Grotte d’Orjobet, which is now one of the most exciting ways to approach the top of the mountain. The Salève also provided a training ground for more prestigious expeditions, and some of the club’s members were chosen for the Swiss expedition to Everest in 1952, paving the way for the first ascent by the British the following year.
Because of its proximity to Geneva the Salève is a very popular mountain, especially since it is accessible by road and cable car, one of the first to be built in 1894 and completely reconstructed 100 years later. In winter many come up for cross-country skiing, but by far the most popular activities are rock climbing and walking once the snow has disappeared.
Perhaps the loveliest walk on the Salève is along its grassy top, the Balcon du Salève, from where there are magnificent views over Mont Blanc and the Alps on one side, and Geneva and its lake on the other. On a sunny day you will see numerous colourful paragliders taking off from the grassy slopes and drifting down to the plain below.
Geneva and the lake from the Balcon du Salève (Walk 2)
The Salève stretches for 19km, and there are some pretty little villages at the foot of its slopes, all with an interesting history – you might come across a monastery building, a wayside chapel or even a large château where you least expect it. There are a variety of walks from these, on paths that lead gently up through fields of grazing cows, past farms once owned by monks. The two highest points of the Salève, the Grand Piton and Pointe du Plan, can easily be reached from the villages of Beaumont and St-Blaise, and further south, near Cruseilles, is a walk on the other side of the mountain, starting from the attractive little lake at the leisure centre of Dronières.
The Vuache is a long, low ridge to the west of the Salève, its highest point being only 1100m. It is a continuation of the Jura range that, at its southwestern end, dips dramatically to let the River Rhône flow through a narrow defile called the Ecluse, guarded by a fort clinging to the rocky cliffs above. The Défilé de l’Ecluse is known locally as the Bellegarde Gap, and is visible from Geneva. The Vuache is on the far side of the Ecluse, and runs south for 14km to the village of Chaumont. It lies on a fault-line that creates occasional local earthquakes, the most recent being in 1996. Planes coming into Geneva from the north often fly over the mountain, and the motorway linking Geneva with Lyon tunnels beneath it.
Since this is the first mountain to be reached as you come up the Rhône valley from the warm south, it has a special microclimate attracting Mediterranean-type vegetation, and its flowers blossom well before others in the region. Many walkers come in early spring to see the rare dog’s tooth violet and later on the carpets of alpine daffodils. The wooded ridge is home to several species of birds of prey, and the Défilé de l’Ecluse is on the migratory route for birds flying south. Nearby is the small town of Frangy, whose main claim to fame is the locally produced dry white wine called Roussette de Frangy.
The driving directions for walks in this section are from St-Julien-en-Genevois, near the Swiss border at Bardonnex to the southwest of Geneva. The town has an attractive centre, and there is plenty of accommodation available.
WALK 1
Gorges du Salève
| Start/Finish | Le Coin, 665m |
| Distance | 9km |
| Total ascent | 690m |
| Grade | Medium |
| Time | 4hr 15min |
| Maximum altitude | 1295m |
| Map | IGN 3430 OT Mont Salève/St-Julien-en-Genevois/Annemasse 1:25,000 |
| Access | From St-Julien-en-Genevois, take the D1206 to Collonges and follow all signs to le Salève. At le Coin take the D45 towards le Salève/Croisette, and immediately after the turning leave your car in the large parking area on the right. In the car park there is an information board with a map of the walk. |
| Signposting | Good – new signposts, posts with yellow arrows on green, and red/white GR signs when on the Balcon du Léman |
| Note | Do not do this walk after it has been raining or snowing as the rocks can get very slippery and icy. |
This is an exciting and dramatic walk up onto the Salève, the mountain which dominates Geneva. The limestone face is steep, making it a good training ground for rock climbers, and it was the Geneva section of the Swiss Alpine Club that created both paths used on this walk. The route up the mountain goes through the large and impressive Grotte d’Orjobet, and down through the Grande Gorge. Both paths are steep and protected in part by cables. As the Salève is within easy reach of Geneva all the walks on it are very popular, and you are likely to meet many other people, especially at weekends and at the top. There are magnificent views on the way up and down as well as on the summit, with Mont Blanc and the whole range of the Alps visible on one side, and the Geneva countryside and the Jura range of mountains on the other.
From the signpost at le Coin (665m), opposite the entrance to the car park, turn right and walk up the Chemin d’Orjobet towards Grotte d’Orjobet/Sur Orjobet. This is a narrow tarmac road that soon becomes stony, leading to a clearing on the left-hand side where there is the first of a series of information boards on the geology of the Salève.
Just after this you reach a fork where you go right, following the yellow arrow on the post. This is a steep track winding up through woods, clearly marked by posts with yellow arrows on green. The path becomes stony, going past a rock face. Continue upwards to reach the second information board (1hr 10min).
At the entrance to the Grotte d’Orjobet
You then climb round an overhanging rock face on natural rocky steps with a metal barrier on the left and a cable for security on the right. Soon after you see the letters ‘CAS 1905’ painted in orange high above an opening in the rock face, which is the entrance to the Grotte d’Orjobet. Before entering the cave, go over to the viewpoint on the left, from where there is a dramatic view down over the Geneva countryside, with the Jura mountain range on the horizon.
At the entrance to the cave, beneath the orange letters, there is a small plaque on the wall saying ‘Sentier d’Orjobet crée 1905 par la Section Genevoise du Club Alpin Suisse’. Walk past this to reach a long wooden plank with steps that you walk up to enter the cave. Inside there are large steps cut out of the natural stone, with another metal cable. It takes about 10mins to climb up these through the cave and out on to the other side. Inside the cave there is a third information board, and a plaque erected in 2012 giving the history of the path through the cave.
The Grotte d’Orjobet was first explored in 1779 by the eminent Geneva scientist H B de Saussure, who named it after his guide, François Orjobet, a native of le Coin. In 1905 the Geneva section of the Swiss Alpine Club created the path through the cave and were responsible for its upkeep until 2005, when it was handed over to the Association of the Salève, who upgraded the path between 2010 and 2012.
When you come out of the cave the path bears round to the right, curving round the side of the mountain to reach the GR Balcon du Léman at a T-junction and signpost ‘Sur Orjobet – alt. 1200m’ (1hr 45min).
Walking up the fixed cables: photo Mike Goodyer