Tour du Lac de Joux, Vaud

Tour du Lac de Joux is a 22km circular trail around Lake Joux in the Jura mountains, marked as official hiking route 127. It's flat, quiet, and easy to shorten. The lake is the real highlight, especially if your dog loves water.

This place is peaceful, the trail hugs the shoreline for most of the loop, and you can almost always find a quiet spot to stop with your dog.

Since it's a loop, you can start anywhere along the route and finish where you began. We parked at a small parking lot at the head of the lake in Le Chenit.

Is it a good trail for dogs?

For the most part, yes. The trail isn't crowded and the lake is easily accessible from the path, so if your dog likes water, they'll be happy. In summer you'll pass some fenced farm animals, so we leashed Abby through those sections. We also leashed her when passing cyclists, runners, and other dogs.That said, if you start early you won't run into much.

Do you need to do the full 22km?

Not at all. The trail is close enough to Geneva that it's easy to treat as a half-day and turn back whenever you want. The lake stays with you for most of the route, so there's no point where you feel like you're missing out by stopping short.

One thing to note: water fountains are sparse along the trail. Bring more than you think you need, especially in summer.

Abby's highlight

She spent most of the walk stepping in and out of the lake whenever she felt like it. She probably wished we'd joined her. We did not.

Would we go back?

Yes, but probably not for the hike. Lake Joux is genuinely dog-friendly for water activities, and that's reason enough to return.