Villers-le-Lac walks

The Saut du Doubs is a major tourist attraction in the region. This hike will allow you to discover it and also enjoy the surrounding landscapes, continuing on to the Chatelot dam.

First, visit the viewpoint overlooking the Doubs basins. Cross into Switzerland via the footbridge, then head towards Les Brenets. Climb up to the Jurgensen Tower, where you will be rewarded with a magnificent 360° panorama of the region. On the way back, take a short detour to Calvin's Head, where you will see its spectacular hole. If you visit it, be careful, it is dangerous! A superb hike in a magnificent setting.

This walk is a marvellous way to explore the beautiful Saut du Doubs.

Depart from Le Pissoux, descend to the Grotte de Grenier above the Doubs and cross the river on stepping stones, allowing you to cross dry-shod downstream from the Châtelot dam, followed by the magnificent marked trail on the right bank of the Doubs (Lac du Moron) on the Swiss side. At the Saut du Doubs, head back and forth to the Tête de Calvin to see the meanders of the Doubs basins stretching from Viller-le-Lac to the Saut du Doubs from above, then cross the Doubs via the footbridge upstream of the Saut du Doubs, pass by the viewpoints overlooking the Saut du Doubs and climb directly up through the forest to Le Pissoux, via the Belvédère du Châtelard overlooking Lac de Moron.

A superb hike around Lake Moron, culminating in the Saut du Doubs and its 27-metre waterfall.

From the picturesque village of Bizot, with its farms, courthouse and 16th-century church, the route takes you up a superb steep ridge path to the ruins of Réaumont Castle. You return via the peat bogs, skirting piles of stones gathered from fields and the Étang des Belles Seignes lake.

A walk around the Cirque de Consolation with a thrilling variety of views and valleys. Beautiful panoramic views and bodies of water on way.

Passing through beautiful pine forests, you will walk along a small gorge, home to waterfalls where the rotation of pebbles has carved the soft rock over thousands of years, forming basins known as chaudières in our Haut-Doubs region. Then, passing isolated farms nestled in the hollows of the pastures and surrounded by our good old Montbéliard cows, you will reach a panorama stretching south-west over the Chasseron, the Suchet, the Gras topped by the Rochers du Cerf, Switzerland to the south and, in fine weather, Mont Blanc.

From Les Gras, you will climb through beautiful, clear forests to the Rochers du Cerf ridge trail and its many viewpoints over the discreet Théverot valley, Mont Châteleu and the Swiss mountains. Return via the Swiss pastures and their concert of cowbells.

Seventh stage from Les Rousses to Lake Constance via the Jura ridges. From Noiraigue, the route begins with a steady climb before joining a varied trail that runs along a ridge dotted with viewpoints and clearings. Le Creux du Van, Lake Neuchâtel and, on a clear day, the Alps with Mont Blanc accompany you on your way to the Tablettes viewpoint. The hike continues towards the Tête de Ran (1,422 m), offering breathtaking views of the Alps, Lake Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds. Finally, a short descent takes you to the Col de la Vue des Alpes, a natural link between the valleys of Neuchâtel and La Chaux-de-Fonds.

This magnificent route passes through peaceful forests, along long ridges and steep cliffs. Every day offers panoramic views of the peaks of the Alps, the lakes of Neuchâtel, Geneva and Joux, and curiosities such as the great Cirque du Creux du Van.

During this first stage, after the tedious climb up the 14 contours, you will be rewarded by the local geological curiosity, the Creux du Van. This Swiss version of the "Grand Canyon" is a large rocky cirque 1.5 km long and 200 m high. At Soliat, you will enjoy a splendid panorama of Lake Neuchâtel.

A wild, 350-metre-deep valley, the Cirque de Consolation, framed by magnificent cliffs, is a paradise for hikers and nature lovers. You can discover it from two viewpoints, Chauve Roche at the bottom of the valley and Sainte-Catherine downstream and the old seminary. After a visit to the old priory of Laval, you will climb back up to the plateau, along the aptly named Pissoux, through a superb wild and mossy valley.

Le Creux du Van is one of the most famous geological formations in the Jura. This immense cirque with its impressive vertical cliffs offers steep landscapes that contrast with the gentle neighbouring pastures. This is the hike to do to discover the Val de Travers. It is very easy to see ibex here, as they are used to walkers.

From the top of the Roche du Miroir, at the viewing point, you can admire the Dessoubre valley, which is overlooked in places by high cliffs, home to chamois and peregrine falcons then, along a charming path winding and weaving between superbly carved rocks, you will cross sunny meadows to reach the Montbéliardot arboretum and its sculptures. Return via La Vie au Loup, skirting the edge of the cliffs with a panoramic view of the entire plateau.

Hike from Chambrelien, passing through Champ du Moulin and following the Gorges de l'Areuse trail, with several views of Lake Neuchâtel. You will follow the blue trail, where you may spot chamois, then the gorge trail to admire the waterfalls.

From Bonnétage church, you will quickly climb up to the viewpoint on the plateau and, in the distance, the snow-capped peaks of the Bernese Alps. You will cross pastures lined with murgers, charming dry stone walls, and fir forests typical of the Haut-Doubs, walk along deep sinkholes, descend into the hollow of the peat bog and finally, from a rocky ridge, overlook the vast Etang du Moulin lake.

From the foot of a medieval calvary, head towards the Belvédère des Genevois in the small, remote valley of Martinvaux, passing through beautiful pine forests with slender trees. Then descend to the Source de la Reverotte and follow it to the Puits de la Doye and the Grotte de la Baume.

La Roche Barchey, "the pierced rock" in Celtic, where witches of yesteryear celebrated their demonic cult, offers a vast panorama of the Val de Vennes and the Haut-Doubs from its height of 988 metres. You will then descend through the beautiful fir forests of La Joux towards the more Catholic Sainte-Radegonde, who, it is said, fought an evil ghoul, perhaps descended from the rock, on the night of a sabbath, on the site where her chapel was built.

Rousseau once wrote «I have, opposite my windows, a beautiful waterfall which from the mountain top, plunges from a rocky escarpment into the valley, with a sound heard for miles around, especially when waters are high». From waterfall to waterfall, alongside these impressively steep gorges which once inspired fear (poëta from the latin putidus meaning "altered, fetid"), this trail will lead you through a delightful hike through rocks and water.

Beautiful views, a lovely setting and an unusual part of the hike, crossing the death ladders.

There are no danger points on these ladders. This site, steeped in history, bears witness to the fear once inspired by these legendary places, the scene of many fatal accidents during the "bricotte" (smuggling) era, when the ladders were nothing more than tree trunks crossed by pieces of wood. Today, these comfortable family staircases, which you can climb safely, will allow you to discover the Doubs Gorges from a variety of viewpoints.