Adventure
La Grande Traversée du Jura
From the Doubs to the Rhône through the combes and ridges of the Jura: spruce forests, water gaps, lakes and views to the Mont Blanc range.
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté → Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Where to sleep on La Grande Traversée du Jura
Halta lists 261 places to sleep within 5 km of the route: 72 campsites, 40 mountain huts, 129 bivouac spots, 20 hotels. For each one, the app shows the real detour from your stage — and it is that distance, not the straight line, that decides how a day ends.
- Campsites
- Mountain huts
- Bivouac spots
- Hotels
Alongside the campsites, mountain huts and bivouac spots drawn from open data, there are the hosts of the Halta community: travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free. You write to them before you come; you do not book a slot.
The 7 stages of La Grande Traversée du Jura
An indicative split, drawn on real roads: distances and elevation come from route calculation, not from an estimate. In the app every stage can be adjusted — stretched, cut short, or pushed back a day.
| # | Stage | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mandeure → Maîche | 31 km | 1 095 m |
| 2 | Maîche → Morteau | 33 km | 655 m |
| 3 | Morteau → Pontarlier | 29 km | 980 m |
| 4 | Pontarlier → Mouthe | 30 km | 1 016 m |
| 5 | Mouthe → Les Rousses | 34 km | 697 m |
| 6 | Les Rousses → Bellegarde-sur-Valserine | 54 km | 834 m |
| 7 | Bellegarde-sur-Valserine → Culoz | 37 km | 619 m |
Frequently asked questions about La Grande Traversée du Jura
How many days does La Grande Traversée du Jura take?
La Grande Traversée du Jura takes about 7 days, split into 7 stages over 248 km — an average of 35 km a day. The split is indicative: stages stretch or shorten depending on your form and the weather.
Where can you sleep on La Grande Traversée du Jura?
Halta lists 261 places to sleep within 5 km of La Grande Traversée du Jura: 72 campsites, 40 mountain huts, 129 bivouac spots, 20 hotels. On top of those are the hosts of the Halta community, travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free.
How hard is La Grande Traversée du Jura?
La Grande Traversée du Jura is rated hard, with 5 896 m of cumulative elevation gain over 248 km. Per stage, that works out at roughly 842 m of climbing a day.
Where does La Grande Traversée du Jura go?
La Grande Traversée du Jura runs from Mandeure to Culoz, by way of Morteau, Mouthe, Bellegarde-sur-Valserine, across Bourgogne-Franche-Comté → Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is travelled by bike and totals 248 km split into 7 stages.
Figures established on 17 September 2026, from Halta’s own data. How they are calculated.
More routes by bike
Étapes indicatives d'après la Grande Traversée du Jura (GTJ). Tracé reconstitué par routage (ODbL, openrouteservice.org). Halta 2026-07. Places to sleep: OpenStreetMap, refuges.info and DATAtourisme (ODbL). Photo : Wikimedia Commons (CC).