Sur les traces du renard
EASY (1.2/10)Château-Sec → Epalinges
Use this route
The walk, as far as the open data goes
Getting there
- Start: Croisettes railway station, 118 m away
- Start: Croisettes bus stop, 124 m away
- Start: Vennes railway station, 246 m away
- Finish: Tour Haldimand-Lac bus stop, 94 m away
- Finish: Tour Haldimand bus stop, 131 m away
- Finish: Denantou bus stop, 336 m away
Somewhere to stop
- L'Union hotel
Mapped within 200 m of the line. Whether they are open is not something we have read.
Height and time
- High point 715 m
- Low point 371 m
- Climb 353 m from a 30 m terrain model, smoothed
- Swiss signpost time 2 h 24 the official method, on our line
Computed on 2026-09-20 from OpenStreetMap, the terrain model and the federal route layer — not read from the operator's own page, and not checked on the ground. Hikes we have reviewed say who published each fact and when.
Explore the route
Read the topography, inspect the climb, or preview the route over real terrain.
Route briefing
What comes next
Climbs and decisive places in route order. Not listed does not mean absent: it may not be mapped.
Start
0 m
Château-Sec
Start
Route geometry · source 2026-04-11
About 0 min in
7.8 km remaining
+353 m remaining
Climb
120 m
174 m climb
3.3 km at 5.2% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-11
About 2 min in
7.7 km remaining
+353 m remaining
Route note
3.1 km
Pully
Town
OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-11
About 58 min in
4.7 km remaining
+227 m remaining
Route note
3.1 km
Lutry
Town
OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-11
About 58 min in
4.7 km remaining
+227 m remaining
Climb
3.7 km
67 m climb
1.7 km at 4.1% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-11
About 1h 09m in
4.1 km remaining
+179 m remaining
Climb
5.5 km
110 m climb
2.3 km at 4.9% average
OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-11
About 1h 44m in
2.3 km remaining
+110 m remaining
Finish
7.8 km
Epalinges
Finish
Route geometry · source 2026-04-11
About 2h 27m in
0 m remaining
Trail route lab
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Sur les traces du renard is a 7.8 km point-to-point easy hiking route in Switzerland, running from Château-Sec to Epalinges. The route covers 353m of ascent and 91m of descent, with elevations ranging from 372m to 714m. Allow approximately 2h 26m for the full route.
With 95% of the route below 15% gradient, strong trail runners can maintain a good rhythm for much of the distance. Some pitches hit 41% gradient, so trekking poles are strongly recommended.
Budget roughly 1,152 kcal of energy expenditure and 1.5 L of water.
Low-altitude route (max 715m). Hikeable most of the year.
Segment Breakdown
Auto-analyzed from the elevation profile. Each segment shows the dominant character for planning your effort.
| Segment | Dist | ↑ / ↓ | Time | Character |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Château-Sec → km 2.6 (473m) 374–473m | 2.6 km | +101m / -66m | 47 min | 🥾 Rolling Terrain |
km 2.6 (473m) → km 5.1 (596m) 473–596m | 2.6 km | +134m / -11m | 49 min | 📈 Climbing |
km 5.1 (596m) → Epalinges 596–715m | 2.6 km | +123m / -5m | 49 min | 📈 Climbing |
| Total | 7.8 km | +353m / -91m | 2h 26m |
Pace & Fuel Calculator
Adjust your flat 10K pace to see personalized finish time, calorie burn, and hydration needs.
Terrain Analysis
Surface & Technicality
Gradient describes steepness, not exposure, scrambling, footing or current conditions. Technical difficulty is unknown where no mapped rating is available.
Tree cover and UV
🌲 Largely under trees. Good canopy at lower elevations, so the open sections are the ones to plan for.
Canopy is inferred from elevation against a 2000 m Alpine treeline and from gradient below it, not from observed tree data — treat it as an estimate. It is a different question from the terrain shade above, which is about whether a mountain is between you and the sun at a given time.
Current Conditions
Based on 1991–2020 climate averages, the weather on Sur les traces du renard is usually best from April to June and September to October.
Weather this week
Loading the forecast for low point (371 m) and high point (715 m)…
Weather by month
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (371 m) and the highest point (715 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| High point, day / night | 4°/-2° | 5°/-2° | 10°/1° | 14°/4° | 18°/8° | 22°/12° | 24°/13° | 24°/13° | 19°/10° | 14°/6° | 8°/2° | 5°/-1° |
| Low point, day / night | 6°/0° | 8°/0° | 12°/3° | 16°/6° | 20°/10° | 24°/14° | 27°/16° | 26°/16° | 21°/12° | 16°/8° | 10°/4° | 7°/1° |
| Rain, mm | 95 | 84 | 81 | 80 | 107 | 113 | 117 | 108 | 110 | 104 | 106 | 114 |
| Snow at high point | Possible | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost | Possible |
| Daylight | 8 h 57 | 10 h 18 | 11 h 49 | 13 h 31 | 14 h 58 | 15 h 48 | 15 h 30 | 14 h 15 | 12 h 38 | 11 h | 9 h 27 | 8 h 37 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. These values describe the whole trail's lowest and highest points. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Averages cannot establish current trail conditions. Check recent local reports, the forecast and restrictions before departure. Snow and ice can persist on shaded sections or arrive outside the usual season.
Current snow conditions
Insufficient evidence
Enable “Current snow map” in the route map’s Map layers to see the surrounding snow evidence. Current conditions do not describe a future departure date.
Planning ahead?
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Safety & Bailouts
We do not have a verified emergency exit plan for this route. A nearby settlement, hut or route endpoint is not necessarily reachable or open. Do not leave the trail based on a straight-line distance or compass direction.
Review possible exits against current local information before your trip. In an emergency, contact local rescue services; this page is not live rescue guidance.
Suggested Gear List
Auto-generated based on 7.8 km, 353m ascent, max altitude 714.7m, ~2h duration.
- 👟 Trail running shoes / hiking bootsRequired for any trail
- 📱 Phone (charged) + offline mapNavigation & emergency contact
- 💧 2L hydration packWater source information is incomplete; plan supplies before departure
- 🍫 Energy bars & gelsEst. 1152 kcal burn
- 🧴 SunscreenBasic sun protection
- 🧊 Microspikes / light cramponsSnow risk in Jan, Feb, Mar
- 🦵 GaitersKeep snow out of boots
Logistics
This route runs from Château-Sec to Epalinges (7.8 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.
Nearby Points of Interest
📍 Nearby Places
- Colline de Montriond km 1.6 · 1.5 km off trail
- Signal de Sauvabelin km 6.1 · 2.1 km off trail
- Chemin de l'Usine-à-Gaz km 1.6 · 3.6 km off trail
- Bois de Gésiaux km 8.8 · 2.5 km off trail
Route Details
- Network
- Local Trail Network
- Sport
- hiking
- Start
- Château-Sec
- End
- Epalinges
- Start Coordinates
- 46.51226, 6.64354
- OpenStreetMap
- View on OSM →
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Route resources
Specialist links and source details for this route. Everyday actions are kept in the route rail above.