Chez l'Aimé at the start of La Chapelle des Bois

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A very pleasant walk in the Chapelle des Bois plain, a mecca for Nordic skiing in the Jura.

⚠️ From 15/11 to 15/03: This hike crosses Nordic ski trails that are groomed in winter. Out of respect for skiers and the work of the ski patrollers, we kindly ask you not to walk on the trails.

Details

n°48751
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Snowshoeing
    Activity: Snowshoeing
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.25 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 3 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 126 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 130 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,175 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,075 m
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Photos

Cross in the old plague cemetery
La Madone

Description of the walk

Park in the large car park at the Chapelle des Bois cross-country ski stadium.

(S/E) Return by road to the cheese dairy.

(1) Descend into the meadows and put on your snowshoes. Head south and quickly join the yellow markers of the snowshoe trails. Cross the RD twice and join the trail junction.

(2) Turn left, head for the Réservoir chalet and begin the climb towards Roche Bernard (this is theGR®®). There are no more snowshoe markings. Turn right and begin the climb towards the border markers. Stop shortly afterwards as the climb is difficult.

(3) Return by the same route to the previous crossroads.

(2) Take the snowshoe trail opposite to rejoin theGR®® trail markers at the crossroads marked by a cross.

(4) Continue on to reach the Chalet de l'Aimé.

(5) Return to the crossroads with the cross.

(4) Turn left onto the snowshoe trail, then follow the edge of the road to reach the car park of the Chapelle des Bois cross-country ski stadium (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,086 m - Chapelle des Bois cross-country skiing car park
  2. 1 : km 0.62 - alt. 1,086 m - Cheese dairy
  3. 2 : km 1.71 - alt. 1,128 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 2.29 - alt. 1,175 m - Forest
  5. 4 : km 5.12 - alt. 1,131 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 5.62 - alt. 1,138 m - Chez l'Aime
  7. S/E : km 9.25 - alt. 1,086 m - Chapelle des Bois cross-country skiing car park

Notes

I deliberately described the small detour we took to highlight the difficulties that can be encountered when snowshoeing. The original route was to cross the Franco-Swiss ridge via La Roche Bernard, but the lack of snow and the difficulties we encountered forced us to turn back.

Worth a visit

Chapelle des Bois, its cheese dairy.
The lakes below the lodge.

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Nelson74
Nelson74

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 26, 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 snowshoe hike offering exceptional views of the Chapelle des Bois valley. We particularly enjoyed the detour that takes you above the reservoir (waypoints 2 and 3).
We were lucky enough to walk in a thin layer of fresh snow.
We then followed an alternative route through the forest via the GR5 (very well marked) which joins the suggested path shortly before waypoint 4 without any difficulty.
There is little point in continuing after waypoint 5. In our opinion, you can stop and turn back at the old farm opposite the cross. It's the ideal place for a snack in the sun.
A long hike (10 km in total) but easy with little elevation gain.
Nelson

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les bubus
les bubus

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this beautiful hike in very hot weather, but the route had enough forest passages to be very pleasant, with magnificent views of this typical and wonderful corner of the Haut-Doubs.Important note: we extended this route slightly, on the one hand by going to the end of the second lake and returning via the Bourgeois farm, and on the other hand by avoiding the tarmac road via Chalumeau, then Bouveret and finally Les Landry before returning to Chapelle des Bois.The paths are very well marked with yellow-blue, red-yellow and then yellow markers. Overall, a great walk with no significant elevation gain (180 m) and a distance of 15.2 km of pure enjoyment.

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ROMAIN Maryvonne
ROMAIN Maryvonne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Not very busy on the day of my hike.
In fact, I did hike no. 2890847: Tour des lacs des Mortes et Bellefontaine starting from Chapelle-des-bois. Estimated duration according to the description: 4 hours 40 minutes, but I did it in 3 hours, without running, including stops.
I think the time estimate is too generous.

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Sylvie Khalifa
Sylvie Khalifa

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very good route, quite reliable, especially intuitively, even for amateurs like us. You can't get lost, as you're always close to a house or a road, but at the same time, you're often in the forest and surrounded by nature.
We did it on foot, as there was no snow on 1 January 2023. We encountered a family of chamois in the forest, right next to the trail, and they weren't afraid of us, so we were able to film them quietly...
We can see the lake from a distance, but it would take time to get closer to it to possibly go for a swim.
The hosts at La Chapelle give you advice
Halfway through the route, after the picnic and after walking along the road, you have to leave it and go up, leaving the pavement on the left to find the markers.
We left the road to return to the chapel by retracing our steps through the forest in reverse... This extended our route a little.
..

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FLOCH
FLOCH ★

Don't forget that the author's description and the map are also there.
Technology can be unreliable.
Did you cache the hike?
Best regards

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POULET René
POULET René

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

About halfway through the hike, my smartphone lost signal, no connection, nothing. When you rely on GPS tracking, it's a real pain, especially when you have 10 people following you.
René Poulet

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GuciaZaba
GuciaZaba

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No


We continued towards Champion Rock to make the hike a little more challenging.

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alain94visorando
alain94visorando

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Panoramic view of the area, very pretty and easy hike.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.