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Rochejean, barrage du Fourperet

France France Canyon

Gorges du Fourpéret

328 m of rock, cut by the Doubs.

See the cutWhen to go

JGS25 · CC BY-SA 4.0

The cut

328 metres, to scale.

A slice through Gorges du Fourpéret where it is deepest and narrowest, measured on the Copernicus relief model every 30 m. Same scale as the landmark standing on the floor.

1,177 m1,296 m328 m18 km rim to rim5.0 kmvertical scale × 3.01,177 m1,296 m328 m18 km rim to rim5.0 kmvertical scale × 3.0

Standing on the floor, to scale: Great Pyramid · 139 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.

328m

Depth

measured on the 30 m relief model

17.6km

Rim to rim

measured on the 30 m relief model

19°

Steepest wall

average over 300 m, from the relief

849m

Floor altitude

Rim to floor

3 °C warmer at the bottom.

In July the afternoon reaches 22 °C on the floor, against 19 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from June to August. The rim freezes at night from November to March.

rim · 1,296 mfloor · 849 m
  1. 1°-2°Jan
  2. 2°-1°Feb
  3. 7°4°Mar
  4. 12°9°Apr
  5. 15°12°May
  6. 20°17°Jun
  7. 22°19°Jul
  8. 22°19°Aug
  9. 18°15°Sep
  10. 13°10°Oct
  11. 6°4°Nov
  12. 2°-1°Dec
Hike: Jun–AugFrost on the rim: Nov–Mar

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 du Fourpéret is a canyon in France, cut by the Doubs river. The relief model measures 328 m from the floor to the lower rim, and 448 m to the higher one. Rim to rim it is 18 km wide where the cut was taken.

Getting there.

  • Jougnenearest town · 7.2 km in a straight line
  • Parking 340 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
  • Belvédère des Deux Lacsnearest viewpoint · 2.1 km from the floor
  • Geneva International Airport (GVA)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 60 km in a straight lineCar hire at GVA airport (Geneva)Discover Cars · sponsored link
  • From June to Augustbest 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 Doubs runs highest from October to June.

The Doubs carries about 6.9 m³/s on average here.

  1. 10 m³/sJan
  2. 8.0 m³/sFeb
  3. 11 m³/sMar
  4. 8.5 m³/sApr
  5. 10 m³/sMay
  6. 7.0 m³/sJun
  7. 4.3 m³/sJul
  8. 4.1 m³/sAug
  9. 2.8 m³/sSep
  10. 6.0 m³/sOct
  11. 6.7 m³/sNov
  12. 9.2 m³/sDec

From about 2.8 m³/s in the lowest month to 11 m³/s in the highest. Its basin above this point covers 178 km².

Follow the Doubs from source to mouth on Riveryas

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.

Gorges du Fourpéret seen from above (Sentinel-2) N 6 km

Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 24 × 24 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Around the canyon.

  • 5viewpoints within 5 kmBelvedere des Charmois, Belvédère des Deux Lacs and 3 more
  • 7marked hiking routes within 4 kmSentier du Tour du Lac, Le fort Saint Antoine n°10, Sentier du Berger des Vaches and 4 more
  • 9footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 kmChemin du Tour du Lac and 8 more
  • 2swimming spots within 3 km
  • 1named waterfalls within 4 kmPont du Lhaut
  • 1caves within 3 km
  • 99car parks within 3 km
  • 47information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
  • 8bus stops within 2 km
  • 12campsites within 8 kmCamping Municipal de la Source du Doubs, Camping Saint-Point-Lac, Aire de camping-car de Saint-Point-Lac and 9 more
  • 54hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmLes Sapins de l'Amitié, Gîte Etape La Randonnée, Cabane de la Gymn "Mont d'Or - Bellevue" and 51 more
  • 11restaurants and cafés within 4 km
  • via ferrata routes within 4 km
  • climbing crags within 3 km
  • rafting, canoe, kayak or canyoning spots within 4 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

  • Jougne7.2 km in a straight line
  • Vallorbe8.5 km in a straight line
  • Les Fourgs11 km in a straight line
  • Frasne15 km in a straight line
  • La Cluse-et-Mijoux15 km in a straight line
  • Pontarlier16 km in a straight line
  • Sainte-Croix17 km in a straight line
  • Le Chenit18 km in a straight line

In our other atlases

What else is around Gorges du Fourpéret.

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.

Cascadyas1 waterfalls nearbyComing soon
Saut du Day · 12 km
Peakyas14 mountains within 15 km
Le Morond1,419 m · 6.5 kmMont d'Or1,463 m · 8.2 kmLe Mont de l'Herba1,303 m · 10 kmDent de Vaulion1,483 m · 12 kmLa Dent1,201 m · 12 kmMont Risoux1,419 m · 12 kmLe Gros Crêt / Grand Crêt1,419 m · 13 kmLe Suchet1,588 m · 15 km
Lakeyas5 lakes within 15 kmComing soon
Lac de Remoray1.1 km² · 0.4 kmLac de Saint-Point4.0 km² · 4.2 kmLac de l'Entonnoir0.7 km² · 8.4 kmÉtang de Frasne0.4 km² · 11 kmLac Brenet0.5 km² · 12 km

Figures 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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Afternoon · floor1271215202222181362
Afternoon · rim-2-1491217191915104-1
Night · rim-7-7-4-1379951-3-6
Rain (mm)10281978512210910410985106102116
Rainy days141213131615141312141415
Sun hours/day2.23.55.16.56.88.48.57.66.44.32.41.7
Snow on the ground (cm)141483000001713
Afternoon · floorAfternoon · rimNight · rimRain (mm)Sun hours/day
Jan1-2-71022.2
Feb2-1-7813.5
Mar74-4975.1
Apr129-1856.5
May151231226.8
Jun201771098.4
Jul221991048.5
Aug221991097.6
Sep18155856.4
Oct131011064.3
Nov64-31022.4
Dec2-1-61161.7

Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (849 m) and the rim (1,296 m) with the standard lapse rate. Not a forecast.

Photographs

Seen from the trail.

Rochejean, cascades dans les gorges du Fourperet
JGS25 · CC BY-SA 4.0
Usine électrique du Fourpéret - img 35975
Pmau · CC BY-SA 4.0
Labergement-Sainte-Marie - img 50053
Pmau · CC BY-SA 4.0

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.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
202057%176%92%41%97%146%31%84%103%186%29%94%
2021124%69%64%46%135%133%180%66%69%84%60%145%
202256%119%29%132%43%104%27%72%198%82%130%101%
202394%19%131%128%65%44%83%84%60%158%252%138%
2024108%107%102%127%149%128%84%77%218%152%75%111%
2025142%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 du Fourpéret

France

  • 328 mDepth
  • 18 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 19°Steepest wall

Gorges de l'Orbe

Switzerland · 14 km

  • 538 mDepth
  • 6.3 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 31°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges de la Langouette

France · 25 km

  • 298 mDepth
  • 7.0 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 34°Steepest wall

See the guide

Gorges de Malvaux

France · 24 km

  • 227 mDepth
  • 3.8 kmRim to rim
  • —Length
  • 32°Steepest wall

See the guide

Where these figures come from

Name, type, published depth and lengthWikidata (Q88949510) · CC0
The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D modelCopernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA
River flow and basinHydroATLAS / RiverATLAS v1.0 (Linke et al. 2019) · CC BY 4.0
ClimateNASA POWER, 1991–2020
Viewpoints, trails, bridges and the river line© OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL
ImagesEOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons
Rivers, waterfalls, mountains, lakes, beaches and islands nearbyCoastya, 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

Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?

Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.

beachesCoastyaFind your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit
lakesLakeyasEvery lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit
mountainsPeakyasEvery summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit
waterfallsCascadyasEvery waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit
islandsIslandyasEvery island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.Visit riversRiveryasEvery river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit
canyonsCanyonyasEvery canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.You are here