Bellefontaine lies at the foot of the Risoux Forest and the lakes and wetlands of Bellefontaine and Les Mortes. The Risoux Forest covers 2,200 hectares between Bellefontaine, Bois d’Amont and Les Rousses, forming a contiguous forest massif.
When travelling to Bellefontaine, renting a holiday apartment is one accommodation option to consider.
Nature and Landscape
The central part of the Risoux is protected by a prefectural order for the protection of biotopes. The order protects biotopes that are essential to the reproduction, feeding, resting and survival of several protected species. The lakes and wetlands of Bellefontaine and Les Mortes feature characteristic boreo-Arctic vegetation and play an important role in the water cycle.
Near Bellefontaine lies Crêt à la Dame, a mountain. In the vicinity of Bellefontaine are Crêt des Danses, a summit, Crêt de la Neuve, a summit, and Pointe de Poêle Chaud, a summit.
Trails and Winter Sports
The Nordic ski area of Bellefontaine has three access points to the cross-country ski trails: at the village, at the lakes and at the Risoux. At the foot of the lifts in the village of Bellefontaine, there is an equipment rental service and facilities operated by the French Ski School.
A marked trail allows visitors to explore the lakes of Bellefontaine and Les Mortes on foot or by mountain bike and to reach the Roche Bernard and Roche Champion viewpoints in the Risoux Forest. The Sentier de la Roche Bernard is a difficult, 10-kilometre out-and-back trail to the Roche Bernard viewpoint, which overlooks the lakes of Bellefontaine and Les Mortes.
The Sentier des Baganiers is a 5.5-kilometre circular route with sections through forest, across fields and through the wetlands on the lake plateau; it then returns to the village along the edge of the Risoux forest massif. The Tour des Lacs de Bellefontaine et des Mortes 18B is a mountain-bike route; parking is available for this route next to the Bellefontaine tourist information point.
Culture
La Taillerie in Bellefontaine is a jewellery and stone-cutting business; parking is available directly in front of the shop, and the workshop is fully independently accessible to wheelchair users.
In the wider regional area around Bellefontaine lies Château Grillet, a château. The Ancienne Abbaye de Saint-Claude, a monastery, is also located in the wider regional area around Bellefontaine. Abbaye de Balerne, a historic site, is likewise located in the wider regional area around Bellefontaine.
Other places: Gigny, Pont-de-Poitte, Mont-Sous-Vaudrey, Passenans, Nozeroy, Voiteur, Saint-Laurent-En-Grandvaux, Poligny
