Pissevache

Pissevache is a waterfall at Miéville, beside Vernayaz in the Swiss canton of Valais, overlooking the Rhône valley. The Salanfe river drops down a rock face in one thin sheet, throwing up a cool mist you can feel from the roadside. It has been a sightseeing stop for generations and pairs easily with a day in Martigny.

What is the Pissevache waterfall?

The Salanfe, a tributary of the Rhône, leaves a high plateau above Vernayaz and plunges to the valley floor. Quoted heights differ. Britannica lists about 65 m (215 ft), while regional guides and waterfall sites give 110 to 116 m. The gap comes from where each source starts and ends the measurement. Either way, it ranks among the tallest falls in French-speaking Switzerland.

The name comes from local French and translates literally as "cow's pee", a nod to the pale, spread-out stream that falls with a yellowish tint from the sediment it carries.

Why is it worth a stop?

Pissevache shaped tourism in Vernayaz. According to the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, the village built a visitor trade around the fall and the nearby Trient gorges until the First World War. In the stagecoach era it was a standard stop on the road through the Rhône valley, and the Martigny–Châtelard railway of 1906 changed the old routes. Swiss archives still hold 19th-century drawings and prints of the fall, a sign of how often it was painted.

You see it best from the valley roads close to its base. In spring and early summer, when snowmelt swells the river, the flow is strongest and the spray heaviest.

What else is nearby?

Next to the fall stands the Miéville power station, built between 1947 and 1952. It uses water from Lac de Salanfe, delivered through an underground penstock about 4 km long with a head of 1,472 m. Two Pelton turbines produce 70 MW together. Dams on the Salanfe plateau influence how much water reaches the fall. An older plant, Pissevache, opened in 1898 and was shut down in 1997 for safety reasons, with its owner planning a restart.

The Trient gorges also lie close by, and for a long time the two were promoted together to visitors.

How do you get there?

The fall sits on the lower Rhône valley, just north of Vernayaz and a few kilometres from Martigny. Driving from the main valley road is straightforward, and trains also serve Vernayaz. You do not need a steep hike to see it, so it suits families and travellers passing through.

When should you go?

Late spring and early summer bring the strongest flow from melting snow. On a sunny summer day you can catch a rainbow in the mist. In winter the flow weakens and cold air can leave ice on the rocks.

Frequently asked questions

How tall is Pissevache?

Sources disagree: Britannica says about 65 m, regional sites say 110 to 116 m. The difference lies in how the drop is measured.

Where is it exactly?

At Miéville near Vernayaz in Valais, in the Rhône valley close to Martigny. The Salanfe river feeds it.

What does the name mean?

Literally "cow's pee", after the look of the pale, scattered stream.

Is there an entry fee?

The sources we used mention no charge for viewing it from the valley roads. Check current conditions with the Valais tourism pages.