Cascades du Hérisson

Ménétrux-en-Joux

In the heart of the Jura lake district, the Hérisson river tumbles down an entire valley in 31 falls, designated a Grand Site de France. First comes the Éventail (Fan), spreading its 65 metres in foaming steps, then the Grand Saut, both linked by a path cut through gorges, pools and forest. This torrent bears a misleading name: tradition holds that "Hérisson" (hedgehog) comes from the old "Yrisson," translated as "sacred water" — nothing to do with the animal. And the sacred water has its stories. At the Saut Girard, tradition tells of a monk named Girard who, despairing of his companions' dissolute life, threw himself from the top of the waterfall, leaving it his name. Behind the Grand Saut lies the Grotte du Géant (Giant's Cave): local legend housed a giant there, before the roof collapsed. Higher up, the Grotte Lacuzon owes its name to 19th-century Romantics — Charles Nodier and Xavier de Montépin sheltered there, in pure fiction, Captain Lacuzon, the Franche-Comté hero of the Ten Years' War, who in all likelihood never set foot in it. For a long time the valley was also industrious: mills, forges and nail works clung to the falls. Moss-covered ruins remain, which the trail crosses. In spring or after rain, when the flow swells, the roar of the falls fills the whole valley; in winter, frost turns them into organs of ice.

Getting there : Maison des cascades, 16 Moulin du Val, 39130 Ménétrux-en-Joux (paid car park in season): the Éventail is 5–10 minutes' walk away; full trail 7.4 km round trip (3 h, 255 m elevation gain); other access points via Ilay (Saut Girard) and Bonlieu. Coordinates: Éventail waterfall.

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound