Dwight Peck's low-res photos

Farms of the Jura in winter

[The Jura mountains run in a southwest-northeast direction along the border between France and Switzerland, from Geneva (Genève) to Basel (Bâle), holding at about 1300-1400 meters altitude (4350-4500 feet), and peaking in the range of 1650 meters (5450 feet). These photos of high alpage farms in winter are mainly from the southwestern end of that range, between the cities of Geneva and Vallorbe.]

Petites Chaumilles

Descending upon Petites Chaumilles farm (1405m) from the little hilltop just above, at 1430m, which looks down northwestward into the Vallée de Joux and the frontier with France on the far side of that. 20 January 2002.

Prof. L. Durham approaches the Petites Chaumilles farm moving southward, 20 January 2002, with the famous Col du Marchairuz visible above the left end of the building.

Petites Chaumilles lies only about 1.5 kilometres northeast of the main Swiss road from Lake Geneva into the southwest end of the Vallée de Joux, over the Col du Marchairuz and down to the town of Le Brassus. Until the early 1990s that road was not kept open in winter, and residents of the towns around the Lac du Joux, to leave their valley, had either to go through France to descend upon Geneva, or over the Col du Mollendruz at the northern end of the valley, to descend towards Yverdon, or due north to Vallorbe. Nowadays the Marchairuz road is open all year round, and brilliant non-commercial cross-country areas are maintained all through the combes between the Jura ridgelines.

Seen from the front, similarly on 20 January 2002.

Departing the farm, also on 20 January 2002, looking back southwestward towards the sun.

Kristin at the farm of Petites Chaumilles, 27 February 2005

27 February 2005


From the Carte National de la Suisse, 25,000 scale: 1221,  Le Sentier
The blue dot indicates Petites Chaumilles farm.
The yellow dot is the Grande Chaumilles.

The orange dot shows the location of La Perrause farm across the flat of "La Plateforme".
The green dot shows the farm at Pré de Denens. [photo page withdrawn]


Feedback and suggestions are welcome if positive, resented if negative, . All rights reserved, all wrongs avenged. Posted 9 February 2002, revised 4 October 2008.


Farms of the Jura in winter