Chez Mimi
Mouthe

Chez Mimi

Fauna – Flora
Pastoralism and agriculture
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Between France and Switzerland, an easy walk through a landscape of combes. In the summer, the animals' cowbells ring out around the chalets, former stopovers where smugglers once operated.
This short yet enjoyable walk including combes, meadows, woods and forests takes you from chalet to chalet in a rural atmosphere, at the heart of a site that is classified as a Sensitive Natural Area by the French department of Doubs due to its remarkable landscape, wildlife, floral and geological heritage.

8 points of interest

  • History & Heritage

    On a discovery of the "les bâties" trail

    Eight markers are scattered along this trail to help you to discover the typical mountain pastures of the Jura mountain, moulded over time by nature and human activity. From geology to mountain pastures, to its pastures and chalets, whilst passing through forests, woodlands and low dry-stone walls, this circuit takes you, step-by step, on a discovery of the secrets of this Sensitive Natural Area of the Département of the Doubs (booklet available at the Tourist Office and at the Chez Liadet gîte).

  • Fauna

    The Eurasian Pygmy Owl, a small mountain owl

    Measuring only 17 cm (like a starling), this species is the smallest owl in Europe. It appreciated old spruce or fir tree forests, mixed with deciduous trees and uses the cavities dug by other birds, such as woodpeckers, to lay its eggs. This owl is partly diurnal (it is active during the day), and mainly feeds on small birds and mammals (vole, field mice, etc.).

  • History & Heritage

    The Summer Chalets

    During the 16th century, to accommodate livestock during the summer, offer housing to the shepherd and the cheese-maker and to ensure the production of Comté cheese, solid chalets were built with all necessary equipment to handle livestock and transform milk into butter and cheese. They housed large stables, a small home and a room to make cheese, where the pot was suspended under the chimney. Today, some of these chalets have kept their pastoral function, by accommodating livestock, whilst others have disappeared or now serve as shelters, restaurants, holiday homes, etc.

  • Know-how

    Traces of a “sanglier”?

    Under the bark of spruce trunks is where the sanglier’s raw material can be found. But not the animal (sanglier means wild boar in French)! The Sanglier is the less-wary artisan who bears the same name. From the inner bark, the Sanglier creates “Sangles”, long straps that are used to wrap a certain cheese: the Vacherin Mont d’Or (a cheese with a protection designation of origin). It is these “sangles” that will give the cheese its characteristic woody flavour.

  • Flora

    The great yellow gentian or the false helleborine?

    Did you know? The false helleborine, a toxic plant, closely resembles the great yellow gentian. When not in flower, you can differentiate them by comparing their leaves: those of the gentian are opposite (facing each other on the stem), while those of the false helleborine are alternate (i.e, they are positioned alternately). The gentian’s roots, when macerated and distilled, can serve to make a well-known digestive alcohol.

  • Fauna

    The ring ouzel

    This large white-breasted thrush returns to the Jura in April after spending the winter in North Africa. It favours wooded meadows and woodlands. In mountain pastures, it can be found looking for worms to feed on when the snow starts to melt, in areas still wet from ice water.

  • Pastoralism and agriculture

    Pastures and bell-wearing herds

    In the High-Doubs as in the High Jura, the ringing of bells represents both a rite and the love of musical harmony. And each cow has its own bell! With the sound of the bells, and from this infinite variety, comes the music of an entire herd. The “désalpe”, which used to mark the descent of the mountain herds, could be heard 5 km away as the crow flies helped by favourable winds. The deafening sound of the heavy bells around the cows’ necks marked the end of the summer. An audio marker in our landscapes, the soft sound of the bells will give a rhythm to your steps along this itinerary.

  • Fauna

    The Eurasian lynx

    This emblematic feline needs a vast territory with a large forest massif. It certainly needs space: the female’s territory is close to 200 km²n and that of a male is closer to 400 km²! A solitary animal, male and female lynx only meet during mating season, from February to April.


Description

From the parking lot in the CHEZ LIADET hamlet, this walk starts (yellow and blue waymarking) slow through a road that winds through the combe, heading past the Plaine Chez Liadet and continuing until the intersection at les Bâties. The trail then branches off to the left on a wide gravel road before coming to la Bâtie-Dessus.

Going past the chalet, the trail continues for 500 m before turning left and entering a forest that soon leads to a large clearing.

The trail leaves the main path, taking a grassy path to the left, in the middle of a wooded meadow, towards Chez Bougaud.

To the left of the house, at the trail's highest point (1155m), a gravel road heads downhill to the bottom of a combe bordered by closed pastures. In the dip, at the intersection of several paths, the circuit heads left and reaches the Chez Greset mountain chalet.

In front of the chalet, to the left, after 500 m a good path will lead you to the intersection at Chez Mimi. The path continues to the left for a few meters, before heading downwards to the right on a wide path through the forest leading to Plaine Chez Liadet, and your starting point.

  • Departure : Chez Liadet near Mouthe
  • Arrival : Chez Liadet near Mouthe
  • Towns crossed : Mouthe

Forecast


Sensitive areas

Along your trek, you will go through sensitive areas related to the presence of a specific species or environment. In these areas, an appropriate behaviour allows to contribute to their preservation. For detailed information, specific forms are accessible for each area.

Western capercaillie

Impacted practices:
, Land-based
Sensitivity periods:
JanFebMarAprMayJunDec
Contact:
Parc naturel régional du Haut-Jura
29 Le Village
39310 Lajoux
03 84 34 12 30
www.parc-haut-jura.fr

Recommandations

This trail passes through the Sensitive Natural Area of les Bâties. It passes through private property pastures with livestock and forest paths. To respect the owners and farmers granting you passage, and for the security of livestock and wild fauna, we ask that you remain on the waymarked paths. Use the adapted passageways to get across fencing and be sure to close gateways behind you. Lastly, please keep your dog on a lead if you have one.

Wild flowers are beautiful, they may be rare and protected and often wilt quickly. Do not pick them! They will delight the next hikers.

In case of forest works (felling, skidding, etc.), for your safety, know when to stop and turn around.


Information desks

Tourist information centre - Val de Mouthe

3 bis rue de la Varée, 25240 Mouthe

https://www.destination-haut-doubs.com/+33 (0)3 81 69 22 78

Transport

To visit and get about in the High-Jura, visit www.reshaut-jura.fr, the eco-mobility portal listing all means of transport within the Park.


Access and parking

4 km south of Mouthe via the D 389 towards the Charbonnières in Switzerland, then access the parking lot in Chez Liadet, where the cross-country ski pistes start

Parking :

In the Chez Liadet hamlet

Report a problem or an error

If you have found an error on this page or if you have noticed any problems during your hike, please report them to us here: