - alt. 847 m - Red and white high-voltage pylon
3 : km 3.22 - alt. 1,290 m - Le Plat des Roches
4 : km 4.11 - alt. 1,433 m - Fork (Collonges path)
5 : km 4.55 - alt. 1,511 m - Chalet Bizot
6 : km 5.55 - alt. 1,544 m - GR fork
7 : km 6.26 - alt. 1,619 m - Crêt de la Goutte - View of the - Lac Léman
8 : km 8.25 - alt. 1,413 m - Sorgia d'en haut
9 : km 9.05 - alt. 1,295 m - Fork in the road
10 : km 9.42 - alt. 1,236 m - Chalet Sorgia d'en bas
11 : km 10.66 - alt. 954 m - Fork in the road
12 : km 11.92 - alt. 736 m - Fork in the road
13 : km 13.79 - alt. 497 m - Route du Fort
S/E : km 14.08 - alt. 517 m - Parking Route du Fort

Notes

Good hiking boots are recommended.

This hike is classified as "Very Difficult" due to the somewhat steep climb up the Fort l'Écluse ridge (this may vary and could be classified as "Difficult" depending on individual ability).

Take your rubbish with you! Nature hates it.

Variations:
- If you are apprehensive about the climb up the Crête de Fort l'Écluse, I suggest a more modest circular route: on the way there, take the route in the opposite direction to the lower Chalet Sorgia (10). Take the path climbing above the chalet to reach the path leading to Chalet Bizot (5). The rest of the route is identical to the description.
- Conversely, if you want to add a little endurance, I suggest an alternative route with a return via Collonges: click here to access the description.
Shortly after Crêt de la Goutte, I suggest taking a short detour via Crêt du Milieu: see here to view the route.

If you are looking for alternative routes, please note that there are wildlife quiet zones in the Crêt d'Eau area (towards Charombon below); see here.

Details of the markings:

From (S/E) to (1), the markings are yellow.
From (1) to (2) there are no markings, and visibility of the route is sometimes poor.
From (2) to (4), visibility of the route is moderate at times. However, there are a few cairns and orange markings.
From (4) to (6), the markings are yellow (moderately visible at the beginning).
From (6) to (9), the markings are white and red (^GR® ).
From (9) to (10) there are no markings.
From (10) to (11), the markings are white and red (^GR® ).
From (11) to (12) there are no markings.
From (12) to (S/E), the markings are yellow.

Route entirely or partially within the Haute Chaîne du Jura National Nature Reserve. Please respect the regulations: https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/reg...

This route passes through multiple protected areas, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

Fort l'Écluse: see here and here.

Grand Crêt d'Eau: see here.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5

Ease of following the route
4 / 5

Route interest
4.7 / 5

kaolak1

07 Sep 2024 at 19:49 7200 • Edited: 07 Sep 2024 at 19:50 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Thank you for recommending this hike in another post.
I really enjoyed it, with several magnificent panoramic views and a variety of environments, making it a very rich and varied hike.

The GPS was very useful because the paths are not easy to find. The hike is not very popular, even though it follows a GR trail, which was a delight for me because I really loved the passages on the plain between the different ridges without crowds of people everywhere.

Just before reaching point 6, I climbed to the top of the Crêt du Miroir, where there is an absolutely magnificent view of Geneva and part of Haute-Savoie (see my photo).

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LaurentPONCET

05 Jul 2024 at 07:33 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route from Fort l'Ecluse that requires excellent physical condition.
The view from Crêt d'Eau is absolutely magnificent.

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Necky Cool

26 Feb 2022 at 15:40 3600

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 13 February in beautiful weather. The start is very steep but well marked. It offers beautiful views of the Vuache and the Rhône valley under its blanket of morning mist. After the pylon, the atmosphere in the forest is very pleasant with less of a slope. We encountered snow fairly quickly but no tracks, confirming the wild nature of this route in winter. The GPS track proved useful for reaching the trail coming from Collonges. Superb view of Mont Blanc from the Bizot chalet. Quite windy towards Crêt d'eau, but nothing unusual for the Jura ridges. At Sorgia, we were able to observe six fairly fearless chamois during our lunch break. The rest of the descent is quite long and unfortunately not very interesting.

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conched

06 Sep 2021 at 10:02 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Difficult rather than very difficult hike. The trail is marked in orange and is well signposted. Few people encountered on the Fort de l'Écluse section. Although difficult at the start, it remains an interesting route for exploring the southern part of Crêt d'Eau.

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juramade

01 Jun 2020 at 18:40 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The start on the Fort side is quite steep and not very pleasant until you reach the red and white pylon, but then it becomes steeper but more pleasant in the woods. The summit is magnificent with a splendid view.

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zbh0170

06 Aug 2018 at 21:32 7200 • Edited: 06 Aug 2018 at 21:37 7200

Hello,

This is one of my favourite hikes. It's such a joy when you arrive at the Chalet du Bizot (with a view of Mont Blanc, weather permitting).
I also noticed moths at the beginning of May (all the way up to the pylon): it wasn't the best memory of the climb.
You may indeed encounter a few chamois in the higher areas from Plat des Roches onwards (but they tend to be rather elusive here). I was able to see them clearly near Crêt du Milieu and Sorgia d'en haut.

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fletcher_fr

06 Aug 2018 at 15:14 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with two chamois that scampered away from us at Crêt du Miroir. The only problem was the box tree moths, which had invaded the trail all the way up to the top of the pylon.
The first yellow-orange mark is about 5 metres high at the start of the trail near the fort.

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sadkara

23 Jul 2018 at 11:14 7200

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable

The markings are almost illegible except at the start; there are few of them, or they are hidden by vegetation. Very poorly maintained. I did not go beyond the boundary of the reserve at the summit as I was with my dog. I just did part of the circular route that was possible in the forest.

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le papy

23 Oct 2017 at 08:43 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Follow the route from the fort and the yellow markings just at the fork in the trail coming from Colonge. Fortunately, because in the woods after the pillory, the trail is covered with leaves and invisible. After that, be careful at the edge of the forest. When you arrive at the cow field, you have to turn 90 degrees to the left, otherwise I have 17 km and 1300 metres of elevation gain.

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Author

zbh0170
98 Walks

Visorando Member

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