Crêt de la Neige

Overview

Crêt de la Neige (alt 1720 m / prominence 1230 m) is the highest summit in the Jura Mountain range. It is, however, rather uninspiring being almost unrecognisably higher than the hills surrounding it. Furthermore, the summit is surrounded by bushes. The nearby Reculet, despite being 3 m less high, is more impressive looking as it is considerably higher than any nearby hill and, as a result, it is more heavily blasted by wind causing there to be no trees and less vegetation than on Crêt de la Neige. Though it is possible to climb Crêt de la Neige directly from Tiocan, it is common to perform a traverse along the ridge linking Le Reculet and Crêt de la Neige.

It should be noted that, due to their common access point and nearby location, much of the information between this article and the one for Le Reculet will overlap.

Getting There

It is possible to reach Crêt de la Neige from the Tiocan overlook. To reach the Tiocan follow the signs pointing toward "le Tiocan" which are visible from the road D89 which passes through Thoiry. After following the signage, you will find yourself on a "route forestière" which will lead you to a Hotel Restaurant, the parking, and the Tiocan overlook.

Routes

Par Thoiry Devant et Curson
From the Tiocan parking, follow the path (mostly dirt interspersed with stones) to the left of the Hotel-Restaurant. This dirt path is somewhat steep and will cross the forest road twice. Eventually, after crossing the forest road for the second time, the path turns into more of a road and there are patches of concrete visible. Following this will lead to a branching with a sign saying La Croisée (1190 m). To the the right is Curson, Thoiry Devant, and Reculet. To the left is Narderans and Le Reculet. Turn off toward the right following the partially paved auto road in the directon of Thoiry Devant. The sign says this leg of the trip will take 50 min, but at a good pace it will take much less to reach Thoiry Devant. Once there, follow the signs for Crêt de la Neige par Curson.

The route from here will continue on fairly flat terrain passing through and around various hills until you reach the summit which will be marked only by a sign saying "Crêt de la Neige"

Camping

Though camping is illegal, it is possible to bivouac.

Furthermore there is a hut called "Chalet du Narderan" though it is only possible to use it if you are a resident of Thoiry.

Images

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