The River Saine along the Langouette and Malvaux gorges

The Malvaux and Langouette Gorges offer cool respite on hot summer days as well as magnificent scenery. This hiking route is suitable for families, with a shorter alternative (9.5 km) that does not go around Lac à la Dame. Part of the route follows the old tramway, so a head torch or torch is required to cross the 180 m tunnel.

Details

3631843
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.91 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 892 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 886 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,927 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,260 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start from the car park on the edge of the D127E1 just before the bridge over the Saine coming from Les Planches-en-Montagne.

(S/E). At the "Le Martinet" signpost, leave the car park and cross the bridge. Go up the steps on the left and follow the path along the gorges. A path has been laid out along the gorge so you can discover waterfalls and "potholes" carved out by the Saine, creating a 47 m deep canyon. At the top of the trail, you can still see the building of a hydroelectric power station, whose turbine still produces electricity. At the end of the trail, return to the centre of the village and the road.

(1) Continue to the right, cross the bridge over the Saine and, after the cemetery, take a small road on the left which quickly becomes gravel. Follow it until it joins the D127.

(2) Cross the road to join the path in the woods opposite (yellow signpost).
Walk along a meadow, climb into the woods and follow a farm track to La Senge and arrive at a three-way junction.

(3) Here you will find an alternative shortcut (see practical information).
For the more adventurous, continue around the lake by taking a path and then a small tarmac road (11 km loop).

(4) At the first farm on the left, take a gravel path on the left which leads to the D62 and follow it to the left until the second bend on the left.
The tour of the lake offers beautiful views, so don't hesitate to give it a try! This lake is rich in fish and surrounded by lush flora.

(5) At the junction of the two loops, from the D62, take the farm track on the right which descends to the village of Foncine-le-Bas.

(6) In the village, turn left onto the D127 towards Champagnole to reach the Place du Champ de Mars.

(7) Just after the square, at the bend in the D127, turn right and follow a small road crossing the "Viaduc des Douanets".
Just after the viaduct, take a path downhill to the right along the Saine river for a refreshing break.

(8) 50 m after the viaduct, turn left and follow the signs for Gorges de Malvaux. This is the old tramway that once linked Champagnole to Foncine-le-Haut. The path overlooks the Gorges de Malvaux below, down to the village of Les Planches-en-Montagne, and offers magnificent views of the Saine.
Go through a 180-metre-long tunnel, the end of which you won't see straight away due to its curve (you'll need a torch).

(9) Then take another viaduct offering a magnificent view on the right of the Cascade du Bief de la Ruine.

(10) After Sous Bayard, you will come to a crossroads where you should turn left and descend towards Les Planches-en-Montagne, heading towards "Canal Usine Fumey-Badoz".

(11) After entering the village, you will see a beautiful wash house where you should turn right and head back up towards the main street of Planches-en-Montagne, pass the town hall and take the first street on your left to reach the Gorges de la Langouette car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,283 ft - Langouette Gorge car park - Saine (rivière)
  2. 1 : mi 0.42 - alt. 2,346 ft - Les Planches en Montagne
  3. 2 : mi 1.16 - alt. 2,589 ft - Cross the D127
  4. 3 : mi 2.58 - alt. 2,897 ft - Choose between a 9.5 km or 11 km loop
  5. 4 : mi 3.22 - alt. 2,917 ft - Agricultural - Lac à la Dame
  6. 5 : mi 3.87 - alt. 2,904 ft - Before descending to Foncine le Bas
  7. 6 : mi 4.62 - alt. 2,602 ft - Centre of Foncine-le-Bas
  8. 7 : mi 4.68 - alt. 2,605 ft - Towards the viaduct
  9. 8 : mi 4.98 - alt. 2,602 ft - Malvaux Gorge tramway
  10. 9 : mi 5.67 - alt. 2,434 ft - Cascade du Bief de la Ruine
  11. 10 : mi 6.35 - alt. 2,402 ft - Crossroads
  12. 11 : mi 6.54 - alt. 2,372 ft - Wash house
  13. S/E : mi 6.91 - alt. 2,283 ft - Langouette Gorge car park - Saine (rivière)

Notes

Alternative route:
You can continue along the road that runs alongside Lac à la Dame on the left via the hamlet of Les Fumey to rejoin the D62 at (5). This will take you on a 9.5 km loop.

Worth a visit

Langouette Gorges, Malvaux Gorges, Bief de la Ruine waterfall, old tramway that once linked Champagnole to Foncine-le-Haut.
Part of the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park, this area on the border with Switzerland is characterised by mountain landscapes and culture (between 700 m and 1,720 m above sea level).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 64 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Ghyslain
Ghyslain

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There were lots of people at the start by the waterfalls (which is to be expected given the lovely weather)

A lovely, varied walk
No particular difficulty

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sophe71
sophe71

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A bit disappointed – far too much driving; the route around the lake isn’t very interesting. The start is absolutely lovely, and the wooded section at the beginning is very pretty. The tunnel crossing is quite unusual. We did it in sweltering heat (30°C) – there isn’t much shade...

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User 28474005

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk that can be done either way.

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anthonycolin
anthonycolin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It’s just the bit after the cemetery at the start that can be a bit confusing. But it’s nothing impossible.

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39Alain
39Alain

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant and varied route. The start is splendid and impressive. Created in December, it remains very passable. Please note that the waterfall at the end of the route has very little water. It is best to visit after recent rainfall, when it is truly magnificent!

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nhjlh
nhjlh
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After the heavy rains of recent days, the rivers are high and even overflowing, creating fantastic waterfalls with high flow rates. The autumn colours enchant the landscape. A beautiful, easy, well-marked hike with stunning panoramic views... best done when there is water...

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User 12341874

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pretty, easily accessible walk

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cra
cra

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful hike done in early September. At the starting point, there were lots of people admiring these never-before-seen gorges. As for the route, it was well marked. For the return to the village of Foncine, we took an old tramway. There are still some fantastic gorges of the Saine, then you cross the tunnel

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User 25453046

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with gorges, a waterfall, a tunnel and a bridge, offering stunning scenery

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philippe691
philippe691

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Busy at first but fairly quiet afterwards.
Interesting and varied course, but with some limitations.

  • Quite far from the gorges and water most of the time.
  • End of the route quite sunny.
  • The final loop back to the car park is on the road. Probably to prevent people from crossing paths at the start of the gorges.

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User 5157410

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk between waterfalls and woods

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Bullman
Bullman

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Worth a visit

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User 4292374

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk on a day when the weather was mixed. It was very pleasant. No difficulty following the route. A very pleasant walk with very gentle slopes. We had told our children we would walk 15 km, so we were still able to make the round trip to the waterfall at the watercourse of the ruins (a pity it was dry). Shortly before returning to the village (just after point 9), we decided to leave the path, which was on the road and not very interesting, and using the map, we took a small path along the water.

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Lop39
Lop39

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that took 4½ hours, including breaks.
We were well prepared thanks to the bad weather in the previous days, but unfortunately the Ruine waterfall was dry... We'll have to do it again this winter!
No difficulties on this hike.
Thanks for sharing!!

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seminois
seminois

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with clear signage, so there's no risk of getting lost.
Beautiful views of the Langouet and Malvaux gorges. It's a shame that the Ruine waterfall was dry that day.
You'll need a torch to get through the tunnel.
I highly recommend it.

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