Cascade du Pain de Sucre de Poisieu

Useful Information

photography — Cascade du Pain de Sucre de Poisieu, France. Public Domain.

Location:	D30, 01260 Champagne-en-Valromey. South of Geneve, east of Lyon. From Geneve A42 west, A40 west exit 11 Seyssel, left D1508, right D14 3.3 km, right D214 7.8 km, left D30 20 km. Parking on the left side of the road. From Lyon A40 east exit 8 Saint Martin du Fresne, right D1084, left D12h 1.7 km, D12g 1.4 km, D31 11.8 km, left D39a 8 km, left D9 8.6 km, left D30 200 m. (45.9388589, 5.7138403)
Open:	no restrictions. [2026]
Fee:	free. [2026]
Classification:	Tufa Deposits
Light:	n/a
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Cascade du Pain de Sucre de Poisieu, Tel: +33-.
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

Description

The Cascade du Pain de Sucre (Waterfall of the Sugarloaf) is a small waterfall of limestone rich water not far from the hamlet Poisieu, which belongs to Champagne-en-Valromey, formed by the river La Bèze. It is named after a strange rock formation where the water hits the ground, a subaerial 6 m high stalagmite formed of travertine. Its form resembles obviously a sugar loaf, hence the name.

The water loses carbon dioxide when it falls through the air, due to the increased surface. So it is not able to keep all the limestone in solution, which crystallises where the water hits the ground. This process is identical to the way stalagmites form in caves, nevertheless it is extremely rare on the surface, as normally plant growth disturbs the process. And of course the weathering on the surface tends to destroy the stalagmites rather fast. So the formation of the stalagmite must be pretty fast to keep up with the destruction.

This place is freely accessible and has its beauties all around the year. Nevertheless, be careful during wet or misty weather, the trails can be slippery. During the summer the river may dry up and there is no waterfall. There are numerous such sugar-loafs in the area, and as a result they are easily mixed up, which even happens official tourist portals. So be careful which one you visit.