Day Hike along the Areuse Gorge & up to Creux du Van

A stunning day hike with a mostly flat part along the beautiful canyon of the Areuse river, lunch in an almost 300-year-old farm, and the ascension to the impressive and unique rocky cirque of Creux du Van!

What’s the plan?

We meet at Boudry train station at 08:20.

We start the day with a quick coffee and croissant to get to know each other and charge our batteries for the long day ahead. We then start this day hike along the Areuse river and its stunning and tight canyon, with sheer cliffs, stone bridges & narrow walkways.

After more or less 10km along the canyon, we hike up through the forest to the 18th-century farm Ferme Robert, located at 972m above sea level. The Ferme Robert lies at the foot of one of the most beautiful and imposing landscapes of the limestone Jura chain: the natural reserve of Creux du Van. If the weather permits, we can have our lunch at the farm.

After lunch, we take the time to digest on a mostly flat path through the forest to Les Oeillons, another local restaurant where we can part ways if some are tired and prefer to make their way back to the train station in Noiraigue. Otherwise, we then start our steep climb to the top of Creux du Van, the highest point of our hike at 1375m, so we can enjoy the gorgeous views of this unique rocky cirque (1400m wide and 150m deep), sometimes referred to as the “Swiss Grand Canyon”.

Once we’ve enjoyed these panoramic views, we slowly make our way down through meadows and forests and finish our hike in Travers, where we can catch a train.

Technical Information

Distance: 22km
Walking duration: 7.5h
Ascent: 1150m
Descent: 900m

This trip is led by Celine Kahn, apprentice mountain leader.

Requirements

To join this hike to Creux du Van, you need to be a fit hiker. It is a long hike with over 1000m elevation gain.

Kit list

• Must have:

  • Hiking shoes
  • Small backpack with waterproof cover
  • Waterproof jacket and over trousers
  • Fleece
  • Down jacket
  • Hiking trousers or shorts
  • Warm hat
  • Gloves
  • Sunglasses
  • Sun hat
  • Water

  Nice to have:

  • Hiking poles
  • Sunscreen and lip protection
  • Snacks

How to get there?

If you are traveling from Zurich by public transport, we recommend you to take the following:

• Zurich HB 06:30 – 08:20 Boudry (via Neuchatel)
• Travers 16:50 – 18:56 Zurich HB (via Neuchatel)

Pricing

The price of CHF15 is mainly to avoid having people signing up and not turning up as I am limiting the number of participants and book tables at the restaurant for lunch. Included in this price is the organisation, and a coffee and a croissant at your arrival in Boudry 🙂

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