Dinosaur footprints in the French Jura: walking with giants at Loulle

The prints form 21 trackways of sauropods, the huge long-necked plant-eaters, and 6 of theropods, the meat-eaters, including those of a giant trackmaker not yet known anywhere else in Europe, according to Jura Tourisme. Ask the children to compare their own foot with a print, staying on the walkway: the difference makes the size of these animals real. Then let them walk alongside one trackway at the same pace as the animal: counting steps between prints turns a list of facts into a game, and they will remember the stride of a sauropod far longer than any number on a panel.

The site sheet dates the tracks to the Jurassic, about 155 million years ago. Back then the region lay on the edge of a warm, shallow sea: the animals walked across the soft lime mud of a tidal flat, which later layers buried and turned to stone. The information panels along the walkway explain the landscape in which the dinosaurs lived, in simple words that suit young readers. Before you go, a children’s book about the Jurassic or a short documentary at home makes the visit far richer: they arrive knowing the difference between a plant-eater and a meat-eater, and they look for the clues themselves.

The limestone slab is fragile: winter frost and trampling were wearing it away. Much of the site is now protected, and visitors follow a raised walkway with panels. Access is free; in summer, Jura Tourisme lists guided tours once a week, booking required. Stay on the marked route and tell the children why: every step on the slab wears it down a little more. The guided tours are worth booking if your dates allow it: a guide points out details that are easy to miss and answers the questions children inevitably ask.

A marked loop starts from the dinosaur car park: 8.6 km with 205 m of climbing, mostly under the trees, as described by the Département du Jura. It passes a viewpoint over Champagnole and the Loulle lapiaz, a vast limestone pavement split by fissures where plants grow. With small children, part of the loop is plenty; older ones will enjoy reaching the lapiaz and exploring its strange, grooved surface from the path.

The walkway is short, but a little preparation helps. Sturdy shoes are useful for the loop, which can be muddy under the trees after rain. A hat and water matter on sunny days, since the slab itself is in the open. Bring a notebook and pencils for drawing the prints, a tape measure if your children like numbers, and a snack for the car park. Plan lunch in Champagnole or back at the house.

Combine the footprints with a lake day: Chalain and Clairvaux are not far, as explained on the page about the lakes of the French Jura. For waterfalls nearby, see our waterfall guide, and for a second half-day built around the region’s cheese, the Comté dairy tour. Match the plan to the youngest walker. Under 6, the walkway and a picnic fill the morning. From about 8, add part of the 8.6 km loop. Teenagers can take the whole loop and its 205 m of climbing, then the lapiaz.

From Jura 835, our single-level house in Foncine-le-Bas, the dinosaur car park is 25 min by car (21 km), a road route calculated from the house in October 2026. A morning is enough for the walkway and part of the loop; you can be back for lunch in the 400 m² garden. The house welcomes 6 to 8 guests, one family or group at a time; our family holiday guide plans the rest of the week.