Rhône-Alpes walks

A complete change of scene in this superb canyon between two narrow cliffs. An unusual place where a crevasse plunges into nowhere, with a peaceful and shady atmosphere between boulders, lichens and ferns.

Easy walk on this “tooth” overlooking the Isère valley and offering an interesting view over the east foothills of Chartreuse.

A family-friendly trail that explores the troglodyte village of Barry, one of the finest and largest in France.

The Mont Grêle lookout point and Archelle’s summit.
Mont Grêle is a peak that is visible from the valley of Chambéry and the Aiguebelette region.
It is easily spotted thanks to or because of the pylons that are installed at the top. Up close, these towers have still look great, but they do not alone justify the purpose of the tour, which is interesting because it offers views over Lake Aiguebelette and Chartreuse.

A lovely with snowshoes, with a beautiful view of the Alpine peaks at its height. Note that this hike can be done in all seasons.

Very nice hike without any difficulty, with stunning views of the Pas des Voutes, Pas de la Charmate and Pas de l'Allier.

A long hike across the Vercors Highlands ("Hauts Plateaux du Vercors"), to reach the Grand Veymont. Breath-taking view of the entire Vercors massif and Mont Aiguille.

From Buis-les-Baronnies, walk around the Rocher Saint-Julien enjoying the views of the Baronnies and Mont Ventoux.

A Short yet tough hike through the Monts d'Or. Very nice in good weather and on dry ground.

Short, easy route to discover the beautiful village of La Clusaz from different perspectives.
Follow the signs for the “Tour du Village".

For several years now, Lyon's Confluence district, in the wake of the construction of the museum, has been undergoing a major transformation. Here, it is invited to discover its new face, where modernity meets history, in the exceptional setting of the confluence of the Rhône and Saône rivers.

Stroll through the Tony Garnier open-air museum. The beautiful buildings of the Cité des États-Unis serve as a backdrop for the architect's plans for his ideal city of Lyon. Other street arts, colorful and symbolist, extrapolate this concept to other countries.

Thanks to its geographical location, on the border between the southern Ardèche and the Monts d'Ardèche, Montpezat-sous-Bauzon is an ideal place to discover the astonishing lay and religious heritage of the area, from the fertile valley to the wild, rocky pastures, with remarkable views of the mountains and the Fontaulière plain.
As you return to the valley, a rose garden awaits you for a moment of olfactory and visual pleasure.

A short walk from Montpezat to the hamlets of Les Grisières and Le Villaret, passing through a chestnut grove - the only slight difficulty on the route - and the humpback bridge, for a family outing.

From Ruoms to Labeaume, the hike alternates between ancient villages and nature.
This itinerary passes the Ardèche river, the heights of the Baume river gorge, the pretty village of Labeaume and the old town of Ruoms.
Alternating between shady and sunny stretches. Several possibilities for swimming along the way.

A pleasant hike along the banks of the Ardèche river, sometimes with overhanging cliffs on a magnificent path, and sometimes skirting the riverbed. There's also a cave within easy reach.

Contrasting landscapes between the southern scrubland and the deep gullies in the clay-limestone marl.
Fossil footprints, botanical path, abrupt change of vegetation between limestone strata and Cevennes shale, and return by a path overlooking the Chassezac river.
Very pretty and picturesque village of Naves.

That's what's on the menu of this spectacular hike which takes you around the west of Les Vans.

A high-level and stimulating walk along the Grand Balcon Nord overlooking the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Valley. The route starts from the Montenvers train station (the Little Red Train) and passes the Refuge du Montenvers (worth an overnight stop). The Grand Balcon Nord terminates at Plan de l'Aiguille but the route drops down to Les Houche on the river L'Arve to reach the Chalet Les Méandres (ex Tupilak).

This 10th stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) normally runs along the high ground above the L'Arve valley to La Flègere but here's the description of the variant to Lac Blanc. A shorter stage but full of excitement and challenges. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

This 3rd stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) follows the Torrent des Glaciers up 900m to the Col de la Seigne. Climbing gently, at first, for just over 10km before dropping down 300m to Lex Blanche. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

This 2nd stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) follows the river Le Bonnant upstream to climb over the Col du Bonhomme at 2,329m. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

This 1st stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) is possibly the toughest but the adrenaline is pumping and short-cuts are not on the agenda. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

The Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France. These 11 stages are one way of doing it but you can make your own version of the TMB. The classic route begins and ends in Les Houches and takes an anticlockwise direction around Mont Blanc and the adjacent peaks. There is a total of 164 km (102 miles) walking these 11 routes and a positive height gain of over 10,000m. Certainly a challenging adventure but well worth the effort. Let's do it!

This 11th stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) is practically all downhill (with obvious exceptions at La Flégère, up to the Col du Brévent and Le Brévent and the Tête de Bellachat). The Refuge Lac Blanc is at 2,352m and the Chalet Les Méandres is at 1,100m. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

This is a circular walk based on trail 5 as promoted by the Arêches tourist board. It is well marked with yellow signs and paint flashes or markers for trail 5. There are good views over to Mont Blanc, the Beaufortain Mountains and the lake, although small, is a nice place to eat your sandwiches.

This is a circular walk based on trails 5 and 8 as promoted by the Arêches tourist board. For the most part it is well marked with yellow signs and paint flashes or markers for trail 5 & 8. There are good views over to Mont Blanc and of the Beaufortain Mountains.

Starting in the abandoned ski resort of Drouzin le Mont in Col du Corbier, this is a moderate mountain climb winding through a forest section & alpine meadows before concluding with a short but challenging craggy rock face. The summit is sheltered by large rocks offering 360 stunning views of Lac Leman to the North and Mont Blanc to the South. It is not for the faint hearted, solo inexperienced or novice if a vertical rock scramble is not your thing, but the rest of hike is far more moderate.

A there and back hike up to Roc de Taveneuse with views across to Abondance. This hike offers a challenging initial forest climb (hard relentless cardio but no rock climbs or cables/supports) but then opens up to mountain pastures with full panoramic shot of Mont Blanc (on a clear day). A further climb brings you to Roc de Tavaneuse with 360 views.

A circular route encompassing a stunning ridge hike with views down to the glacial valley of Samoens and Sixt Fer a Cheval whilst overlooked by Mont Blanc.

Lake Gittaz and the Curé passage.

In the region famous for walnuts, along the tracks of the old tramway from Lyon to Saint-Marcellin and among various church buildings.
Magnificent panoramic views over the Chartreuse, Vercors and Mézenc mountain ranges.

A hilly walk through green oaks between Pradons and Lagorce. Beautiful views of the Ardèche cliffs on the final descent.

This chapel is on the ridge of the Forest of Saoû, above the ruins of an old priory. At the top of the climb from La Clastre, hikers have breathtaking views of the hanging valley of Saoû.

Mount Rachais, from the hamlet of Frette, situated on its far northern side.

At the heart of the Monts D’Ardèche Regional Natural Park, Laboule is the ideal starting point for a walk with a variety of contrasting atmospheres. At the summit of the Sentier des Granges trail there is an unparalleled panoramic view (Mont Blanc, Mont Ventoux, Mont Bouquet, Mont Lozère...) a day’s walk across the third-highest summit of the Cévennes range (at 1,548 m) with its rocky mountains and luminous rivers.

Between Vallon-Pont-d'Arc and Saint-Remèze, this hike should be done mid-season before it become too difficult to park in "gorges de l'Ardèche" after Pont-d'Arc.The walk offers beautiful view points over the Ardèche and Tiourre valleys, the Saint-Remèze plateau then Pont-d'Arc on the trip back.

A circuit from Féclaz to the Nivolet Cross overlooking Chambéry.

Family-friendly walk in the hills of Saint-Héand among the horses and cows.

Hike near the Rhône, to the north of Ardèche. You will be surprised to find areas that are this "wild" so close to the Rhône Valley (Ardennes). At the end, the view of the Rhône and the Arras tower is a definite plus.

A very nice circuit around the Monts du Lyonnais to explore the climbing area at Py Froid.

This is a hike that starts with a ferry crossing.
The objective is to take the two elegant bridges.
The first bridge crosses the Drac.
The second bridge crosses the Ebron.
Satisfactory markings.

A lovely hike offering beautiful views of the Rhône Valley, the Alps and the Ardèche. A 15-minute drive from Valence, this hike leads you around the beautiful surroundings of this small village. Note that Saint-Romain-de-Lerps is one of the classic walks in the area, because there is a beautiful lookout point with a chapel, 2 orientation tables and a picnic area alongside.

A circular walk on Couspeau mountain, with the summit of the Grand Delmas offering views over the surrounding mountains, particularly the 3 Becs.

Climb and ramble along the ridges above Annonay. Beautiful view of the Alps and Pilat.

A hike in Beaujolais through vineyards and forests, starting from Juliénas near Belleville. This hike can be shortened or lengthened (see description).

This trail goes around and climbs up the Gerbier de Jonc whose summit offers a view over the Ardèche mountains.

An easy family walk to the "Forêt des sens" (forest of senses), arboretum and interpretive trail created under the impetus of the municipal children's council. A few welcome benches punctuate this playful and instructive walk for all ages.

This hike is primarily along clear paths with views over le Pilat and Sainte-Catherine. An easy trek with some slight up and downhill slopes. Be careful, as non-stone tracks can get muddy in the rainy season.

A ride on the peaks of the Massif de Crussol, 20 minutes from Valencia via the castle.

A vertiginous and rarely-taken loop, where you come across ibexes and chamois at every hairpin bend. Make sure you always have a helmet (ibexes love to send stones flying), as well as crampons and an ice axe until late in the season, as névés remain in place fairly long within the steep Serre-Brion couloir. It is best to start your hike early in the morning so that snow is still hard when reaching this couloir.