La Cascade d’Arpenaz

With a height of 270 m, this magnificent waterfall, dominating the hamlet of Luzier, is ranked third nationally and the first waterfall in the French Alps.
Impressive in the spring, you can cool off there in the summer.

Natural site classified since 1991.

The waterfall is easily observed from the highway or national. Many travelers have always stopped at its foot to admire its splendid waterfall.

This waterfall has its charm in any season, but its fall is very impressive in spring when the snow melts.
In summer, a reception basin that can be used as a "vat" for swimming, and a small stream sheltered by the forest await you there.

The torrent, called Nant d'Arpenaz or La Laiteuse, descends from the Platé massif, where it originates from several streams from the mountain pastures of the Véran mountain. From its source located at an altitude of 1850 m to where it flows into the Arve, the torrent travels 4 km.

The name "Arpenaz" comes from the Celtic prefix "Ar" meaning living water and the Celtic suffix "pen" meaning rocky head.

The site is also of geological interest, with its "S" rock folding.

Developed site: free parking, picnic areas, starting point for hiking and mountain biking trails.

When the Arpenaz waterfall inspires... The novelist Théophile Gaultier thus described the Arpenaz waterfall in the middle of the XNUMXth century: water descended and seemed from afar a vein of silver embedded in the stone.At a distance, the most furious waterfalls appear motionless and look like streaks of snow between masses of rocks.At the edge of this steep slope, the mountain cuts itself steeply and the water rushes into the void".

On video

Location details