Les Rousses: see the Alps from the Jura

Le Jura is a large massif that stretches over more than 150 km between France and Switzerland. As everywhere else, we cannot say that there is a single " Jura ", and the landscapes are varied between plateaus, narrow valleys, wooded valleys and lakes.

From its summits we admire the Alps! Especially in winter when the snow whitens the contours on the horizon.

There are three good reasons to go there in winter, and it is in the resort of Les Rousses that you can make the most of these assets.

Winter in Les Rousses, in the Jura: cold and snow!

If you like cold and snow, you will be served. On the high plateaus above 1000m altitude, -10°C are often reached, or even -20°C. The cold record in France was reached at mouth, a few kilometers from Les Rousses, where the thermometer passed the -40°C mark.

In the Jura, you will find plateaus surrounded by wooded heights, and apart from in the far south of the Jura, above Lake Geneva where the highest peaks exceed 1700m in altitude, the other regions hardly exceed 1400m, and allow everyone to put on cross-country skis, snowshoes and go for a walk, to discover this sublime country...

On the station of Redhead The snow usually appears just before Christmas and lasts until spring: the cross-country ski trails in the forest and the downhill ski slopes on the northern slope of the Dôle allow you to enjoy winter sports.

Walk with AlpAddict in the Jura forests — The forests of Jura

The Jura forests around Les Rousses: a Far North atmosphere

Canadian or Finnish atmosphere guaranteed, especially when the stormy wind pushes the snow against the trunks and branches of the tall fir trees. The very dense forests that cover the reliefs are havens of tranquility and silence for long walks to discover the local fauna.

There are forests everywhere, and it is no coincidence that wood crafts, sawmills, and wooden toy factories play a major role in the local economy here.

The tracks of cross-country skiing cross these forests and allow a geographical escape that lets you experience the sensations of trappers in Quebec. Especially when the trails run along long frozen lakes, such as Lac des Rousses or the even larger Lac de Joux.

Apart from certain parts of Vercors and Chartreuse, there are no places at altitude as vast, as wild and as sparsely populated in France.

The Jura plateaus between sky and forests

The landscapes of the Jura: the balcony on the Alps

As soon as you leave the forest and find yourself on a ridge or a summit, your eyes can see far away, especially towards the Alps.

The most beautiful landscapes are those that can be seen from the crest of the mountains Jura, between the stations of Redheadand of Lélex- Jura Mountains. The summit of La Dôle, in Swiss territory, and which can be reached very easily with a ski lift, overlooks Lake Geneva a little north of Geneva and allows you to see its French shore topped by the giant of our mountains, Mont Blanc. It is a breathtaking spectacle, which you absolutely must discover in good weather!

Lake Geneva and Mont Blanc seen from the summit of La Dôle in the Jura — Magnificent panorama of Mont Blanc from the Jura peaks

Le Jura in winter it is the discovery of a mountain within everyone's reach; an ideal place to recharge your batteries and enjoy landscapes very different from the plains that are so close. In a short time in winter when you go up the slopes of the Jura to get to the station Redhead, we move from a city landscape to a landscape of the Far North, and it is this snowy atmosphere made warm by welcoming forests that makes you want to return again and again to see these landscapes and these very aerial panoramas of the Alps.