A 256 km loop with a thousand surprises
between Doubs and Jura!

Like a link between the Haut-Doubs and the wine-growing Jura, this loop connects several UNESCO sites while crossing landscapes as diverse – springs, lakes, rivers, pine forests and vineyards – as they are enchanting.

Loop with a thousand surprises, each day of cycling will be able to reserve you its nuggets. Before you even leave, the Laughing Cow House will amaze you with its collection. The first kilometers with a slightly rising profile take an old rehabilitated railway line to then arrive at Lac de Chalain, a lake listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site for the lakeside city it shelters. Further on, the climb to reach Le Frasnois will be rewarded by the magnificent site of the 4 lakes with often turquoise waters in summer. In addition, the detour to the Hérisson waterfalls is recommended to all lovers of great natural sites. More confidential, the Langouette gorges are no less impressive: the water has sculpted the rock there into very deep gorges.

Already the landscapes have changed, the deciduous forests are gradually giving way to the fir beech woods of the Haut-Jura. In Mouthe, the atmosphere reigning at the source of the Doubs leaves plenty of room for imagination, the picture of which will be completed later by Lake Saint-Point, one of the largest natural lakes in France. Up to Levier, the route follows small roads in a very bucolic spirit, without forgetting the passage through the impressive peat bogs of Frasne. The landscape then becomes hilly again and descends to Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne; the source of the Lison fills all its visitors with serenity.

A few reliefs to pass and it is now the country of the Salines which welcomes you: the Royal Saltworks of Arc-et-Senans and Salins-les-Bains, its thermal baths and the Grande Saline. Both classified as World Heritage by UNESCO for their historical and architectural heritage, the two saltworks are worth the detour. A few kilometers after leaving the banks of the Loue and its typical villages, the first vines mark the entry into the Jura vineyards, known worldwide for its atypical terroir and its ancient grape varieties. The names of Arbois, yellow wine or straw wine resonate in the ears of every wine lover. Finally, what makes the terroir is also the creator of impressive geological formations: the limestone rock carved out by erosion has formed gigantic recesses which shelter two villages among the most beautiful in France: Château-Chalon, on its promontory, and Baume- les-Messieurs, nestled in the heart of a valley.

Minimum altitudes and max.

↓ 238m ↑ 1m

Elevation

4 200 m

Average distance per stage

Tailor-made: from 40 to more than 80 km

Period

April → October