Cascades des Tufs - Cuisance, Tufa waterfall in Les Planches-près-Arbois, France
Cascades des Tufs is a waterfall system on the Cuisance River that flows over moss-covered limestone terraces. The water descends in multiple tiers across the tiered rock formations, with natural pools and channels directing the water into smaller cascades.
The Cuisance River has continuously flowed over limestone for thousands of years, gradually shaping these stepped waterfall formations. This geological structure developed through the slow dissolution and reshaping of limestone by persistent water flow over time.
The name tuf refers to the porous limestone the water deposits as it falls; the rock builds up in stepped basins called gours. Visitors follow a marked path from the village centre of Les Planches-près-Arbois, about 600 m on foot from the car park. Bathing and paddling are banned because the tuf is fragile and crumbles when touched.
The path to the waterfall is short and easy to walk, with a well-maintained trail of a few hundred meters. It is advisable to wear sturdy shoes because surfaces can be wet and slippery, especially near the water and around the edges of natural pools.
The tuf massif is 8 to 10 m high and about 15 m wide, and the Cuisance reaches it only 350 m below its small spring. The natural tuf dams that hold the pools around the cascade are called gours. Touching the tuf damages it, so bathing and paddling are banned.
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