Lélex: Holiday Apartments and Holiday Homes

At 1,720 metres, Crêt de la Neige is the highest point in the Jura. Its ridge offers views of Reculet, Mont Blanc and the Valserine Valley.

Renting a holiday apartment in Lélex is one possible way to arrange accommodation for this destination.

Nature

The snowshoe trail from Lélex to Crêt de la Neige runs through the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park and partly through the Haute Chaîne du Jura National Nature Reserve. It is 13.9 kilometres long and reaches a maximum altitude of 1,720 metres. This challenging route leads through forests and karst hollows to the ridges, offering views of Mont Blanc, Lake Geneva and the Alps.

The Catheline–Crêt de la Neige route passes through spruce forests, extensive mountain pastures and rocky ridges.

A hike to Crêt de la Neige can be undertaken from Lélex as a day trip by hikers who are at least moderately fit, or as a half-day trip when the La Catheline gondola lift is open.

Hiking and History

The Les Hauts Sommets hike from Lélex is 15.6 kilometres long, includes 1,095 metres of ascent and 958 metres of descent, and reaches a maximum altitude of 1,720 metres. The route passes the remains of an old high-altitude settlement; its 20 barns surrounded a main building where cheese was produced.

The Les Hauts Sommets hike passes through a quiet zone that is closed from 15 December to 30 June. During this period, the GR may only be used on the marked trail, which must not be left.

Winter

The Lélex-Crozet ski resort is situated at an altitude of 900 to 1,680 metres and has 20 kilometres of pistes with 21 runs. It has the longest pistes and the greatest differences in altitude in the entire Jura Massif, with differences in altitude of up to 800 metres.

The Lélex-Crozet ski resort has three signposted snowshoe trails.

Culture

The Église Saint-Michel in Lélex is considered to be a 19th-century neo-Gothic building dating from 1846; in 1997, the former priest Jean d'Auferville and the villagers restored it around the theme of the four seasons. The choir-stall panels depict 25 flowers typical of the region.

Practical Information

Regional bus route A53 serves the La Rivière, Grand Pré, Chapelle and Sherpa stops in Lélex; the published timetable is valid from 25 August 2025 to 23 August 2026.

The tourist office in Lélex provides advice on activities and hiking trails, sells hiking maps and provides a bicycle repair kit for minor breakdowns.

Other places: Aranc, Saint-Bernard, Chaneins, Ferney-Voltaire, Ruffieu, Champagne-En-Valromey, Blyes, Saint-Didier-De-Formans

To the higher-level travel overview: Ain.