Photo : Lerichard / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
La cascade de Fontcouverte
The Fontcouverte waterfall is in the upper Clarée valley, in the commune of Névache (Hautes-Alpes), at about 1,860 metres' altitude. It lies close to the Italian border, in a setting of Alpine plain, larch woods and mountain chalets.
Access is one of the simplest in the valley: a short walk of about 800 metres, with very little climbing, reaches it from the hamlet of Fontcouverte, which makes it accessible to families and walkers of all ages. It can also be reached by a longer loop from Névache, going up the valley.
The Clarée is a valley very popular with hikers in summer. In winter, the waterfall freezes over and the path is set up for snowshoeing, which gives the site a completely different face.
At Névache, the commune also has many mountain lakes and several hamlets, including the chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Grâces decorated with wall paintings of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
