Cascade du Rouget, Natural waterfall in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, France.
Cascade du Rouget is a waterfall in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval that splits into two distinct sections as it falls from projecting cliff edges. The water descends against steep mountain walls in the Haut-Giffre Valley, creating layers of flow as it drops.
The torrent de Sales has fed the falls year-round, and the water joins the Giffre des Fonds below to form the Petit Giffre. The site is one of only two listed sites in Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, alongside the cirque du Fer-à-Cheval, and it carries the nickname "la reine des Alpes". In 2009 it was named the most beautiful French waterfall, a claim the source marks as unverified.
Known as "la reine des Alpes", the waterfall is credited in local tradition with virility and fertility powers. Elders still give a bottle of its water to newlyweds, although the water's qualities have never been proven. In 2009 it was named the most beautiful French waterfall, a claim the source marks as unverified.
A small road reaches the waterfall directly, though its surface is worn; the upper fall lies upstream of this road and the lower fall downstream, after a short stretch of the torrent. In heavy flow, spray makes the stones around the falls slippery and accidents have occurred there. The torrent de Sales feeds the falls year-round.
The water originates from a glacial area above 1000 meters in the Grand Massif region and changes dramatically with the seasons. Summer brings much heavier flows as snow melts from higher elevations, while drier months show thinner streams.
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