10 mountain passes in the Vivarais

Here is a route for road cyclists that isn’t very long but offers plenty for those keen on tackling mountain passes. The roads of the Vivarais are quiet and the idyllic countryside will delight the cyclist in you.

Details

147924
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Touring/Gravel
    Activity: Touring/Gravel
  • ↔
    Distance: 32.12 mi
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 5 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,717 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,713 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,684 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,601 ft

Description of the route

Park in Saint Barthélemy-Grozon in the car park in the centre of the village.

(S/E) Take the D533 towards Saint-Peray for 200 m, then turn left onto the D238 towards Gilhoc-sur-Ormèze. After the bridge over the Ruisseau de Fay, the road climbs gently to the Col du Mazel (633 m).

(1) Continue down the D238 for 5 km to Gilhoc-sur-Ormèze. Carry on straight through the village (100 m) until you reach a crossroads.

(2) Take the road that climbs to the right towards Saint-Sylvestre, leading to the Col de Mayres (603 m).

(3) Immediately after the pass, turn right onto the D269 towards Alboussière for 200 m, then turn right onto a small road that climbs steeply towards the Serre de Blanchard (a small sign indicates “Grozon”).

(4) At a place called Ravier, continue right along this small road with two hairpin bends – first to the left, then to the right – and pass the 714 m altitude. The road descends slightly to a first junction; continue straight on towards the hamlet of Nas. Turn left at the Maisonnas fork in the road and cross the small wood to the Jayes junction. Turn left, then take a right-hand bend to rejoin the D533 road from Lamastre to Saint-Peray (D533). Turn left to pass over the Col des Fans (758 m).

(5) Descend for 2.5 km to the Col de la Rouveure (626 m).

(6) Just after this, leave the D533 and take the small road on the left, going over a small hill, then descend to the Col du Serre junction (599 m).

(7) Turn right onto the D369 and rejoin the D533 once more in the village of Alboussières.

(8) Turn left, drive through the village and follow the road down to the bridge at 515 m.

(9) Bridge over the Duzon. The road climbs for 2.5 km to the Col de Leyrisse at 587 m.

(10) At the pass, turn right towards Vernoux-en-Vivarais via the D14, and easily cross the Col de Ponsoye (604 m).

(11) Continue for 2.5 km until you come to a small road on the left signposted for the Loubières stopover lodge.

(12) Take the left-hand turn to climb this kilometre, with gradients that really burn your thighs, but the summit is soon reached and, after a short descent, turn right onto the D279.

(13) Pass close to the source of the Embroye (stream) and carry on to La Croix-Saint-André.

(14) Carry on straight ahead for 20 m past the cross and take the road on the left, towards Vernoux-en-Vivarais, which leads back onto the D14 at the Col de la Justice (679 m).

(15) Head downhill to the left towards Vernoux-en-Vivarais for 3 km and, before entering Vernoux, take the D105 on the right, which leads to Châteauneuf-de-Vernoux. Pass through the village and, at the exit, at a fork in the road, take the road on the right. After a shaded climb, the road reaches the final pass on the route, the Col du Pialou (818 m).

(16) Phew, that’s it – all that’s left is to head back down this little road, first passing a road on the left, then, at the hamlet of Le Cros, climbing very slightly to the left and continuing until you rejoin the D533.

(17) Turn left to reach the starting point almost without pedalling (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,818 ft - Town hall car park
  2. 1 : mi 1.27 - alt. 2,077 ft - Col du Mazel (645m)
  3. 2 : mi 4.73 - alt. 1,601 ft - Gilhoc sur - Ormèze (rivière) - Affluent du Duzon
  4. 3 : mi 6.25 - alt. 1,978 ft - Col de Mayres ou du Roussillon (603m)
  5. 4 : mi 6.87 - alt. 2,146 ft - The stream, on the right
  6. 5 : mi 9.84 - alt. 2,490 ft - Col des Fans (758m)
  7. 6 : mi 11.91 - alt. 2,057 ft - Col de la Rouveure (626m)
  8. 7 : mi 12.3 - alt. 1,969 ft - Col du Serre (600m)
  9. 8 : mi 13.22 - alt. 1,834 ft - Alboussière
  10. 9 : mi 14.03 - alt. 1,677 ft - Bridge over the - Duzon (rivière)
  11. 10 : mi 16.04 - alt. 1,926 ft - Col de Leyrisse (587m)
  12. 11 : mi 17.43 - alt. 1,982 ft - Col de Ponsoye (604m)
  13. 12 : mi 19.2 - alt. 1,969 ft - Route to the Loubières lodge
  14. 13 : mi 20.2 - alt. 2,270 ft - Near the source of the - Embroye (ruisseau)
  15. 14 : mi 20.38 - alt. 2,323 ft - The St Andrew’s Cross
  16. 15 : mi 23.04 - alt. 2,228 ft - Col de la Justice (681m)
  17. 16 : mi 27.85 - alt. 2,680 ft - Col du Pialou (818m)
  18. 17 : mi 29.95 - alt. 2,126 ft - Turn left onto the D533, following the - Grozon (cours d'eau) - Affluent du Doux
  19. S/E : mi 32.12 - alt. 1,821 ft - Town hall car park

Notes

Water points at Gilhoc-sur-Ormèze, Alboussière and Châteauneuf-sur-Vernoux.

Worth a visit

Panoramic view of the Vercors to the east, Mont Mezenc and the Gerbier de Jonc to the west.
The villages passed through.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
JLPP
JLPP

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, a lovely route with magnificent views of the Vercors and beyond. Along the way, there were beautiful chestnut forests where the nuts were being harvested. We went as far as Vernoux to visit this lovely little town. Apart from a few sections, there were very few cars on most of the route.

Machine-translated

Manuantoine
Manuantoine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, the car park at the start of the route is located at the entrance to the village, in front of a school.
It’s a lovely route, with most of the roads having very little traffic. Beautiful scenery and a series of enjoyable mountain passes to tackle. I highly recommend this ride!

Machine-translated

cyclosdesemaine
cyclosdesemaine

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A brilliant route for the ever-growing number of mountain pass enthusiasts.
An excellent route, provided you drive to the start.
Personally, when I decide to go for a breath of fresh air, I try to avoid clogging up other people’s lungs with the fumes from my Volkswagen, so I take the train.
And the route in question, from the nearest train station, is 85 km with 1,600 metres of elevation gain.
So I’ll wait – probably until next spring or summer – before tackling it.

Machine-translated

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.