Walking in the Haute Savoie: North
Walking in the Haute Savoie: North
Price
£12.00
WALK 1: Salève – Orjobet/Grande Gorge
Alt. 1285m (Salève–Geneva region)Difficulty: Medium; steep up and down
Time: 4hrs
Height gain: 619m
Maps: Editions Didier & Richard IGN No. 3 Massifs du Chablais Faucigny & Genevois 1:50,000; Cartes IGN 3430 OT Top 25 Mont Salève/St Julien-en-Genevois/Annemasse 1:25,000; Carte Touristique du Salève 1:25,000 (published by the Club Alpin Suisse – Geneva Section)
Depart from: Le Coin – 666m
Signposting: Could be clearer – white signposts, posts with yellow arrows on green background; these have replaced the faded blue splashes and red/white GR markings, but are not very frequent, so where they are missing, follow blue splashes; at the top you are on the Balcon Paysager des Crêtes
Though steep in places, this is a lovely walk up the Salève within easy reach of Geneva, and is very popular. It is better to do the walk when the leaves are off the trees as you have magnificent views on the way up and down as well as on the summit. Bear in mind, though, that you are walking up the north side, so snow may linger here in spring. The Salève is pitted with grottoes and its sheer rock faces are well-known for rock climbing and abseiling.
Access (from Geneva)
Go through Vernier or Troinex customs and turn right towards Collonges sous Salève. Watch for the filter on the right to Bossy/Salève, which goes back left over the motorway and upwards to Le Coin (this is the better road). At Le Coin there is a junction. Go up right, signposted La Croisette/Salève, and at La Croisette park your car in the large parking area on a corner. Alternative Go through customs at Croix de Rozon and straight on across the main road, signposted Collonges sur Salève. At the crossroads take the road up the Salève signposted La Croisette which leads to Le Coin. Proceed as above.
The Route
(1) Take the narrow tarmac road which goes up on the left of the road to the Salève, across from the car park. There is a signpost indicating you are at Le Coin 666m and a signpost to La Corraterie and La Croisette. The road soon becomes stony and on the left-hand side there is a clearing with an orientation map which gives information about the geological and botanical terrain of the region (in French only). The path narrows and goes upwards through woods to reach a fork.
(2) Go right following a wooden post with yellow arrows on a green background and then left following the sign to Orjobet. This is a well-defined sunken track, often quite steep, through woods. Take this path upwards following carefully the sporadic yellow arrows on a green background, faded blue splashes and intermittent GR signs (red/white splashes).
After 20mins the path becomes rocky and you get your first superb view on the left of the Geneva countryside below, with the Jura on the horizon. Follow blue splashes to the right and do not go straight. There are some rocky steps and a lovely viewpoint to the left (25mins).
Continue upwards on the rocky path which bears to the left. You are climbing around an overhanging rock face on natural rocky steps with an iron cable for security. About 5mins later there is an opening in the rock face which is the entrance to a large, impressive grotto, the Grotte d’Orjobet. A plaque on the wall says ‘Sentier d’Orjobet crée 1905 par la Section Genevoise du Club Alpin Suisse’. First you climb across a long wooden plank with steps and then walk up large steps cut out of the natural stone with another iron cable for safety. Looking back there is a magnificent view of the wooded slopes of the Salève and the mountains framed in the rock – it takes about 5mins to climb through and out on to the other side. The path bears round to the right – if you go straight you will go over the edge, but this is evident!
This grotto was discovered in 1799 by the well-known Geneva scientist H B de Saussure, who named it Orjobet after his guide, a peasant from the village of Le Coin. In 1905 the Geneva section of the Swiss Alpine Club made the path through the cave and has been responsible for its upkeep ever since. They became the official ‘guardians’ of the path from 1955.
Keep to the right on the main path, following intermittent yellow arrows and blue splashes, and ignore any paths going off to the left. The wooded track undulates and curves round the side of the mountain to reach a T-junction and a signpost indicating you are at Orjobet 1200m (1hr 15mins).
(3) Go right following the sign La Croisette 20mins (the Balcon du Léman path joins here). The path left goes to the Trou de la Tine and La Corraterie, an interesting cliff walk where you can watch more intrepid souls rock climbing. You can continue on this track all the way to No. 5 on the map, signpost Grande Gorge Sud (this has not been done by the author). The path levels out somewhat and then comes out of the woodland onto the shoulder of the mountain (1hr 20mins).
(4) Go through an opening in the fence on the left (if you follow the path straight up you will reach the road along the top of the Salève). Immediately after, bear up to the right to reach a wide grassy path where you bear left to reach a stile you can see on the horizon. (Careful Ignore the fenced-off area to the immediate left which is for the parapenters.) Go through the stile (yellow arrows here) and follow the wide green path all along the top with a fence to the immediate right. If you look back you will see a TV aerial and a flag, indicating a jumping-off area for parapenters. There are wonderful sweeping views here of the Geneva countryside to the left, with the Jura beyond, and to the right the jagged peaks of the Alps dominated by Mont Blanc.
The grassy track goes through another fence and continues across meadowland. On the horizon you will see an observatory tower with round dishes on it. The track reaches a stone balustrade (concrete blocks which mark the side of the road across the top of the Salève) and a hut. Here there are more white signposts indicating you are at the Grande Gorge Sud alt.1286m. It also indicates that you have just walked on the Balcon Paysager des Crêtes (2hrs).
(5) Continue straight following the sign Le Coin par Grande Gorge. The path goes briefly between the wall, the fence and the gorge and is fairly well defined. Beyond the wall is the road, curling round on the right, as you walk straight across the meadow keeping the fence on your left. Ignore the first white sign, but continue to reach a second one, saying Grande Gorge Nord, very near the road a few minutes later.
(6) Go obliquely to the left as indicated by the arrow (immediate left takes you to a lookout point). At the first T-junction go down left where there is a wooden post with yellow arrows. Soon after you reach a rock face to the left where there is a plaque saying ‘Grande Gorge 1854 to 1954’. Don’t go straight here but down right. At first you curl round the mountain (red/white splashes on trees) and then the path becomes steep and stony with cliffs on each side. In one place there are rough stone steps and a chain to hang on to, and further down an iron railing. The path actually goes down the side of the Grande Gorge and there is a lookout on the way down with a magnificent view of the precipitous grey cliffs with trees on the summit.
You come to another plaque on a rock face which says ‘Sentier de la Grande Gorge’, looked after since 1868 by the Section Genevois, Club Alpin Suisse. Also carved in the rock is 1854 G, which is the date the path was made, the money being donated by the public of Geneva. No wonder it is a well-defined path, as it has been used for over 100 years.
Continue down the steep path which skirts the Grande Gorge for a short while and then goes steeply down through a ravine. Though it is rather vertiginous, it is well trodden and there are steps and cables to help you on the more difficult parts. The path goes back down the side of the Grande Gorge and becomes less steep as you get lower. Always keep to the main path. You cross a curiously stony patch in the woods before reaching an intersection at a white signpost (3hrs 20mins).
(7) Go left following sign Circuit Geologique par Le Coin (straight ahead goes to Bossy). This is a flat, defined path going over a boggy area on wooden slats and following the contour of the hill. It is a welcome relief after the long, steep, stony descent. On the left is the steep rock face of the Salève looking even more dramatic from below. Keep straight for 10mins till you arrive at a wide jeep track (post with yellow arrows here). Turn left to meet a wider jeep track coming in from the left and continue along.
(8) Careful About 100m before you reach the road at an iron barrier, turn left on a jeep track (there is no sign) and then almost immediately right on a track through the trees. This takes you on a path alongside the road till you come out at tennis courts. (If you miss this, it doesn’t matter. When you reach the road turn left where there is a white sign indicating Le Coin 15mins.) From the tennis courts you walk along the road for about 15mins (Route de la Croisette), passing the Refuge de Salève on the left and then the Adventist Campus to the right, before going round the corner to the car park (4hrs).
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