Switzerland Arkelin · CC BY-SA 4.0
The cut
456 metres, to scale.
A slice through Gorges du Pichoux 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.
456m
Depth
measured on the 30 m relief model
2.4km
Rim to rim
measured on the 30 m relief model
32°
Steepest wall
average over 300 m, from the relief
524m
Floor altitude
Rim to floor
3 °C warmer at the bottom.
In July the afternoon reaches 24 °C on the floor, against 21 °C on the rim. The best months to hike are from June to September. The rim freezes at night from November to March. The wettest months are in May.
- 3°0°Jan
- 4°1°Feb
- 9°6°Mar
- 14°11°Apr
- 18°15°May
- 22°19°Jun
- 24°21°Jul
- 23°20°Aug
- 19°16°Sep
- 14°11°Oct
- 8°5°Nov
- 4°0°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.
Ravines in Switzerland
Gorges du Pichoux is a canyon in Switzerland, cut by the La Sorne river. The relief model measures 456 m from the floor to the lower rim. Rim to rim it is 2.4 km wide where the cut was taken.
Getting there.
- Gloveliernearest town · 5.6 km in a straight line
- Parking 600 m awaynearest car park in OpenStreetMap, straight line
- Viewpointsnearest viewpoint · 1.0 km from the floor
- EuroAirport Basel–Mulhouse–Freiburg (BSL)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 41 km in a straight lineCar hire at BSL airport (Bâle / Mulhouse)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
- From June 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.
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
1.4 km
Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 (EOX, CC BY 4.0), 5.5 × 5.5 km, north up. The line is the cut above. Points © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Around the canyon.
- 6viewpoints within 5 kmPoint de vue du départ parapente, Mont, Sur la Falaise and 3 more
- 47marked hiking routes within 4 kmLes Ecorcheresses - fixme, Les Ecorcheresses - Pré La Vigne, Pré La Vigne - Sur la Côte and 44 more
- 8footbridges and suspension bridges within 3 km
- 3caves within 3 km
- 13car parks within 3 km
- 1information boards and visitor centres within 4 km
- 9bus stops within 2 km
- 5campsites within 8 kmTariche, Camping de Belfond, CCP Kohler and 2 more
- 21hotels and guesthouses within 8 kmHôtel Central, Hôtel-Restaurant de la Gare, Terminus and 18 more
- 3restaurants 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
- swimming spots within 3 km
- named waterfalls 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
- Glovelier5.6 km in a straight line
- Bassecourt5.8 km in a straight line
- Reconvilier5.9 km in a straight line
- Malleray6.4 km in a straight line
- Courfaivre6.7 km in a straight line
- Bévilard6.9 km in a straight line
- Tavannes7.7 km in a straight line
- Courtételle9.1 km in a straight line
In our other atlases
What else is around Gorges du Pichoux.
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.
Peakyas20 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 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 18 | 22 | 24 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 8 | 4 |
| Afternoon · rim | 0 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 15 | 19 | 21 | 20 | 16 | 11 | 5 | 0 |
| Night · rim | -6 | -6 | -3 | 1 | 5 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 6 | 2 | -2 | -5 |
| Rain (mm) | 75 | 60 | 74 | 75 | 118 | 105 | 107 | 110 | 79 | 94 | 77 | 86 |
| Rainy days | 13 | 11 | 13 | 13 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 13 | 13 | 14 |
| Sun hours/day | 2.1 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 6.5 | 6.8 | 8.5 | 8.6 | 7.6 | 6.4 | 4.3 | 2.4 | 1.7 |
| Snow on the ground (cm) | 15 | 14 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 13 |
| Afternoon · floor | Afternoon · rim | Night · rim | Rain (mm) | Sun hours/day | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 3 | 0 | -6 | 75 | 2.1 |
| Feb | 4 | 1 | -6 | 60 | 3.5 |
| Mar | 9 | 6 | -3 | 74 | 5.1 |
| Apr | 14 | 11 | 1 | 75 | 6.5 |
| May | 18 | 15 | 5 | 118 | 6.8 |
| Jun | 22 | 19 | 9 | 105 | 8.5 |
| Jul | 24 | 21 | 11 | 107 | 8.6 |
| Aug | 23 | 20 | 10 | 110 | 7.6 |
| Sep | 19 | 16 | 6 | 79 | 6.4 |
| Oct | 14 | 11 | 2 | 94 | 4.3 |
| Nov | 8 | 5 | -2 | 77 | 2.4 |
| Dec | 4 | 0 | -5 | 86 | 1.7 |
Averages 1991–2020 (NASA POWER) for a cell about 55 km wide, brought to the floor (524 m) and the rim (1,000 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 | 54% | 182% | 87% | 40% | 87% | 153% | 56% | 127% | 73% | 145% | 34% | 92% |
| 2021 | 144% | 69% | 58% | 46% | 113% | 169% | 151% | 68% | 65% | 57% | 67% | 119% |
| 2022 | 56% | 112% | 28% | 117% | 47% | 112% | 42% | 76% | 180% | 94% | 118% | 98% |
| 2023 | 75% | 33% | 139% | 127% | 79% | 44% | 103% | 105% | 46% | 109% | 248% | 142% |
| 2024 | 119% | 104% | 137% | 100% | 147% | 149% | 94% | 69% | 211% | 124% | 81% | 93% |
| 2025 | 145% | 59% | 56% | 84% | 67% | 101% | 126% | 109% | 186% | 105% | 128% | 26% |
130% or more: wet month 70% or less: dry month
Compare with the neighbours.
Gorges du Pichoux
Switzerland
- 456 mDepth
- 2.4 kmRim to rim
- —Length
- 32°Steepest wall
Where these figures come from
| Name, type, published depth and length | Wikidata (Q110201795) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| The cut: depth, width, wall and 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| 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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