The source of the Doubs

Starting from Mouthe, a small village nestled in the heart of a wide valley bathed by the first meanders of the Doubs, this walk invites passers-by to discover the resurgence of this river, which is listed in the department's inventory of natural sites, and then the Moutat peat bog.

Details

2531204
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.23 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 68 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 63 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 990 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 933 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in front of the town hall: a building flanked by four corner towers.

(S/E) Head north-east and turn right at the first street to cross the Doubs and pass in front of the church.
Turn left, then immediately right. Walk along Rue de Beauregard to the statue of Saint-Simon, founder of the town of Mouthe.

(1) Reach Rue Beauregard and walk down it. Turn left onto the first path. Cross Rue de la Source du Doubs and continue along the wide path opposite.
After running alongside the Doubs, the path leads to a pedestrian road. First turn left then right and follow Chemin de la Douaye Est to the spring.

(2) Climb the steps on the left. At the top of the stairs, take a sharp right turn to reach the viewpoint.

(3) Descend on the west side and rejoin the footpath.
Turn left and reach the main road, walking alongside the Moutat bog on your right.

(4) Follow the protected path on the right that runs alongside the road and turn right onto the first path: Rue du Mont Carrez. After the Moutat building, continue on the left. Cross the Doubs again and you will arrive at Place de l'Église.
Turn left to walk alongside the cemetery, pass in front of the church and turn left to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 935 m - Parking at the town hall. Crossing the - Doubs (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.67 - alt. 969 m - Statue of Saint-Simon
  3. 2 : km 2.23 - alt. 946 m - The mysterious - Source du Doubs (Mouthe)
  4. 3 : km 2.45 - alt. 971 m - Belvédère Source du Doubs
  5. 4 : km 3.81 - alt. 943 m - Protected path on the right. Passage close to the - Cébriot (ruisseau) - Affluent du Doubs
  6. S/E : km 5.23 - alt. 935 m - Town hall car park

Notes

This route is featured in a local brochure published by the Val de Mouthe Tourist Office. Ten information panels along the route present the village from its origins to the present day.

This route is a more comprehensive version of an existing hike: Source du Doubs and Mare aux Grenouilles.

The small village of Mouthe is known as the finish line of the Transjurassienne: a French Nordic ski race with 4,500 participants.

Worth a visit

Mouthe Town Hall: this building, dating from 1849, was designed as a Renaissance castle during the reign of Louis Philippe and is flanked by four polygonal towers. The turrets were originally covered with wooden shingles, which have since been replaced by zinc. It has been listed as a historic monument since 21 June 1990.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Isabelle Sc
Isabelle Sc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, relaxing little walk

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Décollonge Patrick
Décollonge Patrick

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Very beautiful, easy hike.

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rando71al
rando71al

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the woods, with plenty of signposts, sunshine and lots of water following recent rainfall. Allow 7 km to see all the waterfalls.

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Krisrosski
Krisrosski

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely short hike that allows you to see Mouthe from a different angle and discover the source of the Doubs river and the Moutha peat bogs.
Quite busy around the source, though.

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bruno rabanel
bruno rabanel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk offering a glimpse of the town of Mouthe and its surroundings. Beautiful views from the viewpoint above the source of the Doubs river.

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mimi.bouveret@wanadoo.fr
mimi.bouveret@wanadoo.fr

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 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 walk in this lovely corner of Franche-Comté, where we have enjoyed other lovely walks thanks to Visorando. The place is magnificent and not very busy in February. The view from the top of the spring is well worth the detour.

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agnesmamangâteau
agnesmamangâteau

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This hike is also featured in a brochure published by the Mouthe Tourist Office.
It is easy and follows the Trans Jurassienne route. This gives you an idea of the area.
There is plenty of water even in summer at the Source du Doubs, which is very pretty.

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Charles N
Charles N

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy, short walk leading to the source of the Doubs river and its magnificent viewpoint over the village of Mouthe from the belvedere.

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159753
159753

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, A lovely walk, easy to access with lots of information boards explaining the phenomenon of peat bogs and a pleasant viewpoint from the Belvédère over Mouthe Worth doing again and again.

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Théotihouac
Théotihouac

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A short hike that is particularly worthwhile for the spectacular view of the spring. However, the surrounding area is of limited interest.

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encore1matin
encore1matin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy hike. We did it on a Friday afternoon, which probably explains why we didn't meet many people and why the weather was so grey.
When we arrived at the source of the Doubs, we were blown away by the absolutely magnificent sight. The waterfall is so powerful that it drowns out the sound of our voices.
Then, a flight of stairs (which really tired our legs) took us to the viewpoint to discover a sublime view, with fir trees to the right and left and the Doubs in the middle. There, we could read: "Between the two flows a river"
We returned to our starting point, the town hall of Mouthe, which is a point of interest in its own right.

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