Le Reculet - La Valserine

The starting point is located near the hamlet of La Rivière, 3 km from Chézery-Forens in the direction of Lélex. Just after the sign marking the entrance to the town, turn left onto a small road leading downhill. You can park near the^second bend close to a bridge (access to the bridge was closed, even to pedestrians). There are, of course, other starting points in the area.

(S/E) Go back up the road you came on for about 400 m. Just after a bridge, take a path on the left going up towards La Rivière.

(1) Once you reach the hamlet, cross the road (RD991) and turn left for a few metres. After passing a bus stop, take a small road on the right. A sign indicates the direction of the summit of Reculet in 2 hours 30 minutes. Soon you will come to a fork: turn left towards Reculet and Vernay Dessus.

(2) Cross the Nepalese bridge, then continue along the path until you reach a house. Go around the house on the right after crossing a carriage road and following the signpost.
In a forest environment, the path begins to climb steeply from this point. Follow the direction of Reculet and Chalets de Lachat, crossing the road twice in succession.

(3) You will come to another house, which you should go around on the right (be careful, as I didn't see any markings).
Afterwards, you will see a sign pointing to La Rivière (meaning downhill). Continue along the path, which climbs steadily but not excessively. It crosses a forest track several times, climbing in a series of hairpin bends. A little further up, follow this track (you can also take a shortcut by turning right onto a path marked by a cairn at its start) and you will arrive near the Chalets de Lachat, which you will see above you.

(4) Continue in the direction of Reculet and Thoiry Derrière on the path, which continues to climb steadily. Ignore the paths branching off to the left and right. Shortly after leaving the forest, you will reach the intersection with the path that you will use on the way back.

(5) Continue to the right until you reach an unmanned hut called Thoiry Derrière, which can be used as a shelter in case of bad weather. Continue along the path above the hut until you reach^{the GR®} (white and red markings) which follows the ridge. Admire the view of Lake Geneva: the lake, the city of Geneva, and finally Mont Blanc, weather permitting.

(6) Turn right to follow the^GR® towards the summit of Reculet, marked by a cross.

(7) From the summit of Reculet, at an altitude of 1,718 metres, you can continue to admire the view all around. To make a small circular loop, I suggest descending on the other side while following the^GR® to join a variant of the latter that avoids the summit.

(6) Leave the^GR® and take the path on the left down towards Thoiry Derrière and continue to the intersection you passed on the way up.

(5) Turn right towards Lélex and Plat des Menues on the path known as the 32 contours: this path quickly enters the forest with a relatively moderate descent at the beginning (watch out for obstacles such as numerous roots, especially if the ground is slippery).

After walking for a while, the path suddenly veers to the left and descends in a series of hairpin bends, becoming steeper as it approaches the bottom of the valley. Please note that visibility on the path is poor at the start (due to autumn leaves) and you should pay close attention to the yellow markings.

Just below the 1,100 m mark, the route continues with a gentler slope until it approaches the RD991 road at Plat des Menues (a few signs).

(8) Cross the road (take care) and continue almost opposite, taking the Chemin au René (towards Pont du Niaizet).

(9) Cross the Pont du Niaizet bridge over the Valserine river, then turn immediately left towards the Pont du Rouffy bridge and Lac du Creux. The path climbs slightly, moving away from the river to pass close to the lake, which is actually temporary.

At the fork, turn left towards Pont du Rouffy (if you wish, the lake is also accessible via a short detour of about 100 metres) on a downhill path that then runs more or less alongside the river. The path then climbs slightly again, gently returning to the riverbank at Pont du Rouffy, an old dry stone bridge with a single arch spanning the Valserine (admire the surroundings).

(10) Do not cross the bridge, but continue along the path on the same bank towards the Pont du Diable: the path climbs gradually again, moving away from the river. The descent then becomes a little steeper to rejoin the river.

The path now follows the course of the river without straying too far from it and then crosses a stream over a small wooden bridge. Pay close attention to the yellow markings to climb a small mound that leads to a large field (marked Ruines de la Platière Burdet on the IGN map).

Cross the field, keeping close to the river, to take a path that runs alongside it and leads to the Pont du Diable (Devil's Bridge). This stone bridge is less interesting than the previous one.

(11) Cross the bridge towards the hamlet of La Rivière, passing close to a cliff towering above you and therefore clearly visible (Le Rocher des Hirondelles). Continue straight on to the starting point (S/E).

The markings and directions are fairly accurate.
Good hiking boots are highly recommended.
Take your rubbish with you! Nature does not like it at all.
The entire route or part of it is within the Haute Chaîne du Jura National Nature Reserve. Please respect the regulations: https://www.rnn-hautechainedujura.fr/reg...