Switzerland Gzzz · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
538 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges de l'Orbe where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.
Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 m · Empire State · 443 m
Depth is measured to the lower rim; the width is from rim to rim. A 30 m relief model smooths the narrowest walls, so a slot canyon reads shallower than it is.
538m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
6.3km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
31°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
606m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
6 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 24 °C on the floor, against 19 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in June and from August to September. The rim freezes at night from November to March.
- 3°-2°Jan
- 4°-1°Feb
- 9°3°Mar
- 14°8°Apr
- 18°12°May
- 22°16°Jun
- 24°19°Jul
- 24°18°Aug
- 20°14°Sep
- 15°10°Oct
- 8°3°Nov
- 4°-2°Dec
Afternoon highs, 1991–2020 averages (NASA POWER) brought to the altitude of the rim and of the floor with the standard lapse rate (6.5 °C per 1 000 m). Shade, wind and rock change this on the day. Not a forecast.
Gorges de l'Orbe is a gorge in Switzerland, cut by the Orbe river. The relief model measures 538 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 859 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 6.3 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Vallorbenearest town · 2.3 km in a straight line
- Parking 1,500 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 3.1 km from the floor
- Geneva International Airport (GVA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 58 km in a straight lineCar hire at GVA airport (Geneva)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In June and from August to Septemberbest months to hike (estimate)
Plan the visit
Guided hikes, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
The river
The Orbe runs highest from October to June.
The Orbe carries about 14 m³/s on average here.
- 20 m³/sJan
- 16 m³/sFeb
- 22 m³/sMar
- 18 m³/sApr
- 22 m³/sMay
- 16 m³/sJun
- 9.3 m³/sJul
- 8.7 m³/sAug
- 5.3 m³/sSep
- 12 m³/sOct
- 14 m³/sNov
- 18 m³/sDec
From about 5.3 m³/s in the lowest month to 22 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 327 km².
The Orbe from source to mouth on Riveryas — coming soon
Estimate: long-term flow from the HydroATLAS model (WaterGAP, 1971–2000) shaped by the monthly rain, snow and temperature of the area (NASA POWER). Dams change it. Not a forecast.
From the sky.
The canyon from above, with the relief shaded, the line of the cut, the river and what people have mapped around it.
N
4 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 14 × 14 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 9viewpoints within 5 kmDent de Vaulion, Belvedere des Charmois, Roche à l'Aigle and 6 more
- 30marked hiking routes within 4 kmTP Mollendruz - Romainmôtie, European long distance path E4 - part Switzerland, La Poyette-La Bessonne and 27 more
- 2climbing crags within 3 kmPrivé: Sport et Nature, Mur de grimpe
- 24footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 1named waterfalls within 4 kmSaut du Day
- 86car parks within 3 km
- 17information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 27bus stops within 2 km
- 15campsites within 8 kmLe Patinage, Le Téléski, Stellplatz Crêt Blanc and 12 more
- 45hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmDomaine de Praël, La Butineuse, Maison Junod and 42 more
- 20restaurants and cafés within 4 km
- via ferrata routes within 4 km
- rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 km
- swimming spots within 3 km
- caves within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, around the floor of the canyon. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).
Towns nearby
- Vallorbe2.3 km in a straight line
- Jougne5.0 km in a straight line
- Orbe9.4 km in a straight line
- La Sarraz10 km in a straight line
- Chavornay12 km in a straight line
- Bavois13 km in a straight line
- Les Fourgs13 km in a straight line
- Sainte-Croix14 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges de l'Orbe.
The river that carved it, the waterfalls inside it, the mountains on the rim, the lakes, beaches and island nearby — from our six sister atlases, each with its own figures.
Riveryas1 rivers in the canyon
Cascadyas2 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Peakyas19 mountains within 15 km
Lakeyas3 lakes within 15 kmComing soonFigures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, NOAA, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Month by month
The weather, at the floor and at the rim.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon · floor | 3 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 24 | 20 | 15 | 8 | 4 |
| Afternoon · rim | -2 | -1 | 3 | 8 | 12 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 3 | -2 |
| Night · rim | -8 | -8 | -4 | -1 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 5 | 1 | -4 | -7 |
| Rain (mm) | 96 | 75 | 92 | 82 | 117 | 107 | 101 | 107 | 80 | 103 | 100 | 108 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 3.3 | 4.4 | 5.5 | 6.3 | 6.6 | 8.5 | 8.9 | 7.9 | 6.9 | 5.0 | 3.1 | 2.6 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 16 | 15 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 15 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | -2 | -8 | 96 | 3.3 |
| Feb | 4 | -1 | -8 | 75 | 4.4 |
| Mar | 9 | 3 | -4 | 92 | 5.5 |
| Apr | 14 | 8 | -1 | 82 | 6.3 |
| May | 18 | 12 | 3 | 117 | 6.6 |
| Jun | 22 | 16 | 8 | 107 | 8.5 |
| Jul | 24 | 19 | 10 | 101 | 8.9 |
| Aug | 24 | 18 | 9 | 107 | 7.9 |
| Sep | 20 | 14 | 5 | 80 | 6.9 |
| Oct | 15 | 10 | 1 | 103 | 5.0 |
| Nov | 8 | 3 | -4 | 100 | 3.1 |
| Dec | 4 | -2 | -7 | 108 | 2.6 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (606 m) and the rim (1,465 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Recent years
Wet years, dry years.
Rain of each month as a share of the 1991–2020 average. A dry year means a lower river and hotter rock; a wet one, more water in the gorge.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 56% | 175% | 92% | 50% | 93% | 142% | 37% | 99% | 104% | 203% | 25% | 89% |
| 2021 | 116% | 62% | 57% | 47% | 132% | 121% | 171% | 61% | 82% | 77% | 57% | 157% |
| 2022 | 50% | 116% | 24% | 120% | 43% | 99% | 32% | 67% | 221% | 88% | 127% | 124% |
| 2023 | 91% | 12% | 145% | 127% | 61% | 59% | 80% | 82% | 77% | 164% | 260% | 162% |
| 2024 | 122% | 102% | 103% | 115% | 146% | 117% | 90% | 92% | 256% | 146% | 69% | 110% |
| 2025 | 155% | 52% | 50% | 104% | 81% | 101% | 109% | 100% | 201% | 151% | 147% | 29% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges de l'Orbe
Switzerland
- 538 mDepth
- 6.3 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 31°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q109038267) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| River flow and basin | HydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0 |
| Climate | NASA POWER, 1991–2020 |
| Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearby | Coastya, Lakeyas, Peakyas, Cascadyas, Islandyas, Riveryas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
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