The Cascades des Chaudieres and Le Nid du Fol waterfalls starting from Les Gras

There are several points of interest to discover on this hike:
- what water can do in our Jura mountains,
- our beautiful mid-mountain landscapes with forests and pastures,
- the beautiful forests of the Haut-Doubs.

Details

7198103
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 286 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 287 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,069 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 807 m

Description of the walk

To reach the car park: on the D47 from Grand'Combe-Chateleu towards Les Gras, at a place called Les Saules, continue to the bridge located above Au-dessus de la Fin.

(S/E) Cross the bridge and take the path on the left, which is Route 21 - Les Chaudières. Follow the path along the stream. You will come to a fork.

(1) Take the pretty path on the left, continue along the stream (towards Mont Châteleu) and then, at the confluence of the two streams, keep to the right to reach a signpost.

(2) Turn left to reach a series of waterfalls. Be careful here: the path can be slippery. Return to the signpost.

(2) Continue climbing to the left towards Haut des Chaudières until you reach the secure viewpoint overlooking the waterfalls. Then turn left onto the wooden footbridge, cross the stream via a small bridge and follow the signposts to reach a meadow with a view of an isolated farm in a place called Le Rozet.

(3) Turn right onto the small tarmac road and continue to a T-junction.

(4) Continue along the road on the left, heading south. Cross a hamlet to reach the hamlet of Le Nid du Fol. Cross it and you will find a new crossroads at the exit, one of which is theGR®5and GTJ (Grand Traversée du Jura) trail.

(5) Take the D404 on the right and stay on the red and whiteGR® markings to quickly find a trail junction marked by a signpost.

(6) Turn right onto a very wet dirt track marked in yellow. Avoid the muddy area by taking a path on the left that joins the track below. You will arrive at the houses of Les Cerneux.

(7) Take the road heading north, follow it downhill for a few metres, then leave it at the last houses to follow the yellowPR® trail. Cross the pastures and descend to the right. Note the beautiful view of Mont Châteleu. 150 m further on, you will reach the D404 at the entrance to Les Gras.

(8) Turn left and follow it to the village centre. Turn right towards Grand'Combe-Chateleu. You will reach the crossroads at the town hall.

(9) Turn left to make a round trip to the church.

(9) Back at the crossroads, turn left, cross the village and you will soon find the yellow markedPR® trail.

(10) Keep right on thePR® and, in the Bois de Tartémont, rejoin the initial crossroads you passed on the way out.

(1) Follow the same route as on the way out to return to the car park in the hamlet of Au-dessus de la Fin (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 808 m - Car park in the hamlet of Au-dessus de la Fin
  2. 1 : km 0.22 - alt. 818 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 0.82 - alt. 853 m - Marker post - Cascade des Chaudières
  4. 3 : km 1.98 - alt. 982 m - Le Rozet
  5. 4 : km 2.84 - alt. 996 m - T-junction
  6. 5 : km 4.06 - alt. 1,069 m - Le Nid du Fol
  7. 6 : km 5.3 - alt. 1,055 m - Signpost
  8. 7 : km 5.94 - alt. 1,022 m - Les Cerneux
  9. 8 : km 7.12 - alt. 920 m - Les Gras
  10. 9 : km 8.19 - alt. 850 m - Town hall - Église Saint-Renobert (Les Gras)
  11. 10 : km 8.78 - alt. 843 m - Crossroads PR
  12. S/E : km 9.79 - alt. 807 m - Car park in the hamlet of Au-dessus de la Fin

Worth a visit

Enjoy the giant potholes here, created by the rotation of pebbles carried by the stream that has carved into the soft rock over thousands of years. These potholes are called "chaudières" in the Haut-Doubs region, hence the name of the place.

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 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 4548843

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike, well-marked trail, highly recommended. Thank you for sharing.

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MDuViso
MDuViso

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Shortly after the waterfalls, we had to cross a stream with very slippery stones. Fortunately, we were able to go around it and walk on the vegetation.
At point 6, which was very muddy, we extended our walk to the hamlet of Les Seignes and discovered a superb new lodge called "La Halte" on the GTJ.

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68christian88
68christian88
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This was our first hike in the Doubs region, as we are more accustomed to the Vosges mountains. And it made us want to come back. The signage is simple and effective. The landscapes are superb. The view from Mont Chateleu is very beautiful.
However, on the last section (after Nid du Fol), the forest trails are literally destroyed by the passage of obviously large vehicles that leave deep ruts.

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palaco32
palaco32

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A route with varied landscapes, paths ranging from tarmac to dirt and rocks.
Very pleasant, without too much difficulty.
Waterfall clearly visible from above and below.
A beautiful hike.

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LONO25
LONO25

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike for the first three quarters of the route with lovely scenery.
The last quarter before entering the village of Les Gras is along the road/street without a pavement and not very pleasant.
Suggestion to avoid this: skip this section and join the route directly at the exit of the village of Les Gras.

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Je decouvre
Je decouvre

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk.
The route is perfectly signposted.
Only point 3 at Rozet is a bit tricky... turning right and leaving signpost 21 caused us some problems. But you have to do it.
The dog also had a great time. No need for a lead for 90% of the route.
In short, I highly recommend this hike.

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caverne
caverne

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

magnificent waterfall
view of the valley from the GR de la GTJ
avoid this hike during the hunting season (there is a lot of shooting in the area without any signs indicating that hunting is in progress)

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