If you think Switzerland is a densely populated country, the Vallée de Joux will change your mind. Broadly speaking, you’re as alone here as you would be in the forests of Canada. The tour follows the Lake Joux shores, then continues in the Forêt du Risoud, Europe's largest continuous forest.
Head off into the wilderness in Le Sentier, continuing along the north shore of Lac de Joux to Les Charbonnières. While this section has excellent scenic views with a wonderful panorama across the lake and the Jura mountains behind it, it has nothing to do with wilderness.
But as soon as you start climbing in Charbonnières towards Petit Risoux, you will see fewer houses, the roads are smaller and finally on the hill in the woods there is nothing left of civilization except for the forest road. You pedal southwestwards along the national border and come across small wooden huts now and then. You might think this is the wilderness of Alaska or Canada, but the huts here are just a few kilometers instead of a few hundred kilometers apart.
Finally, the Marocaine hut is where you start heading back to civilization. A trail leads past Turque Hut almost directly to the centre of Le Sentier. After the foray into the near-wilderness, the village with a population of 3,000 seems like a big city.
