Pont des Sarrasins and Barmafi Cave via Les Fours

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The Pont des Sarrasins is a natural arch that is worth a detour, and the Barmafi Cave is a curiosity worth seeing with its two natural windows.

Details

n°4301694
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.20 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 712 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 710 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,443 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 911 m
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Pont des Sarrasins

Description of the walk

To access the car park at the start of the walk in Thônes, follow the D909 towards Les Villards. After 1.5 km, turn left onto Le Fételay and follow the road uphill to the Mont Jean car park.
A sign with walking routes allows you to visualise the route.

(S/E) Take the road north-east towards Les Fours Dessous.

(1) At the signpost marked "la Côte", follow the steep path towards Les Fours Dessus. Pass above the last chalet in Les Fours Dessus, then continue on level ground into the forest. The path climbs up a wide ridge and ends at a place called La Frasse.

(2) Follow the signs for Combe Banon for about 300 metres. When the path turns sharply to the left, look for a barely visible trail on the right.

(3) Follow this path, which is barely visible at first, westwards and back. The climb is quite steep and then runs along the ridge of Mont Biollay (red and yellow markings). At the end, a slight descent leads to the Pont des Sarrasins arch. You can climb onto the arch on the left and enjoy the view of the Aravis mountain range. (45 mins round trip).

(4) Retrace your steps to return to the start of the trail, which is not very visible. On the way back, be careful not to continue along the path that branches off to the left at a rock painted with two green arrows, towards Granges du Lachat, also marked with red and yellow signs.

(3) Once back, turn right. Very soon, a signpost will indicate the direction of a viewpoint. Follow this path to a small iron cross.

(5) Enjoy the view of Thônes, then return to the previous crossroads. Continue downhill until you reach a carriage road.

(6) Turn right for 150 metres and you will arrive at the Combe Banon chalet.

(7) From the chalet, continue to the right. The path, which is steep in places, leads to the Barmafi Cave (30 minutes round trip).

(8) After enjoying the site, return to the Combe Banon chalet.

(7) Take the path next to the chalet, which quickly descends. Find the Mont Jean road and take it on the left to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 912 m - Mont Jean car park
  2. 1 : km 1.68 - alt. 1,131 m - La Côte - Fours dessous
  3. 2 : km 2.72 - alt. 1,336 m - La Frasse
  4. 3 : km 2.87 - alt. 1,347 m - Fork for the Pont des Sarrasins
  5. 4 : km 4.1 - alt. 1,393 m - Pont des Sarasins (Thônes)
  6. 5 : km 5.41 - alt. 1,332 m - Viewpoint
  7. 6 : km 6.02 - alt. 1,171 m - Becouet
  8. 7 : km 6.19 - alt. 1,141 m - Chalet Combe à Banon
  9. 8 : km 6.63 - alt. 1,235 m - Grotte de Barmafi
  10. S/E : km 8.2 - alt. 912 m - Mont Jean car park

Notes

No difficulty from Mont Jean to Fours dessus and La Frasse, yellow-green markings.
Frasse - Sarrasins, path sometimes difficult to follow, yellow markings barely visible then red-yellow, and green markings after the Granges du Lachat fork.
Access to Barmafi Cave, marked with orange dots, allow 30 minutes for the round trip.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 20624389

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very detailed itinerary, clearly and precisely laid out. In my opinion, although the difficulty is not insignificant, it is somewhat overestimated in the presentation. I completed the route without any problems, despite being hampered by balance issues caused by Parkinson's disease. The main difficulty in this area is losing your bearings on the ground (coloured markings are not very visible). The trail markings provided by the local inter-municipal authority are fairly clear and reliable.
The educational and scientific interest of the route, concerning the karst formations of the Barmafi cave and the Saracen bridge, deserves to be better highlighted. While the latter is rather crude in appearance, the cave is much more complex. But perhaps this is the somewhat biased opinion of the geomorphologist that I am.
I would like to pay tribute to Visorando for the wealth of practical details published.
The quality and diversity of the views from the Saracen Bridge cannot be overstated.

Robert Moutard

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rumillyaccueil
rumillyaccueil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike taken the day after a storm in the region. Terrain sometimes slippery but not particularly difficult. It's a tough climb right from the start. Numerous signs help with orientation, except at point 3, which we missed due to a lack of vigilance when starting the descent. Too late to go back up. Access to the Barmafi cave has a few slightly difficult passages. At point 7, a sign indicates access to the cave in 10 minutes. Allow a good half hour instead.

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gresy73
gresy73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This hike is more difficult than it might seem from the description: the terrain is steep and was quite slippery on the day we did it. The route is not easy to follow, even though the directions are precise. We didn't go as far as the Pont des Sarrazins, which is still quite a distance away, but the Barmafi cave is interesting.
An original hike that requires a minimum level of fitness.

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maxcaviso
maxcaviso

My description mentions that it is difficult to find the path after the logging. You need to know how to orientate yourself and read the terrain. It is not my job to mark out the paths.

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marie74_83
marie74_83

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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

At (3), the start of the trail to the Sarrasins Bridge is very difficult to spot. The paint mark on a tree has been scraped off...
So we climbed up to the Lachat barns, then made a round trip to the Biollay ridge to see the Sarrasins Bridge.

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pge92
pge92

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done with a 15-year-old teenager and a 9-year-old little walker. The route is very varied with a bit of alpine pasture, woodland trails and some scrambling. The approach to the arch is quite long but well worth the effort, especially as the woodland ridge trail to get there is pleasant. Access to the cave requires a bit of scrambling, but nothing too complicated.
There is a water source at the first chalet on the road. There is a very interesting information panel about the barns at the start of the route.
Thank you for this hike, which delighted young and old alike.

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Andrée A.
Andrée A.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Access to the cave is complicated. We did the journey in reverse to avoid the steep descent.

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Paulgallegos
Paulgallegos

Overall rating : 3 / 5

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

Incorrect directions for the distance from Thones.
Elevation gain is incorrect, and description for the climb does not match.
The descent is quite steep and difficult after heavy rain.

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luluschnaps
luluschnaps

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike feasible in early spring
steeper climb in the opposite direction,
pretty cave
beautiful viewpoint
A little snow in the forest sections

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