February in the Haut-Jura, with children
By Robin — your host · sources at the end · 12 July 2026 · updated 11 October 2026 · 2 min read · Our method
In February, in the Haut-Jura, children get three playgrounds: the snow in the garden, snowshoes among the spruces, and cross-country skiing at the nordic area of Foncine-le-Haut, a 10 min drive away. Base camp is called Jura 835: a whole house, never shared.
The snow starts in the garden
When the snow is in, the first run is the walled garden of the house, 400 m² of it: boots on, a fall, another go, all within earshot. February is often won right there: the snow before breakfast, the snow you have to yourself, before the snowshoes even come out. A sledge and boots are enough for a whole morning, and nobody needs to take the car.
Snowshoes, from the first morning
Snowshoes ask for no technique: a child who can walk can wear them. If you rent gear on site, check before you set off that children’s sizes are available for your dates. At the nordic area in Foncine-le-Haut, Jura Tourisme lists 17 snowshoe routes, enough to pick a short loop for small legs. You follow fresh snow between the spruces and stop over tracks nobody has read yet: hare or fox, a debate that will carry through to teatime.
Cross-country skiing, for every age
Cross-country skiing shares well: the area has 18 trails covering 110 km, according to Jura Tourisme, with short, easy loops to start on and longer kilometres for parents with something to burn. Each at their own pace, and everyone home together for lunch, tired and happy. For the rest of the week, dip into the family guide to Foncine-le-Bas.
Dry off, warm up
Back at the house, there is a ski room with space to dry your kit: gloves, boots and snowsuits dry overnight, ready for the next day. Bring two pairs of gloves per child, one drying and one going out; and a flask of hot chocolate in the bag often does more for morale than one kilometre less.
A February day
In the morning, the snow in the garden. Then a short outing, on snowshoes or skis. At midday, home for a warm lunch. In the afternoon, a nap for the little ones and a second outing for the older ones. Before dark, one more sledge run in the garden. Keep one day without skis in the week: children often remember it as much as the trails.
In the evening, the fire
February days are short and night falls early; you come home early, cheeks red, to a warm house. Your family has it to itself, at most 6 to 8 guests. The stove gathers everyone before dinner. Tomorrow’s plan gets settled at the table, with no other guests to negotiate with: that week, the house knows only you.