Annecy: the Angon waterfall

With its impressive natural site and easy access, the Angon waterfall can be quite busy. I prefer going in spring or autumn and if you do visit in Summer, May or June is best. It is also one of the most beautiful canyoning courses around Annecy: the 45-meter abseil along the Angon waterfall is amazing.

There are several ways to reach the waterfall. The easiest (and quickest) is from chemin de la Closette because it has a parking. See the end of the article for alternatives.

Hiking to the Angon waterfall

From the parking, the hike is pretty straight forward. There are trail sign posts along the way “la Closette” (740 m elevation) and “La Cornalle” (700 m elevation). When I went last time, it was a very hot day and the shaded path was perfect.

Trail to Angon waterfall near Annecy

Halfway, the path opens up: along with le col de la Forclaz, this is one of my favourite view of Lake Annecy. In Summer, the colour of the lake is turquoise on sunny days.

Lake Annecy from the Angon waterfall trail
Views of the lake Annecy from the Angon waterfall trail

Easily accessible the Angon waterfall is very beautiful, especially in spring, when the flow is at its maximum. It is better to avoid going there after the rain because the trail is already very slippery. A slight drop allows superb views of Lake Annecy, and the surrounding mountains.

The trail is slippery due to the humidity but also frequent passages. After the small waterfall, keep going to a very slippery passage which gives access to the large waterfall.

August and June

Canyoning in the Angon waterfall

Many canyoning enthusiasts abseil from the 60 meters high waterfall. The upper part of the Angon waterfall is more technical, with several abseils (up to 45 meters high).

The Angon waterfall near Annecy

The second part, easier, is made up of a few jumps and slides. Canyoning is possible from May to October and it takes about 3 hours.

Canyon near Angon waterfall

The trek can be extended to the pont des fées (fairy bridge). The trail to Angon waterfall is a dead-end. You need to go back to the same way you came from and at the signpost “la Cornalle” follow the sign to pont des fées.

INFORMATION
Starting point: la Closette
Time: 40 min (return)
Elevation: 120 meters
Altitude: 645 meters
Difficulty: none

Access

From Annecy, Angon waterfall is easy to access. There are few ways to reach the waterfall.

Vérel, la Closette

From Vérel, you can drive all the way to chemin de la Closette, off the route du col de la Forclaz road. From there, a parking is available and the path signposted.

Angon village

The hike from Angon village is much longer and depending on your level, it takes between 2h and 2h30 for the whole hike. The path climbs all the way over 300 meters of elevation gain on beautiful forest trails. The path is well signposted. See the map below for the starting point (and parking):

After the Angon waterfall. don’t miss the Col de la Forclaz, an amazing spot with panoramic views over lake Annecy. The mountain pass is easily accessible by car. A great place to watch sunset from.

sunset at the col de la Forclaz

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