This is a walk that can be done almost the whole year around. In the springtime it is impressive to watch the quantity and speed of the water. In the summer it is nice to have a walk in the shadow of the threes, and in the autumn the colors are impressive. You will find the map at the bottom of this post.
Creux de l’Envers translates into English as a V-shaped north-facing riverine valley.
Did you know that Gex has the largest community forest in the Ain department with 1770 hectares?
Most of the forest, 1640 hectares, is a productive forest, and a small part is protected.
We depend on forests for our survival, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Besides providing habitats for animals and livelihoods for humans, forests also mitigate or prevent the impacts of natural hazards. The protected forest is usually kept that way for preventing such things as rockfalls, avalanches, erosion or landslides, that otherwise might affect people or assets.
In recent years the climate has become much dryer and significant lack of water can cause stress on the trees. The lack of water can cause the trees to weaken, which will make them much more vulnerable for insect attacks, diseases and death. The forest workers are constantly working on increasing their knowledge on how to best protect and maintain the forest against these changes cause by increased temperatures.
Creux de l’Envers is the source of the river Journans that flows through Gex and other communes in Pays de Gex before it ends up in the Rhone and eventually the Mediterranean Sea.
I started my walk from the Place Perdtemps in Gex where it is easy to find a parking spot for the car. If you want to go even further by car you should drive up Chemin des Galas or Chemin de la Noyelle.
From Place Perdtemps the walk is well marked with yellow signposts. The path is large and even if it goes up it is not hard or difficult to walk.
When you reach this signpost:
you can walk up directly or add a little bit to your walk and go past Portes Sarrasines and La Noyelle.
The legend says that the population of Gex came to take shelter behind this narrow gorge during attempted invasions by the Saracens (which was the term used in the middle ages to refer to Arab Muslims) in the 8th and 9th centuries.
When you reach Creux de l’Envers it is a must to walk down the narrow path to look at the impressive nature and also the wooden sculpture the artist Adrien Meneau has cut out with a chainsaw.
From Creux de l’Envers you can choose to continue walking up to Le Sapin du Sous Préfet. This remarkable tree was measured in 2019 to be 46 meters high and has a diameter of 5,80 meters.
Depending on which way you chose walking up to Creux de l’Envers, you can make it a circular walk, or you can walk back the same way you came up.
Happy walking, and feel free to share!
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