The water ridges

Plateau of the Jura mountain range, overlooking the valleys of Bellegarde sur Valserine and Fort l'écluse. The highest point of the Crêt de la Goutte offers a 360° panorama of the Jura Natural Park and Lake Geneva on the Geneva side, with a horizon dominated by the Alps, including Mont Blanc.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.54 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 974 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 964 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,619 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 759 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the car park, walk 50 m uphill, at the bend on the right, take the forest path on the left (GRP®).

(1) After 500 m, follow the yellow and red markings, taking the path on the right towards "Sorgia d'en Bas".

(2) After 1 hour and 15 minutes of climbing through the forest, you will arrive at "Sorgia d'en bas". Turn right, then left. Climb up a meadow following the yellow markings towards "Le chalet Bizot".

(3) At the chalet, turn left to rejoin the GRP® below the middle ridge.

(4) At this point, there are two options:
Either take the GRP® to the right (north), climbing towards "Le Crêt de la Goutte".
Or climb the "crêt du milieu" at an altitude of 1,593 metres: climb towards the summit to the west, then descend to the ridge on the right (north-east) to rejoin the GRP® (following the route).

(5) At the next junction, take the GR® "Balcon du Léman" marked in white and red, which leads to the highest point, "Le Crêt de La Goutte", at an altitude of 1,621 metres.

(6) Continue on the GR® trail as you descend from the ridge.

(7) At a place called "La pierre à fromage", leave the GR® and take the GRP® on the left, marked in yellow and red, towards "Mentières".

(8) After walking for 30 minutes, at a crossroads, leave the GRP® and take the yellow-marked path on the left; cross a meadow until you reach the Chalet de Varambon.

(9) Walk along the farm on the right, take and follow a forest path for 200 m, then take the "Hivernal" route for snowshoes on the right.

(10) At the next crossroads, take the road on the left, then about 100 m further up, take the "gardes forestiers" path on the right, entering the forest and marked in yellow, which requires careful attention.

(11) At the junction with a forest road, cross to the right and then almost immediately turn left onto the foresters' path.

(12) Repeat the same procedure when you reach the next forest road.

(13) At thethird forest road junction, take the descent roughly opposite on the left (follow the yellow markings, do not take the path that branches off completely to the right).

(1) At the crossroads you took on the way there, continue south to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 759 m - Métral - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.48 - alt. 802 m - Crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 2.3 - alt. 1,227 m - Lower Sorgia
  4. 3 : km 4.07 - alt. 1,512 m - Chalet Bizot
  5. 4 : km 5.03 - alt. 1,542 m - GRP junction
  6. 5 : km 5.47 - alt. 1,537 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 5.9 - alt. 1,616 m - Crêt de la Goutte - View of the - Lac Léman
  8. 7 : km 6.61 - alt. 1,508 m - The Cheese Stone
  9. 8 : km 7.41 - alt. 1,442 m - Crossroads
  10. 9 : km 8.17 - alt. 1,373 m - Fork
  11. 10 : km 9.01 - alt. 1,277 m - Crossroads
  12. 11 : km 9.7 - alt. 1,149 m - Intersection with a forest path
  13. 12 : km 10.04 - alt. 1,087 m - Intersection with a forest path
  14. 13 : km 10.62 - alt. 977 m - Intersection with a forest path
  15. S/E : km 13.54 - alt. 761 m - Métral - Car park

Notes

The route does not present any major technical difficulties, except on the return leg, where the forest section of the Chemin des Gardes involves a steep descent on a sloping surface, requiring particular care and good footwear on wet ground.

Access: The starting point for the hike is at a place called "Métral". At the entrance to Bellegarde sur Valserine on the Lyon side, take a road on the left towards "Lancrans". At the end of the bridge crossing the Valserine, turn right, then go up and cross the hamlet of "Ballon". At the exit, take the right-hand road at the fork; climb for about 2 km to the place called "Métral", pass through a group of houses and farms, then continue for about 300 m to a niche on the right-hand side of the road, which can be used as a car park for several cars.

Route for all or part of the Haute Chaîne du Jura National Nature Reserve. Please respect the regulations: https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/reg...
Part of this route is in a wildlife quiet zone from 15 December to 30 June (during this period, it is forbidden to leave the route between the points (9) and (10)). More information here: https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/car...

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 34 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
kaolak1
kaolak1

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

I enjoy hiking in the Jura because it's much less crowded. It was a good route, with a steep climb right from the start, but the descent was quite enjoyable on the trail.

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didier74350
didier74350

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful loop in the Jura. Very quiet at this time of year. A challenging climb at the start. Cloudy weather and wind at the summit prevented us from enjoying the 360° view.

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BERTHET Christian
BERTHET Christian

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 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 that I know very well and enjoy immensely. The climb is a bit tough, but once you reach the top, the scenery is superb and you never tire of it. It gets a bit crowded at the summit because everyone wants to eat there. On this particular day, five paragliders took off from the summit and a priest said mass for some of his followers!
A great day out

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Ccyl
Ccyl

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant route that alternates between forest and meadow. A gentle and comfortable climb, ideal for a family hike. Beautiful views of the Rhône Valley.

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valy38
valy38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, great view, unfortunately we couldn't complete the entire route because the coast is very steep (it's almost a straight climb) and with the heat of the last week, one of the people in our group wasn't feeling very well once we reached the ridges

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17decembre
17decembre

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Difficult climb, quite steep in places, but on a safe path. Superb view of Lake Geneva and the Alps from the Crêt de la Goutte, but difficult to enjoy due to strong winds (remnants of Storm Barbara). The descent via the sentier des gardes is uninteresting and even unpleasant.

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obus74
obus74

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

This hike was done in foggy and windy conditions. This explains my comment about the number of people (I didn't see anyone) and the interest of the route, as visibility was zero.

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sylpaguiche
sylpaguiche

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hike is very beautiful from point 2 to point 9. From the car park at METRAL to point 2, the slope is very steep but fortunately in the forest so it's shaded. From P2 to P9, there are magnificent views. We had lunch near the Chalet Bizot with a view of the Alps. Then at point 6, there are magnificent 360° views from the Crêt de la Goutte. The descent to the Varenbon farm at point 9 is interesting. The link between P9 and the car park is difficult, especially on the Gardes trail. The guidebook does not specify at P10 that you arrive on a "tarmac" road, so we thought we had taken a wrong turn. However, we found the marked trail 100 metres higher up, heading towards the La Charmante car park.

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Deuxpattes
Deuxpattes

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route with a 360° view at Crêt de la Goutte. We could see the water jet at the end of Lake Geneva!
Admittedly, it's uphill, but we didn't find it difficult and the route is well signposted (which wasn't always the case according to other reviews).
Please note: there is no shade at all on the plateau, which can be a problem during hot weather.
This trail is well worth the detour; I highly recommend it.

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MUMMY
MUMMY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, a very beautiful hike for the landscapes, the view of the Alps, Geneva, Lake Geneva, the Reculet, and the Crêt de Chalam. At the end of August, with the drought, the pastures with their tall yellow grass were stunning. A tiring walk but not too strenuous. No technical difficulties. The "chemin des gardes" on the descent is a little difficult but with good shoes, no problem. Walking sticks may be useful for walkers who are not very agile, but this is relative.
Thank you for this route

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trs01
trs01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

before reaching the middle ridge, climb up to the Miroir ridge on the right (direct route) to enjoy views of Lake Geneva, the Chablais region and Mont Blanc

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Twux
Twux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A challenging start with a steep and intense climb, but still manageable, with magnificent views throughout the circuit. In addition, the first chalet is very clean. Upon reaching the summit, we were overcome with a feeling of exhilaration as we took in the view of Lake Geneva

(PS: He who steals once is called a thief. Thank you to the person who currently has my glasses. Please ask Santa to return them.)

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benoit456
benoit456

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Firstly, the 1 hour 15 minute climb is misleading if you have children, as the climb is very steep
At point 10, you need to be careful because the snowshoe trail is not very visible. The return is steep

The view of Lake Geneva and Geneva is worth the detour

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Patrixdemex
Patrixdemex

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that I recommend. Point 2 is fairly easy to find: it is at the first building you come to.
The trail to Crêt de la Goutte is superb and easy (apart from the elevation gain). The optional climb to Crêt du Milieu is interesting for the view. The trail after Pierre à Fromage is not very visible when you have to turn south to the left. But you can easily find the Varambon chalet.
To add to the comment by "Randonnee2015" on point 10, the trail to take is clearly visible on the right of the road, after 200 metres of tarmac, marked by a scree slope on the right of the road. The sign is clearly visible. It looks like the trail has been maintained recently.
Note: the hike is about 13.5 km long with an elevation gain of 1,000 m.
Thanks for this guide.

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randonnee 2015
randonnee 2015

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike, not many people except at the highest point of Crêt de la Goutte. The only downside was that we couldn't find point no. 2. But that wasn't a problem, as you just need to continue a little further and the direction to "Chalet de Bizod" is signposted on the right. At point 10, to take the "Gardes Forestiers" trail, walk between 150 and 200 m (not 100 m as indicated in the description). The trail is marked by a sign on the right of the path but set back 4 to 5 m, so be careful not to miss it. The rest of the route was very well signposted. For those who would like to change route after the Varambon farm, the track that heads south-east after point 9 to join La Sorgia and then point 2 is closed between December and the end of June to allow wildlife to rest.
Thanks for this guide.

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