The most beautiful natural sites to discover Jura

In these moss and pleasant woods, between Arbois and Champagnole, 234 prehistoric tombs have been discovered. These burial, rocks of stone or land that our ancestors raised above the tombs form one of the most beautiful funerary ensembles in Eastern France. Some of these necropolises date back to the th century… before our age!

On the municipality of Fontenu, view of the castle of Chalain.

One of the largest French forests with an area of over 20 000 hectares. It extends between Doubs and Rent. In the past, it housed a small people: families whose fathers worked as bûcherons or charcoal. Wood was a necessary commodity for feeding the Salines, the forges and the glass of the region. You can still admire what remains of their modest homes at Old-Loye. These barracks were built in soil mixed with grass and wood. Wood workers, in order to avoid the daily fatigue of return to home, housed in baccus. Some have been reconstituted in the village of Etrepigney. We also find, towards Our, a land oven that a family used to use a few decades ago. The immensity of this forest is ideal for a break and relaxation. At one of the many forest paths that cross it, you'll find stone columns that have been used as landmarks since the beginning of the th century. A very rich fauna this sanctuary of beech and oaks. Deer, wild boar and deer accompany you secretly in this forest of legends…

In Ménétrux-en-Joux, follow the D39 towards Saint-Laurent. The belvedere is indicated. The view is superb since you discover the most important of the Hérisson waterfalls: the Éventail waterfall whose jump reaches... 65 m high! Impressive and even more so when the snow melts.

To discover this little Jura gem, take direction Chevrotaine from Narlay and continue for about 1,5 km. In summer, the lake is difficult to detect because of the thick vegetation surrounding it. It is on the left, below the road. Don't give up. The place is preserved and sublime. You can reach the other end, more clear, by walking through the fields.

This small crescent-shaped lake is the seventh of the "7 lakes", even if it is a little far from its 6 "big brothers" between Bonlieu and Le Frasnois. Lake Fioget is a private lake, so you can't fish there. Surrounded by forests, the banks are dedicated to agricultural activity but they are accessible to hikers, especially from Pont-de-la-Chaux (Chaux-des-Crotenay) by a path that crosses the Bois de Ban. Like the other bodies of water in the area, it was the refuge of the Gallic druids. The very rare "Male Orchis" grows there.

Gradually, this little lake envase, it will soon become a simple marsh, then a meadow and finally the forest will take the place, according to an inevitable process natural: . To see it while still time, in Onoz, take the D 3 departmental Road and then turn slightly on the left (D 60). The lake is on your left.

Was this stone standing in the middle of the circus a megalithic monument dating back to the Gallo-Roman period, or simply a rock that got detached from the crêt? His presence inspired many legends and assumptions, reinforced by the existence in the Bassin basin of other megaliths, inadequate rocks, levées and other white… A beautiful gazebo overlooks the circus of Vogna.

Where does the name of this waterfall come from a height of 35 m in the bottom of the Remote? Probably the stalagmite that formed at its base and looks like five cattails. A name that plunges us in the Middle Ages… Fans of medieval remains can also continue the heritage trail over 8,5 km. He follows the course of the Dard and leads to the last vestiges of Dramelay castle: a tower erected in the th century.

The Serpentine that flows at the foot of Funnel forms a small water plan on the site of a ruined mill, before throwing itself out of a high corniche over 15 meters. The remains of this former mill clearly illustrate the existence of an important economic activity based on the only driving force of water: mill, but also sawmill… One can still imagine, listening to the flow of water, the snoring of the blade le wood. We can observe the fauna and flora that have developed in water restraint. By dry weather, the source dries up and offers the possibility of stretching 28 m underground to reach a permanent underground water plan.

The Gizia valley is presented as «the most savage of the Jura reculées». Whether geologists do not recognize all the criteria of a remote! This 2 km valley ending with a 220-metre cliff is a beautiful place. Classified as a natural area of ecological and faunistique interest, she houses peregrine falcons, grand dukes, chamois and other animals that can be seen in randonnant. The flora is the kingdom of orchids and Saxifrage de, an endemic species (specific to a given place). Rare in the Jura! From the Belvédère cross, a panoramic view is offered on the valley. Basically, the hamlets of the municipality are wintering along the river which also bears the name of Gizia. It has long fed the activity of the valley which counted up to seven mills, many of which have unfortunately disappeared.

A beautiful walk on a trail built by the Community of communes of the Country of Saint-Amour. This is a great opportunity to project itself in the Gallo-Roman era! Imagine that this source was already a place of worship for the Séquanes who inhabited the region then. There are indeed Gallo-Roman vestiges, including a famous bronze statuette of the goddess Epona, currently preserved at the Paris Medals cabinet. Enjoy your visit to Loisia to admire the huge th century façade of the town hall.

The Besançon, formerly known as «reach de Besançon», takes its source in a remote 350 metres above sea level and begins its course with a beautiful waterfall: the Grand Gour. Its flow varies from 30 litres per second in periods of low to… 15 000 during large water! His violent and brutal floods were frightened because they could cause big damage, but his hydraulic strength was appreciated: in 1860, it operated as many as 24 mills or factories. Although it is only 13 km away, the Besançon crosses five municipalities, three departments and three regions: Franche-Comté, Burgundy and the Rhône-Alpes region.