L’Échappée Jurassienne is an itinerant hike that starts in the city of art and history, Dole in the French Jura and then travels more than 350 km to finish in Nyon.
This hike covers a total distance of 352km with a positive elevation of 10,800 meters and a negative elevation of 11,400 meters. This great roaming adventure includes twenty stages OR in one go – that’s 18 days of hiking!
Embark on the hike and discover Switzerland by visiting not only the breathtaking scenery but all the local cultures and gastronomy on offer. L’échappée jurassienne is a collaboration between 11 communes, with Nyon joining in June of 2022 and providing the final arrival point in Switzerland. There is a second arrival point in Saint Claude in France.
The itinerary of the great sites of the Franco-Swiss Jura begins in the town of art and history of Dole in the French Jura. It crosses the Pays de Dole and its immense forest of Chaux before joining the Jura vineyards and passing through the two UNESCO saltworks of Arc-et-Senans and Salins-les-Bains. In the Vineyard, remote areas, small wine-growing villages, and great tastings of Wines and Comtés are on the program. The “Jura Escape” covers two Most Beautiful Villages in France: Château-Chalon and Baume-les-Messieurs before reaching Lons-le-Saunier.
After crossing the first plateau, the first lake appears: Lac de Chalain, then the great sites follow one another, the Hérisson waterfalls, the plateau of 4 lakes, the Pic de l’Aigle, the Langouette and la Saine… The arrival in the Haut-Jura Regional Natural Park marks the transition between the Pays des lacs and the Haut-Jura with inhabited mountains and wild and preserved nature.
Finally, the hike takes you from Foncine-le-Haut and Lake Bellefontaine to the Station des Rousses on the same route as the pedestrian GTJ. This is where the Échappée Jurassienne offers you two arrivals with very different landscapes.
They also offer 3-day packages which you can book. A great option for when people come and visit us, to show them the beauty of our area without having to spend hours planning a route. Just follow the well thought out 3-day exploration trip take your guests on a 3-day adventure.
The last 3 stages of the trail is from Les Rousses to Nyon via the top of La Dôle and the Toblerone trail.
- Start in Les Rousses, go to the summit of La Dôle (1677 m.) and admire one of the most beautiful panoramas of Lake Geneva and Mont-Blanc. Then head to the village of St-Cergue for a well deserved rest and stay in one of the available accommodation options.
- The next day’s hike is in the forest around the meandering Toblerone trail in the majestic Bois de Chêne.
- During the last and third stage you can admire and visit the magnificent Château de Prangins and finish your beautiful hike in Nyon. Enjoy the shores of the lake, restaurants serving traditional perch fillets, the castle of Nyon and Nyon’s three museums!
You can find all the practical information and more ideas on their site L’Échappée Jurassienne or keep up to date on their Facebook or Instagram pages.
You can also find out more about the people running the tourist office in our previous article here and what they have been up to recently here.
Happy hiking!
