Jura Crest Trail, Stage 16/16

A bleak rock bastion and the lush Lac Léman shores: a pair of contrasts on this tour. After climbing to the top of La Dôle near the national border, the trail leads through forests to vineyards and Nyon, a small town in a superb location.

The approximately 25-kilometre hike begins at St-Cergue railway station. The trail passes through Saint-Cergue and out into the open Jura countryside, climbing steadily on yellow-marked hiking trails. It approaches La Dôle via the Col de Porte. The route reaches its highest point at around 1,670 m at the viewpoint on the Jura ridge; the summit itself rises a short distance away and is the second-highest peak in the Swiss Jura.

The long descent then begins. Open pastures and stretches of forest alternate at first, before the trail enters the Forêt de la Combe. Around 1,400 metres of elevation are lost on the way from the Jura ridge to the flatter terrain below; the route remains on yellow-marked hiking trails almost throughout.

The first houses draw closer at Tranchepied, followed by Borex and Arnex-sur-Nyon. The final section leads through increasingly built-up areas to Nyon, close to Lake Geneva. After just over seven hours, the hike ends a few steps from Nyon railway station.