Crêt de la Neige: Quick Facts About the Jura’s Highest Peak

Crêt de la Neige is the highest summit of the Jura Mountains, rising to 1,720 metres above the Pays de Gex, Lake Geneva and the distant line of the Alps.

It may not have the dramatic silhouette of Mont Blanc or the famous passes of the French Alps, but this discreet mountain offers one of the finest panoramic viewpoints in eastern France.

Located in the Haut-Jura, close to the Swiss border, Crêt de la Neige rewards hikers with wide-open views, peaceful ridges and a real sense of altitude.

From its grassy summit, the eye travels from the Geneva basin to the Mont Blanc massif, with the Jura’s long limestone ridges unfolding all around.

For anyone exploring the Ain, the Pays de Gex or the French Jura, this is one of those places where the landscape suddenly makes perfect sense.

The Crêt de la Neige in the Jura Mountains

The mountain is situated between the communes of Lélex and Thoiry in the département of Ain (Rhône-Alpes).

It rises 1,720 m above sea level but 1,348 m above Lake Geneva.

It names literally means ‘Snow Crest’ for even in the hottest summers, pockets of snow can still be present on its summit.

Crêt de la Neige is part of a range called Monts Jura that forms a ridgeline between France and Switzerland from the Givrine pass in the North to Bellegarde sur Valserine in the South. It borders Lake Geneva to the East and looks like a natural rampart from Geneva and Nyon.

The neighbouring summits of Crêt de la Neige include Le Reculet (1,718m), Grand Crêt (1,702m), Colomby de Gex (1,688m), and La Dôle (1,677m).

The Monts Jura are included in the Jura Mountains Regional Natural Park and the Natural Reserve of the Haut Jura Range.

The summit offers a 360-degree view of the region of Gex, Lake Geneva, the Valserine Valley, Mont-Blanc and the Alps.

The mountain’s summit is crossed by the GR9 long-distance walking route which connects Saint-Amour, Jura to Port Grimaud on the French Riviera.

The Monts Jura are best seen from the Salève mountain and the Col de la Croisette:

For more info, visit the website of the Pays de Gex Tourist Board.