Cascade du Bief de la Ruine, Waterfall in Foncine-le-Bas, France

The Cascade du Bief de la Ruine drops 110 metres in about ten successive falls along some 350 metres of the Bief de la Ruine stream, in the Malvaux gorges. It is the highest waterfall in the Jura massif. At the foot it passes beneath the viaduct of the old tram line before joining the Saine.

The waterfall lies in the Malvaux gorges, cut by the Saine, and drops beneath the viaduct of an old tram line before joining the Saine. The two viewpoints, one on the D127 road and one at the viaduct reached on foot via the GR 559A, date from the trail and road network around the gorge.

The name Bief de la Ruine refers to the stream itself, a right-bank tributary of the Saine; "bief" designates a millrace or channel in the Jura. The waterfall lies in the Malvaux gorges, cut by the Saine, north of the Haut-Jura Regional Nature Park. Walkers on the GR 559A reach the old tram viaduct at the foot of the falls.

You can view the waterfall from Road D127 for a broad overview, or follow hiking trail GR559A to reach the viaduct for a closer perspective. Both viewpoints give you quite different ways to experience the cascade.

The cascade is the largest in the Jura massif, with a total drop of 110 m over about ten successive falls along 350 m of stream. At its foot the water passes beneath the viaduct of the old tram line before joining the Saine. The viaduct viewpoint is reached on foot via the GR 559A.