Hike to Pont des Pierres & Gorges de la Valserine
In the fall of 2019, I went on a hike near Bellegarde-sur-Valserine: I walked the Voie du Tram until Pont des Pierres and took a trail along the Valserine river on the way back.
Here is a map of the path I walked (download KML):
In the morning, I took a LIHSA bus (line 22) from Annecy to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine (now renamed Valserhône). Starting from the train station, I walked to Pont du Tram in order to cross the Valserine river. On the other side, I followed the Voie du Tram, a path along the former course of a tramway line that closed in 1937. I passed through the village of Confort and reached Pont des Pierres, a large bridge across the Valserine originally built for the tramway. I made a detour to a waterfall (Cascade de la Sandezanne) near the bridge but soon started on the way back to Bellegarde using a path along the Gorges de la Valserine. It was quite wet and slippery. I reached Pont de Confort, a small bridge on the Valserine, after a while, crossed there and walked a small distance on the left bank of the river until a view on the confluence of the Valserine and Sémine rivers on the other side. I went back to the bridge and crossed the Sémine river using Pont de Coz then kept on the right bank of the Valserine until the Pertes de la Valserine, where I had already been coming from the other direction. I crossed the river using Pont des Oulles then followed the trail back to Bellegarde.
Above, Gare SNCF de Bellegarde.
Above, thick fog while crossing Pont du Tram.
Above, Valserine river below.
Above, Voie du Tram path marker.
Above, viability in doubt.
Above, Grand Crêt d’Eau.
Above, Grand Colombier.
Above, towards Nantua.
Above, in confort.
Above, restaurant Tram Bar in Confort.
Above, angry dog.
Above, old tramway stop.
Above, Pont des Pierres.
Above, Valserine.
Above, detour to Cascade de la Sandezanne.
Above, the trail was very slippery so I didn’t go all the way for the best view.
Above, viewpoint on Pont des Pierres on the way to Bellegarde.
Above, Gorges de la Valserine towards Châtillon-en-Michaille.
Above, trail along the Gorges.
Above, very wet.
Above, the trail was flooded in a few places.
Above, Pont de Confort.
Above, on the left bank of the Valserine.
Above, Mélée des Eaux (confluence of the Sémine and Valserine rivers).
Above, crossing the Sémine river on Pont de Coz.
Above, back on the trail along the Valserine towards the Pertes.
Above, Valserine at a place called La Gouille Noire.
Above, fast flow at the Pertes de la Valserine.
Above, crossing the Pertes on Pont des Oulles.
Above at Barrage de Métral.
Above, Passerelle Piétonne du Moulin Convert.
Above, almost back at Pont du Tram.
Above, back at the train station in Bellegarde.