Le Creux de Hauteroche and the Saint-Claude Chapel

Three highlights of this hike: the superb view from Le Chaufaud over the valley and mountains surrounding the Dessoubre; the Belvédère viewpoint over Rosureux nestled at the bottom of the valley and the surprising Creux de Hauteroche gorge; the return via the sunny meadows with a panoramic view of the neighbouring mountains, ending at the ancient 18th-century wooden cross at the Chapelle Saint-Claude chapel.

Details

269597
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 319 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 318 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 836 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 672 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the foot of the church in Charmoille, Rue des Terreaux. Yellow and blue markings.

(S/E) Turn right, with your back to the church, which is unfortunately closed. After the calvary, turn right into Rue de la Tuilerie, towards "Creux de Hauteroche". Continue uphill, passing a fountain-water tower. At the Mailleux housing estate, take the small path on the left, which quickly becomes stony and climbs through the fields.

(1) It ends in a pasture, which you enter via the small wooden ladder in the fence on the right. Pass in front of the loge (shelter for cows), go around it and you will see a slightly faded marker post inviting you to turn right towards a small gap in the hedge of trees, about fifty metres behind the loge. In the new pasture, walk along the hedge on the left and climb the ladder at the end of a fir tree plantation, which you will follow along a path.

(2) Join a gravel road and turn right. After the fir tree plantation, there is a viewpoint over the valley towards Belleherbe. When you reach the reservoir at a place called Sur les côtes, turn left onto the small tarmac road. At the junction of Rue des Sapins and Rue du Tilleul, continue straight ahead, going down Rue des Sapins. You will pass through the hamlet of Le Chaufaud.

(3) At the last house with picturesque wooden statues, at the fork, turn left downhill towards Creux de Hauteroche (Route du Belvédère).

(4) Soon on the left, there is a magnificent view of the valley and the mountains surrounding the Dessoubre. Please note: shortly afterwards, walk along the woods for about 50 metres and look out for the signpost indicating that you should turn left into the field, towards the valley. Enter the pasture via a new ladder, then a second one opposite. Head right (a path in the grass running parallel to the fence about thirty metres away) towards an opening in the edge of the wood.

(5) Shortly after entering this fir forest, you will see a marker post. Continue straight ahead (towards "Circular 61 - Charmoille"). Join a farm track coming down from the right and continue straight ahead, taking the risk of getting your feet wet for about a hundred metres in wet weather. The track becomes drier, then turns into a beautiful stone path which you follow until it meets a small tarmac road at a right angle, where you turn left.

(6) Please note: 100 metres further on, leave the road and take a grassy path that branches off to the left and leads into the pine forest (FC Charmoille24 forest marker and faint hiking trail markings on two pine trees on the left).

(7) You will arrive at the Rosureux viewpoint nestled in the Dessoubre valley (picnic tables). Walk along the barriers to find a path that will lead you to the superb and surprising Creux de Hauteroche gorge. Then continue along the edge of the cornices.

(8) The path turns into a stony track which quickly joins another at a hairpin bend. The marker post is hidden among the fir trees. Climb 150 metres to the right and leave this beautiful stony track to take the path on the far left which leads into the fir forest. Quickly leave the path coming from the right (Circuit VTT46) and continue straight ahead.

(9) You will soon reach sunny meadows with a panoramic view of the neighbouring mountains. Continue peacefully to the village of Longevelle-les-Russey. At the entrance to the village, turn right onto Rue Receveur, towards Chamesey, passing in front of a beautiful Comtois farmhouse.

(10) Two hundred metres after the village, turn right onto the small tarmac road which becomes a dirt track at a fork, then turn left. Pass in front of the farm shed and at the next fork, climb left to reach Chamesey. Pass the church and the jubilee cross, opposite the fountain, then turn left onto the D125 road until you reach the end of the village.

(11) At the last houses, turn right onto the small tarmac road and climb to the edge of the forest. Turn around on the way for a view of the mountains overlooking the Dessoubre. At the forest lodge, turn right and continue for 300 metres.

(12) Please note: the road runs alongside the woods. Before it veers away, 300 metres after the hut, look for forest sign no. 3 on the left and the markings inviting you to climb the fir tree plantation on the left via a path (not to be confused with a logging track 100 metres further on). This quickly joins a logging track which you climb further to the left, turning into a small path and joining a gravel road (blocked, when I passed by, by fir logs stored by loggers). Climb up to the right for about fifty metres.

(13) At the bend, leave the gravel road and continue straight ahead. You will come to a beautiful gravel road at a right angle, where you turn left, crossing a beautiful fir forest.

(14) A little further on, you can climb up a path on the left for a short round trip to the Saint-Claude Chapel. The chapel is communal, but you will discover an ancient 18th-century wooden cross. Return to the gravel road and continue left to join a small tarmac road, which you follow downhill to the right for 400 metres.

(15) Look for the sign inviting you to turn left down a pretty path that cuts across the bend. Back on the road, turn left. In the village, cross the D125 and continue straight on the D206, returning to Rue des Terreaux and the church (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 676 m - Charmoille Church
  2. 1 : km 1.21 - alt. 737 m - Cow shelter
  3. 2 : km 1.65 - alt. 758 m - La Charbonnière
  4. 3 : km 2.91 - alt. 719 m - Le Chaufaud
  5. 4 : km 3.03 - alt. 716 m - Viewpoint over the Déssoubre Valley
  6. 5 : km 3.67 - alt. 679 m - Les Égrats
  7. 6 : km 5.28 - alt. 719 m - Grassy path not very visible
  8. 7 : km 5.6 - alt. 720 m - Viewpoint over the valley and Creux de Hauteroche
  9. 8 : km 6.16 - alt. 684 m - Hairpin bend
  10. 9 : km 6.8 - alt. 734 m - Maléchard
  11. 10 : km 8.42 - alt. 712 m - Longevelle-les-Russey
  12. 11 : km 10.3 - alt. 727 m - Chamesey
  13. 12 : km 11.24 - alt. 772 m - Les Rangs
  14. 13 : km 11.63 - alt. 822 m - Leave the gravel road
  15. 14 : km 13.48 - alt. 790 m - Towards Chapelle Saint-Claude
  16. 15 : km 14.32 - alt. 750 m - Under the Crêt
  17. S/E : km 15.75 - alt. 676 m - Charmoille Church

Notes

Good footwear is essential and walking sticks are recommended.

¹gauger ;: Franche-Comté dialect meaning to get wet or muddy.

Worth a visit

(3) If you meet the friendly owner-sculptor of the house with the wooden statues, don't hesitate to ask him to show you his barn, which is full of treasures.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
mymye
mymye

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike with some beautiful views but a lot of the route is on tarmac roads.

Machine-translated

Ninne
Ninne

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

An interesting hike with beautiful views. Remember to turn around from time to time to take in the magnificent scenery.
There is a tricky section at point 7, the Creux de Hauteroche gorge.

Machine-translated

MARTIN Xavier
MARTIN Xavier

Hello,

The section between points 4 and 6 is not particularly interesting, so you can go straight to point 4 to reach point 6.
There is a lot of road travel throughout the entire trip.
The Hauteroche dip is great.

Machine-translated

Labourey
Labourey

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views of the Haut-Doubs countryside and a wonderful discovery of the Hauteroche valley. Between points 9 and 12, the hike takes place on tarmac, which is a bit of a shame.

Machine-translated

jean-luc et odile
jean-luc et odile

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

superb walk in the upper Doubs, some difficulty following the route

Machine-translated

bourdenetpierrot
bourdenetpierrot

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk to do with the family, passing through charming villages, beautiful views and a few quiet roads with no traffic
The Creux de Haute Roche viewpoint is very nice, with lovely picnic tables
The passages between the rocks are worth seeing, but take care as the ground can be slippery on rainy days

Machine-translated

Erbaton
Erbaton

I completed the route partly to search for caches from the GEOCACHING game: traditional ones, a multi-cache, a mystery cache, etc.
I located the Charmoille seismological station, located under the Saint Claude chapel, in an old water catchment.
I also spotted a few chasms beneath Le Crêt and on La Haute Roche!
thank you for this hike
Erbaton

Machine-translated

galinette25
galinette25

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a shame that the markings weren't always clearly visible. A small section of the trail after the Chamesey hunters' lodge was difficult to access because it was blocked by forestry work. Hauteroche and St Claude Chapel make us forget all the sections of tarmac road. Best done in dry weather, but not when it's very hot.

Machine-translated

PtiMichel
PtiMichel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Reliability of the description:
After the hamlet of Le Chaufaud, (4) quickly on the left, there is a magnificent view of the valley and the mountains surrounding the Dessoubre. 50 metres after the new wooden shelter, turn right onto the path on the left. You will walk alongside a stone reservoir. Turn right and follow the path into the forest... 'We passed this point and found ourselves in a pine forest where there was a shelter with the misleading name "Les Egras" when we were actually at "Saichielle."

Interest of the route
(11) From the hunting shelter above Chamesey, the route through the forest is monotonous. Another option is to go through the Sapé valley. In this valley, after the second farm, veer to the right and take the path that goes up to the St Claude chapel... You then have to go back down to Charmoillle via the path described in the route.

The cinema in Charmoille is unusual, to say the least, in this rural village. It looks like an ocean liner that has run aground when the sea has receded. The hamlet of Le Chaufaud is charming with its new wooden houses. Special mention goes to the Creux de Haute Roche gorge and the viewpoint over Rosureux. Could Rolland and his legendary sword stroke have passed through here? In this area, we met lots of people at the picnic tables, including mountain bikers. In short, Visiorando gave us a wonderful day

Machine-translated

elisabeth1957
elisabeth1957

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

We set off from Chamesey... The chapel, the viewpoint over Rosureux and the Creux de Haute Roche are magnificent. However, we were very disappointed that two-thirds of the route was on tarmac roads... and the length of the route is unjustified... not very interesting... Sorry Tonnoguh, we're used to much better from you...

Machine-translated

Mizounette
Mizounette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great view and awesome passage between the rocks.

Machine-translated

colley
colley

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

After Chaffaud: watch out for the sign in the bush along the road and take the perpendicular path. A parish specific to Brittany, very beautiful walk.

Machine-translated

jolissap
jolissap
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, I completed the walk, which is very beautiful and interesting, with an impressive viewpoint and Hauteroche gorge.
I noticed a small detail at the exit of the village of Chamesey (Waypoint 11).
In the description, it says, "Turn right uphill (towards the forest house)".
In fact, there is a sign for "Route de Derrière le Crêt" and it might be helpful to add this to the description.
I made the round trip to the chapel and I don't regret the detour.
Best regards.

Machine-translated

olivier25
olivier25

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very well-marked trail with a fun route between roads and paths, especially the section between the rocks!

Machine-translated

biji
biji

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk in the sunshine. We loved the viewpoint, the gorge, the chapel... the variety of landscapes.
The only slight downside was crossing two villages where we encountered traffic.
We have fond memories of this day.

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.