A long time ago, I had heard about the Môtiers Waterfall (and the nearby Cave), but I hadn’t had the opportunity to see it up close (or I hadn’t taken the time). This time, I wanted to go on a hike that wasn’t too long, but long enough to feel like I had accomplished something. And that’s when I remembered the destination.
Môtiers is a beautiful village in which there are some remarkable old houses. Among these, it is worth mentioning the Auberge de Six-Communes with its surprising sign saying “here one lodges… on foot… on horseback”. Also worth mentioning is the house where Jean-Jacques Rousseau stayed before he had to flee the village in haste.
The path to reach the Cascade and the Grotte de Môtiers is shared with the one that leads to the Poëtta Raisse gorges. Indeed, from the centre of the village, you take the street where the Absinthe Museum and the house where Rousseau had stayed, are located. You then reach a chasm closed by an anti-tank barrage dating from the last world war. Before this chasm, the path to the waterfall separates from the path to Poëtta Raisse. Follow a path to the left along the Bied de Môtiers. You then pass not far from a resurgence feeding the Bied. Near this resurgence, cross the Bied over a small bridge and quickly climb into the forest to reach the foot of the Cascade. A small bridge leads to the left to the Grotte de Môtiers. Unfortunately, due to the amount of water, I was not able to visit further: I would have had to get my feet wet.
After the waterfall, a good trail climbs through the woods to reach the top of the waterfall. A beautiful small bridge (the Riau Bridge) allows to cross the creek just above the waterfall. The view is worthwhile.
Instead of retracing our steps, we continued in the direction of Vers-chez-Pillot, a farmhouse located in the territory of the Canton of Vaud. From there, we were obliged to follow a stretch of road, which, in good weather, must be quite busy as it allows us to reach Mauborget or Provence. From the Couvent, a descent, quite steep in places, leads to Couvet.
Just follow the Areuse to return to the starting point.
Route: Môtiers – Môtiers Waterfall – Riau Bridge – The Convent – Couvet – Môtiers
Distance: 11Km
Altitude gain: 410m
Duration: 3h30
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