France Jean de l'Auxois · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
481 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges de Nouailles 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: Big Ben · 96 m · Eiffel Tower · 330 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.
481m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
3.2km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
35°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
374m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
3 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 25 °C on the floor, against 22 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are in June and in September. The rim freezes at night from December to February.
- 4°1°Jan
- 5°2°Feb
- 10°7°Mar
- 15°12°Apr
- 18°15°May
- 23°20°Jun
- 25°22°Jul
- 25°22°Aug
- 21°17°Sep
- 16°13°Oct
- 10°6°Nov
- 5°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 Nouailles is a canyon in France, cut by the Loue river. The relief model measures 481 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 3.2 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Doubsnearest town · 11 km in a straight line
- Parking 620 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 0.2 km from the floor
- Dole Tavaux Airport (DLE)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 66 km in a straight lineCar hire at GVA airport (Geneva)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- In June and in 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 Loue runs highest from October to June.
The Loue carries about 4.9 m³/s on average here.
- 7.3 m³/sJan
- 5.8 m³/sFeb
- 7.4 m³/sMar
- 5.9 m³/sApr
- 6.8 m³/sMay
- 4.7 m³/sJun
- 2.9 m³/sJul
- 2.8 m³/sAug
- 2.0 m³/sSep
- 4.3 m³/sOct
- 4.9 m³/sNov
- 6.6 m³/sDec
From about 2.0 m³/s in the lowest month to 7.4 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 164 km².
The Loue 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
1.8 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 7.0 × 7.0 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 17viewpoints within 5 kmPoint de vue du Moine, Belvédère de Renédale, Roche de Hautepierre and 14 more
- 10marked hiking routes within 4 kmVia Francigena - part France - 04 Besançon - frontière, Entre Loue et Lison au Pays de Courbet, Les Belvédères and 7 more
- 1climbing crags within 3 km
- 9footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 3named waterfalls within 4 kmLe Grand Saut, Source du Pontet, Cascade de Syratus
- 7caves within 3 km
- 36car parks within 3 km
- 25information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 2bus stops within 2 km
- 4campsites within 8 kmLe Champaloux, Camping Les Oyes, Camping Municipal du Pré Bailly and 1 more
- 21hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmHôtel-Restaurant La Cascade, Auberge du Moine, Le P'tit Guilloux and 18 more
- 4restaurants 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
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
- Doubs11 km in a straight line
- Pontarlier14 km in a straight line
- Étalans14 km in a straight line
- Gilley14 km in a straight line
- Valdahon15 km in a straight line
- Ornans15 km in a straight line
- Levier15 km in a straight line
- La Cluse-et-Mijoux17 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges de Nouailles.
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
Cascadyas1 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Peakyas1 mountains within 15 kmFigures 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 | 4 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 18 | 23 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 10 | 5 |
| Afternoon · rim | 1 | 2 | 7 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 22 | 22 | 17 | 13 | 6 | 2 |
| Night · rim | -5 | -5 | -2 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 12 | 11 | 7 | 4 | 0 | -4 |
| Rain (mm) | 102 | 81 | 97 | 85 | 122 | 109 | 104 | 109 | 85 | 106 | 102 | 116 |
| Rainy days | 14 | 12 | 13 | 13 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 14 | 15 |
| Sun hours/day | 2.2 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 8.4 | 8.5 | 7.6 | 6.4 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 14 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 13 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 4 | 1 | -5 | 102 | 2.2 |
| Feb | 5 | 2 | -5 | 81 | 3.5 |
| Mar | 10 | 7 | -2 | 97 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 15 | 12 | 2 | 85 | 6.5 |
| May | 18 | 15 | 6 | 122 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 23 | 20 | 10 | 109 | 8.4 |
| Jul | 25 | 22 | 12 | 104 | 8.5 |
| Aug | 25 | 22 | 11 | 109 | 7.6 |
| Sep | 21 | 17 | 7 | 85 | 6.4 |
| Oct | 16 | 13 | 4 | 106 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 10 | 6 | 0 | 102 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 5 | 2 | -4 | 116 | 1.7 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (374 m) and the rim (860 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.
Photographs
Seen from the trail.
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 | 57% | 176% | 92% | 41% | 97% | 146% | 31% | 84% | 103% | 186% | 29% | 94% |
| 2021 | 124% | 69% | 64% | 46% | 135% | 133% | 180% | 66% | 69% | 84% | 60% | 145% |
| 2022 | 56% | 119% | 29% | 132% | 43% | 104% | 27% | 72% | 198% | 82% | 130% | 101% |
| 2023 | 94% | 19% | 131% | 128% | 65% | 44% | 83% | 84% | 60% | 158% | 252% | 138% |
| 2024 | 108% | 107% | 102% | 127% | 149% | 128% | 84% | 77% | 218% | 152% | 75% | 111% |
| 2025 | 142% | 55% | 48% | 89% | 70% | 119% | 114% | 108% | 182% | 149% | 154% | 30% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges de Nouailles
France
- 481 mDepth
- 3.2 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 35°Steepest wall
Gorges du Doubs
Switzerland · 35 km
- 377 mDepth
- 4.4 kmRim to rim
- 40 kmLength
- 30°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q36698505) · 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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