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Creux du Van

The Creux du Van is a natural rocky cirque approximately wide and deep, on the north side of Le Soliat, in the Val de Travers district in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel. A very well known, amphitheatre-shaped natural attraction, it is at the heart of a nature reservation area of .

Geology

The rocky arc of Creux du Van was created in three phases:

  • Phase 1: A glacier covered the area of today's Val de Travers around 140,000 years ago (Würm Ice Age). The stream of meltwater eroded material, making a V-shaped valley.
  • Phase 2: During subsequent ice ages, other glaciers were created and hollowed out the valley. In warmer periods, the material was eroded by meltwater.
  • Phase 3: After the removal of rocks from the fault, erosion of a stronger layer from a different age was much slower.

See cirque for a description of the process forming features like this.

The ground beneath the Creux du Van held permafrost until recently.(permafrost).

Attraction

Ibex were introduced in the area in 1965. , there are 17.

Access

The summit area can be reached both on foot and by car. A paved road from Saint-Aubin-Sauges (on Lake Neuchâtel) or Couvet (Val-de-Travers) climbs to at , a few minutes walk away from the summit of the rocky cirque. Some hiking paths are signposted, via .

Notable trails in the areas include:

  • (the path of the 14 bends) starts at station (Val-de-Travers), with connections to .
  • leads to the summit directly from the area called .
  • Other unmarked paths allow access to the summit via or also from via (a breach into the wall of rocks).

Panorama

1467 Montagne de Bounty

References

Notes