Tour of the Lomont Mountains (Doubs)

Starting in Mandeure, an ancient Gallo-Roman town with a majestic Roman theater, the trail climbs towards Pont-de-Roide before descending into the Doubs valley to Saint-Hippolyte, a charming town located at the confluence with the Dessoubre River. Between dense forests and limestone plateaus, hikers pass through Belleherbe and Sancey, where the imposing Belvoir Castle, a medieval guardian of the valley, stands guard. Nature here expresses itself through spectacular viewpoints offering sweeping views of the river's meanders and the Jura mountain ridges. The rural heritage, marked by traditional Comtois farmhouses with their distinctive chimneys, bears witness to a robust and authentic mountain culture. Returning via Villars-sous-Écot, the landscape of hedged fields and limestone cliffs underscores the geological richness of this pre-Jura massif.

The Lomont Mountains, a massive limestone barrier stretching along the Doubs border, form a natural barrier of over thirty kilometers between the Montbéliard region and the Doubs Valley. This Jura-type landscape, reaching a peak of 835 meters, is a territory of beech and fir forests overlooking the ridges. Historically, the Lomont played a leading strategic role: its commanding position made it a military stronghold as early as the 19th century with the construction of Fort Lomont, a key element of the Séré de Rivières system. This warlike past gave way to a heroic saga during the Second World War, when the Lomont maquis became one of the largest gatherings of the French Resistance in 1944. Nature here is wild and unspoiled, sheltering a discreet fauna where the Eurasian lynx and the capercaillie still find refuge in the steepest recesses. The landscapes are marked by an authentic rurality, punctuated by farms from the Franche-Comté region with imposing smokehouses and high-altitude pastures where Montbéliarde cows graze.

Google Maps - Google Earth

Distance: 118km, Elevation maximum: 839m, Elevation minimum: 334m, Elevation gain uphill: 3116m
IGN Maps: 3522SB - L'ISLE-SUR-LE-DOUBS VILLERSEXEL. 3523OT - VALLÉE DU DESSOUBRE CIRQUE DE CONSOLATION MONTAGNES DU LOMONT. 3622OT - MONTBÉLIARD VALLÉE DU DOUBS. 3623OT - MAÎCHE GORGES DU DOUBS..