Cernon: Hiking Trails, Cave and Hydropower

Cernon offers several different starting points for planning a trip: short hiking trails, the Caborne de Menouille, the Saut-Mortier hydroelectric power station and the Barrage de Vouglans. These topics represent different areas of interest: yellow trail markings, conditions when visiting the cave, a sightseeing opportunity mentioned as seasonal, and notable dimensions of the structure and reservoir. If you are looking for hotels in Cernon, you can plan your excursions around whichever of these areas is important for your stay. The specific planning questions differ: for the trails, it is the markings; for the cave, water conditions; and for Saut-Mortier, timing and booking arrangements.

Hiking Trails in Cernon

The short hiking trails in Cernon are marked yellow throughout. Check the markings on site before setting out. This lets you take the trail markers directly into account when preparing. The yellow markings are the common point of reference for navigating the trails, while the Caborne has its own access route and additional conditions.

Caborne de Menouille: Access and Water Conditions

From Cernon, you can reach the Caborne de Menouille via the old road to Menouille and then along a farm track. An underground river runs through the cave and leads to a 10 m-high waterfall. During high water, some passages may be partially or completely flooded. Check the conditions before entering. When preparing, it is useful to consider the access from Cernon and the water level in the cave as two separate points: the farm track leads to the cave; the risk of flooding concerns passages inside.

Saut-Mortier Hydroelectric Power Station

The Saut-Mortier hydroelectric power station is in Cernon, below the Barrage de Vouglans. A route guide dated August 16, 2026, mentions visits in July and August. For the 2026 summer program, one guided tour explains hydropower and how the power station works. If you plan to take this tour, check the current booking arrangements before you travel. This will let you take both the seasonal period and the tour's technical focus into account when planning.

Barrage de Vouglans and Lac de Vouglans

The Barrage de Vouglans in Cernon is 130 m high and 400 m wide. It cannot currently be visited. Check access again before your trip if a visit is important to your plans. The Lac de Vouglans reservoir stretches for 35 km. The figures describe different scales: the barrage is characterized by its height and width, while the reservoir is described by its extent. The question of visiting the barrage is separate from the lake's dimensions.

For planning purposes, the cave and the power station differ in the decisions involved: Saut-Mortier is associated with a seasonal note about visits and a guided tour; at the Caborne, access and possible flooding are central. This lets you consider scheduling separately from the conditions to check before entering.

Discover more destinations: Champrougier, Chapelle-Voland, Souvans, Fort Du Plasne, Saint-Julien, Châteauneuf, Tancua, Le Deschaux.

For the wider travel overview: Jura.