Le crêt de la goutte - Menthières
You can find the Crêt de la Goutte which is located 1621 meters high in the mountain range of Grand Crêt d'Eau. It is situated to the south of the natural reserve of Haute-Chaîne du Jura. There are a lot of herds from Varambon's chalet in this mountain range. It is one of the traditionnal summer pastures in the Jura mountains. The landscapes and its panoramic view on the Alps appeal to many hikers and walkers during the summer.
1. Go up the stony path on the right (forest atmosphere representative of a high Jura forest). Come out into the Varambon pasture and join Sous les Crêts (marker n ° 4 of the "Au fil de l'Alpage" discovery trail).
2. Go left in the pasture following the paths of the cattle up to the small col à la Pierre à Fromage, here a first point of view is offered to you on the Pays de Gex, the Geneva region and the Alps.
3. Go along the barrier on the right to reach the crêt de la Goutte, you will find a cross in homage to the shepherds and an orientation table with a 360 ° point of view. Descend along the rocky tributary, follow a barrier and reach a "goya" (water point for cattle). Follow direction Sorgia d'en Haut to find an old stone wall (entrance to the Nature Reserve). Continue to the right (stony path) pass a few “goyas” and arrive between Les Crêts (tourniquet).
4. Descend into the pasture until near the ruin of Sorgia on High.
5. Follow the stony path to the right leading to the Charmante car park. Go down on the right by the forest road towards Menthières. At the Sous Varambon car park, continue the descent for 700m and reach the limit of the Reserve.
6. Climb to the right by an old path which after a right bend leads to the pasture. Access a crossing (on either side, a vestige of the alpine village of Varambon). Take the stony path on the left to arrive at the Varambon chalet (possible day shelter and exhibition on the life of shepherds). Continue up the mountain pasture to the Sous les Crêts intersection.
2. Take the uphill path on the left to reach the starting car park.
