The Bisontin Cave

A short walk, suitable for families although the elevation gain may be daunting for very young children (at least 6 years old), best enjoyed on sunny days as the route is very shaded.
Make sure you wear sturdy shoes as the route is also very stony

Details

3255942
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.59 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 271 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 276 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 671 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 486 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park along the D121 (Montécheroux-Saint-Hippolyte) just after the junction with the D147 coming from Chamsol.

Note: The entire hike follows the yellow and blue markings.

(S/E) Join theGR®5coming from the D147 via Chamesol and begin the descent. You will soon reach a crossroads of paths.

(1) Take the path on the right, walking along the top of the cliffs
Along the cliff there are numerous spots offering panoramic views of the Dessoubre valley and Saint-Hippolyte; feel free to stray from the path, taking care to avoid the cliff.
You’ll reach a natural arch.

(2) Continue along the path, passing under the power line where the height of the cliffs is particularly striking. Carry on until you reach a fence; follow it, keeping it on your right. You’ll emerge at the Grotte du Bisontin.

(3) Descend to a wide path and turn left. Then follow the path through the woods, which is still marked in yellow and blue. You will reach the junction with a forest road that forms part of theGR®5.

(4) Turn left here, then quickly veer right. You will then come back to the original junction further on.

(1) Continue to the right along the path taken on the way out to return to the starting car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 670 m - Car park D121
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 645 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 1.72 - alt. 641 m - Arch
  4. 3 : km 2.96 - alt. 557 m - Grotte du Bisontin
  5. 4 : km 4.95 - alt. 497 m - Forest track
  6. S/E : km 6.59 - alt. 670 m - Car park D121

Worth a visit

(Between 1 and 2) Viewpoint over Saint-Hippolyte
(2) Arch
(Between 2 and 4) Cliffs
(3) Grotte du Bisontin: an ideal spot for a picnic, with two wooden tables provided for this purpose.

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

4.3 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Ben3925
Ben3925

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good journey
Pleasant

Machine-translated

User 22540415

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, with the added bonus of a few views of St Hyppolite, and some blackberries!

Machine-translated

bricolette25
bricolette25
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, mostly shaded. The easiest section crosses pastures, so there is no shade, but no significant elevation gain at this point. Signposting is adequate, except towards the end in the pasture section; perhaps due to a lack of suitable surfaces for the paint? Only the gates intended for hikers (which act as barriers for livestock) give any indication that we are still on the right track....
Hiking poles come in handy on the descent towards the cave (avoid if the weather is wet). They’re also ‘reassuring’ when you find yourself face to face with a herd of cows?!
Picnic tables in front of the cave, to enjoy the site

Machine-translated

lutrin
lutrin

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, but be careful: with all the fallen leaves on the ground at this time of year, once we’d passed the high-voltage power line and the wire fence on our right and started the descent, we followed what appeared to be the old yellow and blue markings on the right near the cave and found ourselves at a dead end on the cliff overlooking the cave. After turning back, we found the path marked by a blue arrow and then rejoined the current yellow and blue markings.

Machine-translated

Di dine
Di dine

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
A brilliant hike. However, the description shouldn’t say ‘family hike’ as we went with our 4-year-old son and some sections and the descents are a bit dangerous for little ones. I can confirm it’s a very beautiful hike.

Machine-translated

Riton25
Riton25

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, easy little walk

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

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