Baume-les-Messieurs caves via the viewpoints

Discover the Baume-les-Messieurs valley, a family hike offering beautiful views from the viewpoints along the route, culminating in a visit to the Baume caves. Also worth seeing is the Tuffes waterfall.

Details

148575
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.31 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 313 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 316 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 515 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 300 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Baume-les-Messieurs Abbey.

(S/E) Head towards La Peyrouse. Follow the D70 for about 250 m until you reach a fork, then turn right and continue for about 500 m. You will arrive in a hamlet where you will find a chapel on your right.

(1) Take the path going uphill immediately after this chapel on the right. After a steep climb, the path turns right and heads south-east. Arrive at Granges-sur-Baume on theGR®59(white and red markings), which you follow to the right until you reach the viewpoint behind the church. From here, you can enjoy a magnificent view of Baume.

(2) Take theGR®59again, which runs alongside the D210, then arrive at the intersection with the D4 leading to Baume.

(3) Cross it and take the path opposite (beehives on the right 100 m away). From there, go to the Croix de Suchot viewpoint.

(4) Then retrace your steps for about 400 m to take the yellow-marked path leading to the Baume viewpoint (about 3.2 km).

(5) Take care with children and animals on this route as you walk along the cliff edge before reaching the viewpoint.

(6) You will overlook the entire valley, as well as the caves and waterfalls. Take the path indicated, which passes behind the hotel, and after a steep descent, you will arrive at the caves.

(7) Cross the stream that comes from the caves (footbridge) to get above the Tufs waterfalls.

(8). Continue down to the foot of these waterfalls. At the bottom, steps on the left, marked in white and red, will take you back to Baume. Follow this path, which runs parallel to the D70E1 for a long time.

(9) Cross the Dard and return to the abbey, your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 314 m - Église Abbatiale Saint-Pierre
  2. 1 : km 1.28 - alt. 332 m - Chapel
  3. 2 : km 3.15 - alt. 494 m - Belvédère des Granges
  4. 3 : km 4.61 - alt. 499 m - Intersection with the D4
  5. 4 : km 5.25 - alt. 499 m - Croix du Suchot - Belvédère de Suchot
  6. 5 : km 7.04 - alt. 509 m - Cliffs
  7. 6 : km 9.14 - alt. 504 m - Belvédère des Roches de Baume
  8. 7 : km 9.7 - alt. 400 m - Grottes de Baume
  9. 8 : km 10.14 - alt. 351 m - Cascades de Tuf sur le Dard
  10. 9 : km 11.69 - alt. 314 m - Dard (torrent) - Affluent de la Seille
  11. S/E : km 12.31 - alt. 310 m - Arrival after the - Seille (Affluent de la Saône)

Notes

Good footwear is essential for this hike (high-top walking shoes are recommended), especially on the return journey between the waterfalls and Baume, where the path is very stony.

Refreshments are available in Granges-sur Baume (village cheese shop).

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

Worth a visit

Baume les Messieurs caves and waterfalls.
Visit to the abbey.

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 83 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
SCHWEBEL MARC
SCHWEBEL MARC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk with a 20- to 30-minute climb that’s a bit challenging at first, but once you reach the plateau it’s very pleasant and the views are splendid. However, the descent towards the caves is very steep and difficult, especially if the ground is wet! The tour of the caves is interesting, and the young guide knows his stuff and has a great sense of humour. It’s worth noting that the springs are mainly fed by rainwater, so four to five days after the last rainfall, they don’t flow much, if at all. We were lucky enough to have had rain two days prior and on the day of our walk; despite the dry, splendid weather, the waterfalls, torrents and tufa formations were very well fed.

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SCHWEBEL MARC
SCHWEBEL MARC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk with a 20- to 30-minute climb that’s a bit challenging at first, but once you reach the plateau it’s very pleasant and the views are splendid. However, the descent towards the caves is very steep and difficult, especially if the ground is wet! The tour of the caves is interesting, and the young guide knows his stuff and has a great sense of humour.

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User 27535460

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that takes you around the valley. Stunning views and a spectacular finish with the waterfall and caves. Just one small hiccup: a hornet's nest that prevented us from continuing along the path (we took the local road that passes through Crançot). The descent to the cave is very slippery in wet weather and can even be dangerous!

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KrisGcd
KrisGcd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful route that is easily accessible despite a few slightly "technical" sections that require extra caution. The hike passes through varied landscapes and offers beautiful views of the remote valleys.
The sites accessible by car (waterfall and cave in particular) are very busy, but the rest of the route is almost deserted.
Some sections are a bit long and uninteresting in the forest but can be enjoyable in hot weather.
We had a picnic at the Croix du Suchot viewpoint with a breathtaking view of Baume Les Messieurs.
We completed the route in just under 3½ hours.

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User 9874048

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pretty and easy walk. Arriving at the end of the reculée too many people and a disappointing end of course. But it's still fun.

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User 1513767

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful viewpoints. Small road section a shame. Very pleasant. Watch out for the steep descent to the waterfall.

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prout01000
prout01000

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, nice climb at the start and nice descent at the end to get to the waterfall, a bit disappointing as always parish specific to Brittany very little water despite the rain the day before. Once at the belvedere, you can buy products from the cheese dairy (farm from 12pm to 2pm), cold meats, drinks and plenty to eat with a picnic table (important on a hike). Nice view over the valley, a little way from the beautiful forest and beautiful village.

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Fabien gullo
Fabien gullo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Really lovely hike and very well signposted, whether it's the GR59 or the hiking trail. The only difficulty is near the cascade des tufs, but it's not insurmountable. You need to take your time and don't forget a water bottle and an estimate.

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Flomartin6
Flomartin6

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, accessible to all (although beware that 2/3 of the positive difference in altitude is in the first 4 kilometres).
At this time of year, we only came across people at the Cascade; we were alone the rest of the way.

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rabedroc 1
rabedroc 1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route that loses a little of its interest in the thick fog.
The descent to the caves is slippery and dangerous.

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Mdajlb
Mdajlb

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk

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Floren
Floren

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk, with very few people along most of the route. There are more people near the cave.
The cave is well worth a visit (bring a jacket).

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Eridane54
Eridane54

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 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, even in the heat. We passed a few hikers.
The climb was a little steep at the start, just after the chapel, but fairly easy the rest of the way.
the chapel, but fairly easy the rest of the way.
The only downside, if there is one, is a short stretch on tarmac in the sun, but the rest of the route is in the forest, so it's very pleasant.
I'd definitely recommend it.

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mlecarpe
mlecarpe

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk on a very hot day, with a few hikers but no crowds. We had difficulty with the description of the route in several places (including the start of the hike, which is not at all clear). It's a shame, otherwise it's a very beautiful spot with magnificent views over the village.

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Lukowiak Michel
Lukowiak Michel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A must-do walk

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