Lakes of Bellefontaine and Mortes
A protected Natura 2000 site, these lakes are surrounded by wetlands known as peat bogs, characterized by boreal-arctic vegetation. Fragile and rich, they are home to exceptional flora and fauna.
Peat bogs are waterlogged soils where peat forms and accumulates. Peat is a type of litter consisting of dead vegetation that has not decomposed properly due to the absence of oxygen.
Peatlands are veritable reservoirs of biodiversity, but unfortunately they have been degraded and endangered by human activities over the last few centuries. Containing 30% of all the carbon trapped in the world’s soils, peatlands are able to sequester it sustainably provided they function properly. When degraded, they release the carbon stored for thousands of years in the form of greenhouse gases.
These natural environments provide many services to the region: they regulate, filter, and purify water; they are home to rare and endangered flora and fauna; and they represent scientific archives on the history of humanity and climate change.
The lakes and peat bogs of the Haut-Jura are the subject of several protection and rehabilitation programs (Ramsar Convention, etc.).
Nestled in the heart of the Haut-Jura, the Bellefontaine and Mortes lakes offer a spectacle of rare serenity. Surrounded by forests and peat bogs, their calm waters reflect the changing sky, creating ever-changing scenes throughout the seasons. In summer, the light dances on the surface, inviting visitors to take a contemplative stroll. In winter, mist and ice lend them a mystical atmosphere.
In the heart of the Risoux forest, a trail running along the Swiss border offers magnificent panoramic views of the lake plateau, the Mont Noir forest, and the Bienne Valley. Walk in the footsteps of smugglers and soak up the history of this place marked by World War II.
Travel to the heart of the water from the mountain plateaus of the Bellefontaine and Mortes lakes to the majestic Bienne gorges.
North of Bellefontaine and Mortes lakes, a stream flows out and disappears a few hundred meters underground. Its resurgence is located at the source of the Doye Gabet, more commonly known as the Blue Hole, after an 8 km underground journey. Accessible via a family-friendly trail, the site perfectly illustrates the groundwater cycle in the Jura Mountains.