Country:
City:
From the Salève cable car car park (alt. 430m), walk back down into the village until you reach the railway line. Turn right onto the Chemin du Bois Mériguet. Then turn left (follow the signposts) and walk alongside the railway line. Cross the bridge over the motorway, then turn left and immediately right.
(1) You climb through the forest (signposted “Monnetier, orientation table...” etc.). The path is quite steep and stony but not difficult; there are safety barriers in several places. After several hairpin bends, you climb a flight of steps. You then emerge next to the tunnel of the old funicular railway and enter the Monnetier valley.
Head up to your left, following a new “staircase” made of fairly widely spaced stone blocks. As you leave the forest, turn right (signposted “Téléphérique”) and, after the first house (there is a swimming pool on the property), take a small path to the right. At the first junction, turn left. You’ll climb a stony path (don’t turn right) until you reach a fairly steep tarmac road.
(2) Head up to your right and stay on the path on the left-hand side (old quarry). You will enter the forest again. Follow the ‘rocky’ path as it climbs gently. When you reach a small rock face, turn right to walk alongside the boulders (sign for ‘cable car’). Shortly afterwards, just before a left-hand bend, you’ll reach the Notre-Dame-du-Salève oratory.
(3), behind a small mound of rocks (altitude approx. 800m; stunning view over Geneva and the harbour). Then follow the path down to the right, towards the plain, before heading west. You’ll walk alongside the rock face with red inscriptions painted on the rocks; you’ll see words such as ‘vertiginous’ and ‘danger’: be particularly careful! The path continues more or less flat through the forest (regular red and blue markings) with the rock face on your left and a very steep stony slope on your right. You’ll reach the sections equipped with handrail cables.
(4) Pass under the cable car cables and continue along the cliffs, passing some beautiful rock arches. The drop is never far away, so take care. You’ll reach a tricky section where the ledge is narrow and overhangs the edge of the quarries; this small ledge presents no difficulty, but be careful not to slip, as the cliff is vertiginous at this point. A lovely view over the plain and the harbour. The path continues and begins to climb gently, still hugging the slope, along the rock faces. Some fine trees, mainly beech; chamois and common frogs are particularly common here. The slope levels off; leave the Sentier des Buis, which descends to your right, and continue straight on before emerging at the top of the Sentier de la Petite Gorge (Échelle de Jacob), which you follow up a very steep scree slope. A few hairpin bends later, you reach a small clearing offering a stunning view of the plain and the Jura. Cross a few rocky outcrops on the southern side and you’ll emerge onto the plateau with the Observatory ahead of you and a lovely viewpoint on your right. You can head up towards the Observatory and stop at the terrace of a former restaurant. In fine weather, the view is splendid: the Mont Blanc range, the Aravis range, Le Môle, Les Voirons, and part of the Chablais.
(5) You descend by following the cable car signposts. You pass the Buddhist monastery, the orientation table (paragliding launch point) and the Thirteen Trees before reaching the station at 1,097m (E).
Take the cable car back down to the car park.
Visorando Member
Difficult 
Moderate 
