The Creux du Van is a natural rocky cirque approximately 1,400 metres wide and 150 metres deep, on the north side of Le Soliat,[1] in the Val de Travers district in the Swiss canton of Neuchâtel.
The rocky arc of Creux du Van was created in three phases: Phase 1: A glacier covered the area of today's Val de Travers around 140,000 years ago (Würm Ice Age).
Phase 3: After the removal of rocks from the fault, erosion of a stronger layer from a different age was much slower.
The ground beneath the Creux du Van remains permanently frozen to this day (permafrost).
A paved road from Saint-Aubin-Sauges (on Lake Neuchâtel) or Couvet (Val-de-Travers) climbs to la ferme du Soliat (1,382 m), a few minutes walk away from the summit of the rocky cirque.