The Confident Hiker

October 2022

Day 1: Les Prés-d’Orvin to Chasseral

Autumn is supposed to be the best time for hiking. The landscape is the most colorful, the temperatures are very comfortable and there is no snow yet to keep you from certain higher up parts to discover. So we decided, that this Tuesday in early October is the perfect time to finally hike together to the Chasseral. A mountain of the Juramountains in the canton of Bern; a place I have visited last when I was a kid.

The Jura Crest Trail (Number 5) is a very old long distance route, that consists of 16 sections, starting in Dielsdorf and ending in Nyon. As the name suggests, it leads over the crests of the swiss Jura. Our first section would have started in Frinvillier with a very steep ascent. As we had to start a bit later in the day, we decided to forgo this part and take the bus from Frinvillier up to Les Prés-d’Orvin. Not only did that save us a bit of time, I also got to avoid some supposedly very exposed and narrow paths. So I suggest to choose this option, if you are not so fond of heights. You will still have a lot of spectacular views and also get your pulse going with some ascending.

From the bus stop “Bellevue” in Les Prés-d’Orvin, we followed the hiking path towards “Crête de Chasseral“, to join the official Jura Crest Trail again, as it doesn’t lead through Prés-d’Orvin. This took about 45 minutes and around 300 meters in height difference.

The asphalt path led us directly into a forest, where the start of a new season became apparent. Little groups of various mushrooms popped up everywhere we looked and a soft layer of brown leaves covered the path.

Coming out of the forest, the path led over green pastures, always slightly upwards. It is worth to occasionally turn back around; not only to admire what you have already achieved but also to not miss out on the first out of many spectacular views over the alps.

Shortly before arriving at the Cabane du Jura, where one will join the Jura Crest trail again, we passed by the Métairie d’Evilard, a restaurant that is sadly only open Saturday and Sunday, but certainly worth a stop, should you hike on one of those days.

From there it is another short ascent to reach the Cabane du Jura, where it is worth it to take another break to admire the stunning view and catch your breath 😉

Slightly out of breath and covered in sweat from the ascent, we took the opportunity for some food. I am still fascinated, how everything tastes better on a hike, the sound of cowbells in the background and a light wind in your hair. After being unexpectedly interrupted in our lunch break by a big herd of cows arriving, we strapped our backpacks back on and continued the hike, under the constant and very curious observation of our bell-wearing four legged friends.

From here on the path stayed wide and open and relatively even and pretty soon offered a first impressive view of the Chasseral and it’s transmitter, which to my surprise is not a “sore spot” in the landscape but rather makes it even more epic and impressive.

Steadily ascending, we followed the path through little patches of trees, some of which looked, like they would have many ancient stories to tell; passing by moss covered stones, mist rising from them, with the low autumn afternoon sun breaking through the golden leaves. The slight crisp smell of Autumn in the air was almost soothing. It is funny, how this is actually the smell of plants dying and rotting and yet it always gives me a feeling of being born anew. And while in Spring, being in nature often makes me feel very exhilarated (a feeling that I equally enjoy) in joyful anticipation of summer, Autumn brings peace and reassurance.

The higher we ascended on the crest on the little trail, the more scarce the trees got and the view to our left opened up again, offering a panorama of the large impressive white mountain formation. After a while of not seeing him at all, the transmitter on top of the Chasseral appeared in our sight again, promising the final destination to be very close.

While I constantly felt like I am walking on the crest of a mountain, high above, I never felt remotely exposed or in danger of falling down. I got to enjoy the views while walking confidently. And because of this feeling I couldn’t resist, standing and posing close to what on the picture looks like a steep cliff over the valley below me.

Standing under the transmitter felt slightly intimidating (that thing is huge!) but we also felt proud, since it meant, we have reached our destination, even though it was still a small descent to the hotel over an asphalt road.

The “Hotel Chasseral” can not be missed, being almost the only building in the area next to the aformentioned transmitter. The Check In was friendly and the rooms are simple and a bit outdated (something I came to know as a certain “Jura style”) but charming nonetheless. And to be honest, with the view we had, the interior design was very secondary anyway. The majestic alpine chain against the clear blue sky still left us speechless.

Not wanting to miss out on a, what we predicted to be a beautiful evening sky, we both enjoyed a quick but long awaited refreshing shower, before heading to the restaurant. The restaurant serves a lot of traditional swiss meals such as Fondue, Raclette, Käseschnitte and Rösti. As usual after a long day of walking, being very hungry made it rather hard to decide on one of them. Ultimately we enjoyed a lasagne and cheese rösti with a local beer, served with a breathtaking sunset-spectacle over the alps.

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Day 2: Chasseral via Vue des Alpes to La Chaux-des-Fonds

We wanted to start our second hiking day relatively early and got up at around 7 to have breakfast. We were greeted by yet another breathtaking sight of the alps above an ocean of fluffy white clouds, drenched in morning sunlight.

At 9 o clock with a clear blue sky and a very strong wind, we put on our backpacks. Todays path immediately started with a descent from the crest, so we took one last admiring look at the alpine chain, before descending on the northside over a rocky but relatively wide road in the cool shade of the Chasseral. The path led us over juicy green Jura pastures, past the Métairie de St-Jean and the Métairie de Dombresson-Frienisberg, offering a view over the valley, covered in mist and the colorful trees, before we descended into the forest of the Combe Biosse, a beautiful, serene canyon, leaving the sight of the Chasseral behind.

For a while the path followed the river Le Ruz Chasseran, winding its way through the wooded canyon on soft forest paths over little bridges, passing mosscovered trees, gradually descending. The early morning air was crisp; the fairytale like forest lay still and all we heard were the branches cracking beneath our feet. While it is quite a descend and a steep one at times, I never felt uneasy or worried concerning the hight. Maybe the dense peaceful forest made me feel held and safe. Still it is good to consider, that some of the pathways are relatively narrow and at times somewhat exposed.

The descent ended at around 900 meters in the quiet little farmers village Le Pâquier, where we first had to change our attire due to the warm bright autumn sun that the forest had shielded us from for the past 1.5 hours. Out of Le Pâquier the path followed the main road for a moment, before branching off on a little asphalt road, passing some farmhouses in the little hamlet of Le Côty. Leaving the asphalt road behind, wading through high grass back into the forest, we started a gentle ascend on wide gravel roads and pasture pathways.

Looking back we got another clear view of the Chasseral massif and were again fascinated how fast we put such a distance and altitude between us and our starting point in a couple of hours.

The last ascent of todays portion to the Mont d’amin was quite intense and at times dragged on a bit (maybe that was also just me being slightly tired and hot); so the discovery of a perfect spot in the shadows to have our lunch about 3 quarters in was a very welcome break to relax and regain some energy.

From the top of the Mont d’amin, also the highest point of todays section, we were offered yet another breathtaking view over the alps as well as the Lac Neuchâtel. If you can keep your energy and your appetite until the top, I highly recommend making your lunch break here. It is another example of an ascent being worth the work with such a reward at the end. And again: no problem for the ones among us with a fear of heights: The pathways are rarely narrow, barely exposed and mostly just challenging in terms of steepness 😉

From the Mont d’amin we were led over peaceful green Jura-pastures, very gently descending towards Vue des Alpes, the official end of todays section. On our right we got a glimpse of La Chaux-des-fonds in the near distance.

The peacefulness up here was truly magical; the effortlessness while walking, the views all around us, the gentle breeze through our hair… I could have stopped every few meters, layd down and just enjoyed the serene atmosphere.

In Vue des Alpes we did what many other visitors -by Bus, car, motorbike, bike or foot, also do: enjoy another alpine panorama and have a cold beer with a piece of pie. I have to admit: after this long hike with barely any human encounters, the busy atmosphere was almost a bit overwhelming.

Having not bothered to check for the timetables of the buses in advance as we felt, that this might put a pressure on our hike, we realized that the next bus is over an hour away. So we decided to add another hour to our hike and reach La Chaux-des-Fonds by foot.

After first following the very busy mainroad, the path luckily soon separated and led over smaller roads and pathways until reaching a long staircase through a forest, where a majority of the altitude is left behind. After that it took us another half hour until we reached the City of La Chaux-des-Fonds, where we could finally rest our tired feet in the “petit train rouge”, that took us all the way home.

Click here to see this section on “SchweizMobil”

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This is a perfect two day hike. While the sections are not to be underestimated in terms of intensity and length, you will be rewarded regularly for your “troubles”😊 And while we did get our sweat on (especially if you are going on warm sunny days like we did) and our feet definitely reminded us of the past long sections, there were also so many parts, where I would completely forget the time and would feel as if I am floating in an ocean of clouds. Especially the last parts of the first section on the ridge of the Chasseral felt absolutely magical and, I dare say, out of this world.

Day 1: Les Près-d’ Orvin to Chasseral	Difficulty: T1 (Hiking Trail) Length: 11.92 km Duration: 3:48 h Ascent/Descent: 781m/ 239m
Day 2: Chasseral to La Chaux-de-Fonds via Vue des Alpes	Difficulty: T1 (Hiking Trail) Length: 24.84 km Duration: 6:59 h Ascent/Descent: 780m/1’325m

Some more useful facts about this hike

• If you were to do the section all the way from its official starting point in Frinvillier, it would be 3 hours 15 minutes, 8.34 km and an ascent of 901 meters until the Cabane du Jura.
• Especially in the summer months the Chasseral is a popular spot, so I definitely recommend to reserve a room in the hotel ahead of time. There are two other hotels/BnB relatively close by (Hotel du Cheval Blanc and BnB Alp St. Jean) but the Hotel Chasseral lays right at the hiking trails and would therefore always be my first option.
• If you want to take the Bus from Vue des Alpes instead of hiking down to La Chaux-de-Fonds, I recommend checking the timetable ahead of time, as it doesn’t drive regularly.