The Ronchaux Belvedere

This woodland walk offers three viewpoints over the lower Loue valley, the Jura mountains and Bartherans, nestled in wooded valleys overlooking the Lison valley.

Technical sheet

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.57 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 239 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 237 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 634 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 448 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Car park in By, in the centre of the village, in front of the fountain. Turn right (with your back to the fountain) and take the small road to the left of the war memorial. Yellow-blue markings. Leave Rue des Lilas on your right and continue straight ahead along the stony path until you reach a signpost. Continue straight ahead towards the viewpoint over Mont Poupet and the Loue valley (no need to go further than the ditch that stops our Montbéliardes, but go down a little into the pasture to enjoy the view).

(1) Return to the signpost and climb left towards Belvédère de Ronchaux. After the farm shed and the calvary, turn left onto the small tarmac road.

(2) After a second shed, at a fork marked by a signpost, continue straight ahead towards Ronchaux. Stay on this tarmac road, ignoring a gravel path that branches off to the right at a sign for the hunting reserve.

(3) The road loses its surface, begins to descend and when it starts to climb again, turn left onto a beautiful forest path (signposted ONF Commune de Ronchaux n°13). Descend to the intersection with a small gravel road. The viewpoint over the Loue valley towards Quingey is on the left. There is a picnic table here.

(4) Continue uphill to the right (towards Bartherans).

(5) At a large hunters' cabin, leave the road and continue straight ahead on the forest path.

(6) At the ONF34 sign, leave this path and take the trail on the right (Circuit VTT90). You will come out onto a tarmac road at a viewpoint overlooking the Crêt Monniot oppidum and Mont Mahoux. There are tables and benches for picnics.

(7) At the first houses in the village of Bartherans, the signpost invites you to turn right, but the brave or curious can push on to the left to the church to see beautiful ochre stone houses and a hidden manor house. Retrace your steps, follow the signpost to the left and, shortly after the last house, turn right onto the stony path that climbs back into the forest.

(8) Ignore a path that descends to the right (mountain bike sign) and stay on this well-marked path, which crosses a beautiful fir forest and becomes stony halfway up the slope. It joins another stony path at a hunting car park.

(9) Turn left.

(10) Six hundred metres further on, look for a signpost on the right inviting you to take the path on the right (towards By). At a clearing, you will reach a stony road which you take on the left to return to an intersection you passed on the way out.

(2) Turn left towards the village. At the Calvary, descend to the left.

(11) Pass in front of an old house with a turret and a flat stone roof. Descend towards the church and turn right onto Rue du Four to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 573 m - Car park in By, in the centre of the village
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 576 m - Viewpoint of Mont Poupet and the valley
  3. 2 : km 1.08 - alt. 591 m - Les Champs d'Essart
  4. 3 : km 3.03 - alt. 554 m - Forest path on the left
  5. 4 : km 4.12 - alt. 517 m - Ronchaux viewpoint
  6. 5 : km 4.78 - alt. 559 m - Hunting lodge
  7. 6 : km 5.37 - alt. 502 m - ONF 34 sign
  8. 7 : km 5.87 - alt. 458 m - Bartherans
  9. 8 : km 7.75 - alt. 498 m - Fork
  10. 9 : km 8.58 - alt. 556 m - La Fassure
  11. 10 : km 9.15 - alt. 564 m - Marker post
  12. 11 : km 11.36 - alt. 585 m - House with Turrets
  13. S/E : km 11.57 - alt. 573 m - Car park in By, in the centre of the village

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
nelloche
nelloche

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Pleasant route, entirely shaded by woods. Picnic tables are available throughout, except for the section between Bartherans and By, which is a shame! However, the paths are well grassed in this section. Both villages are interesting.

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46497477
46497477

Hello,
This route, which we did on Sunday 25 June 2023, is very pleasant and shaded with magnificent views, particularly from the Ronchaux viewpoint, which is very well laid out and maintained with a few bouquets of flowers.
VERY IMPORTANT: the signage is very well done except at point 6 where it disappears. Despite having already reported this, we made the mistake of taking the path opposite our arrival point, which led us to the CHAY road - BARTHERANS (towards the shooting range). This error forced us to follow this road to Bartherans, where we found the normal markings again, but it extended our circuit by about 8 km.

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JPA25000
JPA25000

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A very beautiful hike in the forest, the Ronchaux viewpoint is magnificent, as are the villages of By and Bartherans

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tonnoguh
tonnoguh

Hello, I feel like going for a walk

The pleasure was mutual!

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jaienviedemarcher
jaienviedemarcher

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Thank you to Mr Tonnoguh, whom we had the pleasure of meeting on the course!
I just want to confirm what Dodorando wrote on 6 April 2021: in point 6 of the description, the tree marked ONF34+ has been uprooted and is lying on the ground, hidden behind a tall pile of tree trunks that have been cut down by foresters.

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FamilleDUDU25
FamilleDUDU25

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

A pleasant, shaded walk with no particular difficulties.
Taken as a family (children aged 10 and 13).
Attractive views and architecture, but no exceptional sites.

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dodorando
dodorando
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Hike done in beautiful sunshine, which somewhat "spoils" the distant views with a light haze. Very pleasant route, without any major difficulties and suitable for everyone. The viewpoint at point 4 over the Loue valley is very beautiful, with the added bonus of a picnic table. There are three or four of these between the start and the village of Bartherans. Please note! at marker 6 on the route description, the ONF34 sign no longer exists, but the route is very well marked in yellow and blue, and is also used by mountain bikes No. 90. At the end of the route, markers 8-9-10, there are a few uprooted trees and logging sites in the forest crossing. Worth doing again and sharing with friends.

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micky39
micky39

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant, well-maintained trail. Both villages have character and are worth visiting. Quite a few trees have been uprooted, but this doesn't interfere with the walk. Perhaps it's the time of year, but apart from two "local" walkers, I didn't meet anyone else, which is a pleasant change from the busy "tourist" trails in the Jura... Thanks to Tonnoguh

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annecornut
annecornut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A pleasant route with beautiful views, lovely forests and clear, accurate signposting. A few signposts have been uprooted. Thanks again to Tonoguh.

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Ghyslain
Ghyslain

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful hike with stunning views

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Anguille
Anguille

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Silence, a well-maintained path and little elevation change.
88% in the shade, so yes, it's perfect in summer!
And the little village of By on its hill is very pretty.

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Ficaire
Ficaire

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely, easy walk with plenty of shade and well signposted.
thank you

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GINETTEGREINER
GINETTEGREINER

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Easy, shaded route, very pleasant in summer with lovely views.
Excellent signposting. No problems with orientation.
Thank you.

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rgis4658
rgis4658

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Just a few clarifications to add at the end.
Well done!

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saint-apollinaire
saint-apollinaire

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike.
The viewpoints offer beautiful views of the mountains (Poupet and the Loue Valley).
In the sunshine, the meadows are magnificent, with cut hay and different shades of green, surprising you at every turn.
An ideal route in fine weather, shaded but open to the mountains and valleys.
The two villages are magnificent and typical of the region; don't hesitate to visit them, as well as the churches.

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