Trail des Reculées

The Trail des Reculees is a 45-kilometer trail race with 2,000 meters of elevation gain through the reculees of the Jura, starting from Baume-les-Messieurs. This event crosses one of the most spectacular geological phenomena of the Jura massif, these dead-end valleys carved into limestone by erosion, whose sheer cliffs and natural cirques compose a landscape of striking grandeur.

Baume-les-Messieurs, classified among the Most Beautiful Villages of France, is nestled at the bottom of one of the most impressive reculees in the Jura. The imperial abbey, founded in the sixth century, stands at the confluence of three deep valleys, surrounded by limestone cliffs rising over 200 meters above the reculee floor. The Baume caves, with their millennial concretions, and the Cascade des Tufs, where water springs from rock in a setting of moss and ferns, complete this exceptional natural tableau.

The Trail des Reculees course is a succession of vertiginous climbs from the reculee floors to the plateaus above, and equally impressive descents to reach new valleys. Runners scale the cliffs via trails carved into rock, use ladders and equipped passages in the limestone walls, and discover from viewpoints breathtaking panoramas over the natural cirques.

The 2,000 meters of elevation gain are concentrated in short but extremely steep climbs. The terrain is technical and demanding: sometimes slippery limestone trails, equipped rocky passages, steep scree descents, and forest paths in valley floors. Managing the elevation is key to this race, as legs are constantly taxed by violent climbs and descents.

The course crosses several major Jura reculees: the Reculee de Baume, the Reculee des Planches, and other deep valleys that open into the limestone plateau like gashes in the earth's crust. Each reculee has its own character, vegetation, springs and waterfalls, cliffs and caves. Runners discover a vertical and mineral Jura, very different from the pastures and forests that dominate the massif's usual image.

The plateaus separating the reculees offer a welcome contrast to the valleys' verticality. Runners cross meadows where Montbeliarde cattle graze, stone villages with lava roofs, those limestone slabs that form the Jura's architectural identity, and beech and fir forests. The view from the plateau viewpoints, plunging into the reculee depths, is one of the most memorable rewards of the course.

Aid stations showcase Jurassian gastronomy: Comte, Morbier, vin jaune, and Morteau sausage. The atmosphere is that of an authentic mountain race, carried by Jura enthusiasts who generously share the beauty of their territory. The Trail des Reculees is an event that makes a lasting impression on runners through the power of its landscapes and the intensity of its sporting challenge.