Le Grand Crêt d'Eau

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A circular route on the Grand Crêt d'Eau massif at an altitude of 1,600 metres, passing through pine forests and crossing a large hilly plateau with views of the Mont Blanc massif, among other things.

Moderator's warning: route presents a risk of avalanches.

Details

n°21479
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Snowshoeing
    Activity: Snowshoeing
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.67 mi
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 6 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,522 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,542 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,961 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,507 ft
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Photos

Le Crêt de la Goutte (1,621 m).
Summit of Crêt de la Goutte
Crêt de la Goutte

Description of the walk

Park your cars in the car park at the lower level of the Menthières resort.

(S/E) Head south-west and return to the D16.

(1) Follow the D16 due south for 1 km.

(2) At the water intake points, turn left onto a small road that continues to climb due south towards Sorgia d’en Haut.

(3) Do not take the hairpin bend; carry on straight ahead.

(4) Turn sharply left onto a path signposted ‘Chalet de Varambon’ and head towards it.

(5) From there, follow the signs for ‘la Pierre à Fromage’, situated at the pass between the Crêt de la Goutte and the Crêt de l’Eguillon. Head for the pass.

(6) From there, you can see the Chalet du Sac on your left, heading north.
Head east to rejoin the path below, then head north to reach the Chalet du Sac.

(7) From the chalet, continue straight on (north) through the woods along theGR®® Balcon du Léman (marked with red and white signs).

(8) After 1.5 km, once you’ve passed a small hut, turn slightly left (north-west) towards the ruins of Le Velu. Leave theGR®® behind. Keep heading in the same direction to reach Le Velu.
(9) Turn left, then follow the cross-country ski tracks south-west to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,704 ft - Car park at Menthières
  2. 1 : mi 0.15 - alt. 3,642 ft - D16
  3. 2 : mi 0.92 - alt. 3,527 ft - Water catchments, turn left onto the road
  4. 3 : mi 1.72 - alt. 3,914 ft - Hairpin bend
  5. 4 : mi 2.51 - alt. 4,190 ft - Path on the left
  6. 5 : mi 3.14 - alt. 4,557 ft - Chalet de Varambon
  7. 6 : mi 4.05 - alt. 4,951 ft - La Pierre à Fromage – View of the - Lac Léman
  8. 7 : mi 4.7 - alt. 4,528 ft - Chalet du Sac
  9. 8 : mi 5.33 - alt. 4,354 ft - Leave the °°GR®°°, turning left
  10. 9 : mi 6.23 - alt. 3,865 ft - Le Velu
  11. S/E : mi 6.67 - alt. 3,701 ft - Car park at Menthières

Notes

All chalets are normally open to provide shelter if necessary; some have wood-burning heating...

Moderator’s warning: this route presents an avalanche risk. Check the snow conditions and local avalanche risk in advance. Carry safety equipment.
Part or all of this route lies within the Haute Chaîne du Jura National Nature Reserve. Please observe the regulations: https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/reg...
A section of this route is within a Wildlife Quiet Zone from 15 December to 30 June (during this period, it is forbidden to leave the route between points 4 and 5 and between points 7 and 8). More information here: https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/car...

This route passes through multiple protected areas, which may be subject to special regulations:

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
LAUVERGNE Gérard
LAUVERGNE Gérard

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely snowshoe hike, but unfortunately there wasn't enough snow. Beautiful views of Lake Geneva and the Alps from the Sac chalet, Pierre à Fromage and Grand Crêt d'Eau.
A pleasant hike. Worth repeating when there is more snow, if possible, while paying attention to the risk of avalanches.

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Lepentu
Lepentu
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

(Warning) This hike presents an avalanche hazard!

Yesterday, 20 January 2021, a person was swept away and lost their life on the summer route between Col du Sac and Crêt de l'Eguillon. We were in the area that same morning and turned back on the advice of the forest ranger. Therefore, exercise extreme caution, familiarise yourself with the terrain, obtain information on site, or refrain from hiking!

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Franck T.
Franck T.

Date of hike: 2 June
Superb hike, well documented by Visorando

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nanou1967
nanou1967

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike, but difficult because it is steep, especially up to Chalet Bizot.
After that, the path is easy along the ridges.
However, I regret the poor signage for the paths and the various options once at the top.

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Franck T.
Franck T.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Please note:
Vehicle access to the car park is only permitted from 1 June to 6 December.
The final section bypasses an area that is off-limits to pedestrians and mountain bikes until 30 June. It is not possible to shorten the hike.
Well done on this hike.

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pascal.amieux
pascal.amieux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Variation via Crêt de la Goutte: departure at 10:15 a.m. / return at 4:30 p.m. Good weather, slightly transformed snow that holds up well.
The route is difficult to distinguish from other hiking trails, especially if printed in black and white
The route becomes really interesting when it leads to the Varambon mountain pasture. 100 metres after the chalet, we followed a very good trail to reach Crêt de la Goutte (1,621 m) directly. Picnic, with chamois below then return to the route above, heading north towards Pierre à Fromage.
From Crêt de la Goutte to Chalet du Sac, a splendid route overlooking Lake Geneva and the Alps.
Thank you to Cafod for the advice.

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Cafod
Cafod

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The route of this itinerary is a good source of inspiration, although it curiously avoids the highest point in the area, Crêt de la Goutte (1,621 m), which offers a beautiful panorama. In addition, it passes through areas designated as "wildlife quiet zones", which are off-limits in winter.
For more information on protected areas in the Jura, see https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/

After a few adjustments, this varied route is well worth the detour and its creator deserves our thanks.

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Antoine00
Antoine00
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

In fact, we only followed the route as far as the cheese stone, then climbed up to the Crêt de la Goutte, before descending via the same path to the junction with the "GR de pays Tour de la Valserine" trail, which we followed to La Charnaz, then cut across via point 1128 to the "Château".

Duration: 4½ hours, including a nice picnic break!
The snow conditions were excellent. Windy at altitude.

I have attached a photo of the summit of La Goutte.

Well done on your website!

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joss71
joss71

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful and challenging snowshoe hike! Due to recent snowfall, we had to break trail on several sections of the route, which was a real joy! Windy weather at Crêt d'Eau.
Thank you for this route!

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.