The Belvédère du Bourbet and the Waroly Waterfall

A picnic area with tables overlooks the Dessoubre valley at an altitude of nearly 750 metres. Old farms dating back to the 1960s cling to the mountainside. A wild valley where, perhaps, our Comtois Gauls performed their druidic rituals in sacred clearings. A natural rock known as the Devil's Castle overlooks the Waroly waterfall. Finally, caves carved out over centuries.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.55 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 423 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 427 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 748 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 432 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Coming from Maîche, drive through Mancenans-Lizerne and park in a small space on the right-hand side of the road, opposite the sign for Waroly, Le Dessoubre and Château de l'Ermitage. Follow the yellow and blue signs.

(S/E) Head towards Château de l'Ermitage on the small paved road opposite the car park. You will soon come to a fork; continue on this same small road lined with lime trees on your right (towards Rochers du Bourbet).

(1) When the road begins to descend, look for a sign on a tree inviting you to climb into the woods on the right via the forest path. 300 m higher up, when the path reaches a small plateau, look for the sign for Circuit n°6 and the signpost inviting you to descend to the left via a footpath. Follow the signs to find a gravel track, which you will climb.

(2) You will finally come out onto a small clearing and a beautiful stony road with a signpost. Turn left, still heading towards Rochers du Bourbet. You will quickly arrive at the superb viewpoint (740 m) with picnic tables overlooking the Dessoubre Valley. Head right (facing the view) to find a beautiful stone path that enters the forest. You will soon come to a fork: go left down through a beautiful forest of deciduous trees and firs. A little further down, there is another fork; take the path down to the right.

(3) You will arrive at the bottom of the hill at an old isolated building. Turn left.

(4) With the meadows in sight, about 50 metres after an old trough in a hairpin bend, the path ends in front of two pastures. Turn left, passing through the metal gate with a signpost. Follow the hedge separating the two pastures. You will come to a slightly better defined but somewhat muddy path, which is quickly blocked by a gate. Go through the gate, remembering to close it behind you. Fortunately, the path quickly becomes stony and more pleasant.

(5) You will come to a small paved road (D347). Continue down this road on the right to reach the farms of Blanchefontaine, which reminded me of the farms of my childhood (chickens roaming around and piles of manure in front of the old barn). The path offers a lovely view of the surrounding mountains. At a hairpin bend, there is a signpost: continue along the small road.

(6) When the road makes a second bend, at a small bridge and a signpost, take the path opposite that climbs up into the valley alongside the stream, towards Boucle de Waroly. A little further on, the path is blocked by a fallen tree and large boulders. Climb over the barbed wire through the small passage on the right and climb over the rocks.

(7) As you approach a pasture, the path is again blocked by a log barrier. Go under it and turn right, fording the stream. You will quickly reach a wider stone path, which you take on the left to reach the Waroly waterfall. Then head towards Rocher du Bourbet on the left, crossing the stream again. You will arrive at a second small meadow. Cross it, climbing diagonally to the right.

(8) At the end of the clearing, squeeze behind a log fence and a tree with a marker between large boulders to find a gravel path at a hairpin bend. Take the path climbing to the left. The path climbs up two hairpin bends alongside beautiful rocks. At the last bend, you will see the Virgin Mary of Notre-Dame des Victoires, set in stone. You will emerge from the gorges at an open gravelly area with a signpost. Turn left to find the path that will lead you to the small caves of Waroly, always following the paths that bring you closer to the rocks.

(9) At the last cave, turn back to the signpost. Take the small tarmac road that joins our starting point and descend to the right to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 678 m - Parking: Waroly sign, Le Dessoubre...
  2. 1 : km 1.35 - alt. 686 m - La Côte Brûlée, change direction to the right
  3. 2 : km 3.14 - alt. 746 m - The Bourbet viewpoint overlooking the valley of the - Dessoubre (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 5.35 - alt. 528 m - Clan, old isolated building
  5. 4 : km 5.81 - alt. 522 m - The large pasture at the end of the path
  6. 5 : km 6.57 - alt. 541 m - Junction with the D347
  7. 6 : km 8.4 - alt. 432 m - Queue Levée
  8. 7 : km 9.19 - alt. 486 m - Waroly waterfall
  9. 8 : km 9.45 - alt. 520 m - Petite Clairère
  10. 9 : km 11.08 - alt. 662 m - Waroly Caves
  11. S/E : km 11.55 - alt. 678 m - Parking: Waroly sign, Le Dessoubre...

Notes

The route includes cliff-side paths and unsecured viewpoints. The paths are rocky and slippery in places. Good walking shoes are essential and walking sticks are recommended.

Part of the route is on small paved roads with very little traffic, which are full of charm.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 59 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
pierref
pierref

OK, I understand the philosophy behind Viso Rando. Unfortunately, the descriptions are sometimes too brief, which is why it's important to read the recent comments carefully

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello,

Thank you to pierref and User 13626849 for their feedback.

I confirm the comments made by the author of this hike (tonnoguh): guidance should be based on reading the route on the map and reading the description. In the latter, the signposting, where it exists, is provided for information purposes only, as it is well known that the quality of signposting can deteriorate over time, very quickly if it is not maintained (by the way, thank you to the volunteer signposters).

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tonnoguh
tonnoguh

It seems to me that one of Visorando's objectives is precisely not to rely on markers. I described this hike a while ago, but in line with Visorando's objectives, the description should be self-explanatory, without the need for markers.

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pierref
pierref

I'm not surprised. I suggest removing this hike until the signage is updated

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User 13626849

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

I can't find some of the markup in the description.
That's a shame.
Have a nice day

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Ulyss
Ulyss

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route was fairly easy, luckily the details helped us find our way, otherwise there were no signposts. Good route for dogs

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patrosello
patrosello

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route.
We did it in reverse order so that we could finish with a picnic at the viewpoint.
The waterfall and stream were very pleasant in the heat, so we climbed up to Blanchefontaine in the open and the mud was very shallow, making it easy to get through.
The hike is accessible with dogs.

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janb
janb

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We were able to follow the signposts easily until we reached the Bourbet viewpoint. After that, the signposts were missing, but the description enabled us to follow the route correctly without getting lost. A good walk.

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jenny2
jenny2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant and varied route, easy to follow with GPS tracking. Do not rely on the signposting on the ground, which is almost non-existent until Blanchefontaine.
Important: at point 4, turn left. The hedge will be on your right. If you continue along the path on the right, it will lead you into a field and then disappear, giving way to a cow path that ends at a fence a few hundred metres further on. Avoid this!
On 1 May, there were no major problems with mud or ruts left by foresters. Lots of flowers and even two chamois at the start of the hike! A pleasant hike in warm weather. The waterfall was flowing well.

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Joel Petite
Joel Petite

That is indeed the case, but when we did it, after that difficult section where the earth sticks to your shoes, progress was easier. Unfortunately, there is no real solution to avoid this section. Let's hope that the foresters will pass through with a blade to level the path.

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Claude25260
Claude25260

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The hike would have been more enjoyable and rewarding
Unfortunately, from viewpoint 3 to viewpoint 4, the trail is impassable due to foresters removing logs when the forest is waterlogged. It is unfortunate after marking the trail and even shifting it in some places.

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Joel Petite
Joel Petite

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy hike with gradual elevation gains, the Dessoubre valley is very beautiful on this winter day, and much of the walk is through the woods.

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Alain R.
Alain R.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk

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annecornut
annecornut

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, with plenty of water in the streams and waterfalls.
A few important details:
At point (2), Belvédère du Bourbet, "Head right (facing the view), cross the pasture and find a nice gravel path that goes into the forest, ignoring two yellow and blue crosses on trees on the left side of the pasture. Soon, you'll come to a fork: go left and so on..."
Points (6 and 7): The path is no longer blocked by fallen trees and is easy to pass through.

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bourdenetpierrot
bourdenetpierrot
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike
We did it backwards to have a snack at the viewpoint at midday
Beautiful waterfalls along the route. It had rained the previous days.
Nice tables with a view at Bourbet
The return path was ploughed by foresters for 1.5 km (a shame)
Visit to the caves on the way back, worth seeing
I used a GPS as the signposting isn't great in places
I recommend this nice walk

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