This walk departs from La Borne au Lion, which marked the old route to Spain and is also the memorial site of the maquis that had a headquarters and field hospital here in WW2. The route leads you to the viewpoint of the Crêt de Chalam where you have a 360 degree panorama of the Alps, the Valserine valley and the top of Reculet.
Distance: 7 km.
Time: 2h00.
Grade: Moderate.
Type: Circular.
Gps Track: Yes.
Route description: Yes.
Wheelchair: Not suitable.
Dog: Allowed.
Height gain: 479 meters.
Trail: 98% unpaved.
Marking: Partially GR.
Hiking shoes recommended.
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La Borne au Lion.
From the parking it goes up through the forest to "Sous la Crête". Here the route bends to the Crêt de Chalam. The last 100 meters are very steep to the top. You descend via the same route until the exit for Tamisat. When you are all the way down, take the GR9 to the parking.
Download PDF for route description.
In rain, the way back via Tamisat can be very muddy.
Last 100 meters very steep with steps and tree trunks.
POI 1 - Crét de Chalam.
The view of the Crét de Chalam extends over the entire Valserine valley, the anticline of the Jura mountains, including the summit of Reculet. You also have a view of the Alps and especially the Mont Blanc massif. In the south you see the Grand Crêt d'Eau and the peaks of the Bugey. In the north and west we see the entire east-west part of the Jura mountains, as well as the plain of Bresse.
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POI 2 - La Borne au Lion.
At the crossroads of different areas, the Crêt de Chalam area has different border markings, the best known being "La borne au lion". Throughout history the site was the border between the kingdoms of France, Spain and Italy, then between Franche-Comté and Bugey by the Treaty of Auxonne in 1612. A few centuries later, the forested and isolated mountain was the ideal place for resistance against the occupier and fierce fighting took place. Today, much more peaceful, the milestone marks the administrative boundary between the departments of Jura and Ain. The Borne au lion is named after the Franche-Comté lion.
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