Cascade du Saut Girard - Cascades du Hérisson

From top to bottom, at La Chaux-du-Dombief, the river "Le Hérisson" flows more or less peacefully:

Saut Girard is the first waterfall on the Hérisson, the first of a series of 7 waterfalls and 31 jumps starting from Ilay.

At a height of 35 m, it takes its name from a Girard monk who, faced with the dissolute lifestyle of his companions, put an end to his life by throwing himself from the top of the waterfall. Also known as Saut de la Forge, the site was used from the Middle Ages to 1911 to produce energy for a nail factory.

The river Hérisson is fed by the lakes of Ilay and Bonlieu and owes its name to its origin, "Yrisson", which means sacred water.

The Saut Girard waterfall is an easy 5-minute walk from the Saut Girard - Lac d'Ilay car park in the hamlet of Ilay, in the commune of La Chaux-du-Dombief.

You can also enjoy a bird's eye view of the waterfall from the Saut Girard lookout, located on the departmental road between the hamlet of Ilay and the commune of Bonlieu.

There are several ways to discover all or part of the Hérisson waterfalls: ask at a tourist office or visit the website www.haut-jura-grandvaux.com.

To preserve the beauty of the landscape, there are very few litter bins on the route. We are counting on you to take your rubbish away and help preserve the site. Thank you in advance.