The Blue Spring

A short walk takes you to the Blue Spring. There are lovely views of Lake Saint-Point.
Located between the villages of Malbuisson and Montperreux, this spring is a pure transparent blue colour.

Details

814896
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.49 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 197 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 200 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,019 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 851 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
  • ⚐ District: Malbuisson (25160)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.799257° / E 6.305002°
  • Accessible from the train station Gare de Malbuisson.
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3425OT, 3426OT
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in Malbuisson opposite the grand hotel (Hôtel du Lac).

(S/E) From the car park with the hiking signs, turn your back to the lake and go up the small road. At the first intersection and then at the second, keep right. The small road becomes a large carriageway.

(1) Turn left to enter the pasture through the gate and follow the hedge on your left. Continue along this path and enter the forest. The path runs alongside a barbed wire fence. At a crossroads, continue straight ahead until you reach a small road. Go through the gate and follow the road on the right for a few dozen metres.

(2) Turn left onto the wide white road that climbs slightly. Leave the forest and, at the intersection with a small road, turn left to return to the forest (do not go to the building). The road descends steeply in places and is covered with large stones until it joins a small road.

(3) Turn right onto the road, uphill. 200 metres further on, at the beginning of the bend, leave the road and turn left onto a path that is relatively flat at first but then descends.

(4) When you reach a fence, turn left, making a hairpin turn, onto a small path that winds downhill until it reaches a small stream. At the stream, turn left and go back to the Source Bleue.

(5) Return and follow the stream, staying on the right bank to rejoin the road. Cross carefully and turn left to cross the small bridge. Just after the bridge, turn right to continue along the stream, passing close to an old mill. The trail veers away from the stream a little, then rejoins it; continue along the path until you reach the lake trail.

(6) At the intersection with the path around the lake, turn left and follow this good path that runs alongside the lake. Cross a first small road at a sailing school and continue opposite on the path around the lake, which moves away from the shore a little. Get closer to the lake at the swimming pool and its car park.

(7) Walk through the car park to the beach, then go up the small road on the left to the centre of the village. At the intersection, turn right to go behind the hotel, then join the main road and cross it carefully to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 885 m - Malbuisson car park
  2. 1 : km 0.29 - alt. 901 m - Closing passage
  3. 2 : km 1.26 - alt. 1,010 m - Intersection, left on the white path
  4. 3 : km 2.14 - alt. 952 m - To the right of the road
  5. 4 : km 3.09 - alt. 940 m - Clôture, left in pin
  6. 5 : km 3.38 - alt. 892 m - Blue Spring
  7. 6 : km 4.33 - alt. 854 m - Path around the lake, on the left
  8. 7 : km 5.93 - alt. 866 m - Swimming pool car park
  9. S/E : km 6.49 - alt. 885 m - Malbuisson car park

Worth a visit

Shortly after their marriage, Sir Amauri de Joux had to leave his wife Berthe to go on a crusade. A few years later, a wounded knight arrived at the castle of Joux: it was Berthe's childhood friend, who had also returned from the crusades to tell her of Amauri's death. He became Berthe's lover. One fine day, when he was believed to be dead, Amauri returned and surprised the two lovers. Drunk with rage, he had the lover hanged and Berthe locked up in a tiny dungeon in the castle. Several times a day, Berthe was allowed to go out so that she could see her lover's body through the window. Berthe cried so much that the blue of her eyes coloured the spring.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 43 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Boubou25
Boubou25

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

PLEASE NOTE: THIS ROUTE IS NOT RECOMMENDED IN WINTER
In winter, the route uses sections of cross-country ski trails that are off-limits to pedestrians.
Some snow-covered sections of the route are difficult to see on the ground
A very steep and slippery area is difficult to cross in very wet or snowy weather
In winter, it is advisable to use the edge of the lake, which is less snowy, to reach the Source Bleue
There are also safe snowshoe routes for pedestrians at Les Granges de Malbuisson, allowing you to fully enjoy the scenery

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gchapuis
gchapuis

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely, easy route.
Some beautiful sections through the woods.

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User 14130660
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

the path through the woods is very steep in places and can be slippery. Please note that although the path is marked as easy, the section mentioned above may be dangerous for people who are not very sure-footed

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User 4292374

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 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, easy to do with children. The landscape varies, sometimes in the forest, sometimes in the open. It was a real pleasure. We stopped at the blue spring for a picnic and then continued on to finish the hike near the lake.

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User 26252387

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Unfortunately, we started from point 5, so we can't comment on the entire route. But the destination itself, the blue spring, is well worth the detour. The coolness of the place in the middle of summer is also a plus.

Thank you and best regards

R. Gachet

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User 22509161

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Beautiful hike, not very difficult
Few views of the lake as it is mostly in the forest
Good during hot weather
A few mosquitoes attracted by the oranges

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User 26376065

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short circuit, three-quarters of which is in the forest. Pleasant when it's hot.
The spring provides a cool, shady spot for a picnic.

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ddlyonnais
ddlyonnais
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with an impressive spring, given the rain that had fallen over the previous few days.
However, the path leading down to the lake from the spring car park had been transformed into a small lake and was therefore impossible to cross. We had to walk along the road for over a kilometre, which wasn't great.

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encore1matin
encore1matin

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike done on Sunday, 10 November in beautiful weather.
There were three women in our group.
I regret the poor signage, especially at intersections.
Luckily, we met other hikers and were able to ask for directions.
As indicated on the route map, the descent to the spring is dangerous: slippery ground, stony paths, roots.
The slightest lapse in concentration and you're on your backside.
Despite everything, this hike was a real treat for the eyes, with superb views of Lake St Point, the waterfall and more.
When I arrived, my personal app, which is always very accurate, showed that I had covered 8.7 km. (I won't mention any names to avoid advertising).

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Fred14710
Fred14710

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Pleasant hike. The landscapes are varied, with forests, a beautiful spring and a lake. Beautiful trails. Ideal when staying in Malbuisson with the family

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castel martine
castel martine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, the spring site is pretty. We made a detour to the small waterfall 100 metres away on the other side of the road. Obviously, there wasn't much water at this time of year, but there were a few entrances and views of the lake on the way back.

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BOURVALGO
BOURVALGO

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with mountains, a beautiful blue spring, and a return trip along Lake Malbuisson.

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Catherine Catouche
Catherine Catouche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike with no particular difficulties, enjoyed with friends

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JANBER
JANBER

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy, well-marked route
The descent to the blue spring is indeed very rocky and the return along the lake is monotonous with no view of the lake
Nevertheless, this short walk is pleasant and the spring is refreshing

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MM01
MM01
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 26-07-2024 as a transition between two more demanding routes. Onthe first climb, there is a view of Malbuisson and the lake. Further on, at the end of a descent, you pass the noisy tree-climbing site. The Source Bleue is a magnificent site located near a car park on the edge of a major road. At the bottom of the waterfall, we followed the stream, which avoids a climb but requires a little care to avoid getting your feet wet in the bend in the river. The path along the lake is not shaded, and when we reached the car park at the water sports centre, we headed back up to the village via a fairly quiet road.

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