Tour of Ranc Chabrier and Mas Valley

A very beautiful hike in volcanic Ardèche: magnificent scenery, rocky peaks, scree, clapas. The lava flow at Antraigues, from the young Aizac volcano (approximately 80,000 years old), invaded the Mas, Bise and Volane valleys due to the steepness of the terrain, leaving numerous traces of this eruptive period.
The promontory on which the village is built, with its variety of colours and shapes, is surprising.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.79 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 495 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 495 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 898 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 463 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in the village centre.

(S/E) In the village centre, take the paved slanting street de Saint-Roch, northwards, which climbs up to the Saint-Roch chapel. Pass the mission cross, leave a road on your right and continue on a small road northwards until you reach a hairpin bend.
At a house, take the track that continues the road opposite, heading north, which joins a road that you follow to the right for about 200 metres before reaching the Saint-Roch chapel on the left of the path.
Please note: there is a difference between the map and the terrain. Follow the markings carefully (GR® pays).

(1) Pass in front of the chapel, turn left to go around the chapel and take the paved slanting street (Roman road) through the chestnut grove.

(2) Cross the Col des Portes, where you can see the Volane valley. Descend the winding path through the forest, then climb back up through the moorland to the road.

(3) At this junction, take the road on the right up to the hamlet of Saint-Vincent and cross it. Continue on, and the road turns into a track that leads to the TV relay station.

(4) At a hairpin bend, follow the track to the right, heading south, and climb up to the relay station. Continue to reach a pass to the left of Ranc Chabrier.

(5) Switch to the eastern slope of the mountain and follow the track on the left to the Rocher de la Clé mast.

(6) Take the path on the right that passes under the Rocher de la Clé. Descend and cross, alternating between heathland, forests, clapas and chaos, to reach the hamlet of Le Mazoyer (information sign).

(7) Follow the signpost for Antraigues on the right. Walk along the hamlet.

(8) At the exit of the hamlet, at the first intersection, follow the marked path to the left, heading south. Ignore all paths crossing this path and continue downhill to the hamlet of Mas.

(9) In the hamlet of Mas, reach a road and take it to the right. Stay on this small road from Mas, which leads back to the village of Antraigues.

(10) At the next junction, turn left. Continue along this small road.

(11) At the next two junctions, follow the road to the left and then, further down, to the right. Just after Le Chapelier, turn left onto Les Allevards, which leads back to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 466 m - Car park in the village centre
  2. 1 : km 0.86 - alt. 544 m - Chapelle St Roch
  3. 2 : km 1.65 - alt. 617 m - Col des Portes. Towards the - Volane (rivière) - Affluent de l'Ardèche
  4. 3 : km 3.49 - alt. 629 m - Turn right onto the road
  5. 4 : km 4.83 - alt. 734 m - Track on the right, heading south
  6. 5 : km 5.83 - alt. 831 m - Pass, track on the left
  7. 6 : km 7.23 - alt. 896 m - After the Rocher de Male-Mort
  8. 7 : km 8.35 - alt. 745 m - On the right, head towards Le Mas Antraigues
  9. 8 : km 8.44 - alt. 745 m - At the crossroads, turn right towards Antraigues
  10. 9 : km 10.67 - alt. 589 m - Le Mas, road on the right
  11. 10 : km 10.8 - alt. 579 m - On the left, Route du Mas
  12. 11 : km 12.5 - alt. 511 m - To the right, then further to the left
  13. S/E : km 13.79 - alt. 466 m - Car park in the village centre

Notes

Presence of livestock: dogs must be kept on a leash; close gate latches securely.
No picking is allowed.

Avoid this hike in foggy weather. Know how to find your way.

There are other variations of this hike, some longer, some shorter. This hike is interesting for its panoramic views of three valleys: the Mas Valley, the Bise Valley, and the Volane Valley.

Worth a visit

Espace Jean Saussac, Jean Ferrat Museum, Maison de la Montagne.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 20 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
BOREL DENIS
BOREL DENIS

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Correct route marking - Well-shaded trails - very pleasant hike.

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MarquinhosDoBrasil
MarquinhosDoBrasil
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
During our hike on 21 April 2024, we met a landowner at point 8 who asked us how we had found this route, informing us that beyond this point the land was private. On her advice, we turned left and continued climbing towards the "Rocher de Cégeade" (Cégeade Rock), then took the path to reach the farmhouse and point 10.
This detour allows you to gain altitude and enjoy a superb panorama! Thank you to the landowner for this advice, which improves the quality of the hike and ensures that properties are respected. Thank you to the author of the hike, we had a wonderful day.

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ardechom
ardechom

Hello, I will take care of it immediately. I am sorry about this turn of events. I completely understand your feelings, as I have unfortunately witnessed many similar behaviours, and with increasing frequency.

Background: I am familiar with this hike, having done it with a guide in May 2003. Since then, I have returned (still without dogs!) in June 2015 and May 2019. Personally, I have never seen any sheep or dogs on this route. Nor, for that matter, any humans, except for a charming old man in Mazoyer and a pleasant old lady in Le Mas.
In 2015, I thought that sharing a beautiful route was normal. Since then, I've changed my mind somewhat!
I hope you will no longer be bothered by inconsiderate behaviour.

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Ferme du Mazoyer
Ferme du Mazoyer
• Edited:

Hello,
we have been farmers in Mazoyer for 15 years. We are shocked to discover the route of this hike, which crosses our parks, off the beaten track.
From Mazoyer, after point 8, it is a private track, maintained by us, to Cégeade, but it is still a "real path".
From point 10 onwards, the route runs alongside our fences and there is no path.
We already have four marked trails starting from Mazoyer that cross our parks.
Last weekend, two more park gates were left open after hikers passed through. Every year, we have to deal with hikers who refuse to keep their dogs on a leash in our parks, saying "our dogs are friendly, they don't need to be on a leash", blah blah blah. This is despite the fact that our herd, or part of it, has been attacked by dogs more than a dozen times...
And that's not to mention the toilet paper found everywhere.
We feel like we can't trust anyone, we're constantly checking, we stress every weekend, every holiday...
It adds enough difficulties and work to an already very demanding job, and we think there are enough marked trails for hikers, so please correct the route and remove the section after point 10.

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Shalva
Shalva

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After point 10, the path that runs along the cattle fence and serves as a guide is completely hidden by vegetation and very difficult to find. In addition, there are many brambles and nettles. Do not
leave the fence. Otherwise, it is a fairly easy hike with varied landscapes.

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marcheur1
marcheur1

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

the yellow markings need a bit of paint. Very beautiful old paths.

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JRrando07
JRrando07

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Very nice hike, beautiful scenery, but the guidebook contains many errors, as the signs have been moved and when
we are at marker 8, there is no longer a sign for Bise, so take the path with the yellow and white cross, which is not marked. At marker 10, the path along the fence is not maintained at all, and when you see a dirt path beyond the fence, cross it and go down to the right. After that, the directions are fine.

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Stéphanie Le Touzé
Stéphanie Le Touzé

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike in beautiful weather, with stunning colours and varied landscapes throughout.
I must admit that I really appreciated the app on my phone, as the printed map would not have been enough for me. But the app is very well designed and removes any doubts we might have along the way.
I highly recommend this hike, which is easy and interesting throughout.
Antraigues sur Volane is a very pleasant village that is also worth taking the time to think about its most famous representative...

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boninmi
boninmi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did a slightly easier version with 16 people (thanks to pb07), continuing to follow the Mas stream between Le Mas and Le Mazoyer, a distance of 14 km, an easy route to follow.

Superb views over this hidden Ardèche valley and further afield from Le Mazoyer and the path that climbs up to the Volane hillside. A very beautiful hike.

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EGsvensk
EGsvensk

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant trail in this beautiful, very dry autumn, with the added bonus of huge chestnut husks, the sound of dry leaves underfoot, and autumn colours galore.
No particular difficulties, as the scree slope to reach Le Mazoyer was very dry, otherwise slipping would have been possible. However, we had difficulty finding the trail leading to point 11, which was not very visible. A faint trail led us away from the fence we were supposed to follow, and we crossed through broom and brambles, much to the chagrin of our trouser pockets, calves for those in shorts, and forearms for everyone.

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ayrton 12
ayrton 12

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very beautiful hike. To avoid a slippery descent (about halfway through), I prefer to take the route in reverse.

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nfbussiere
nfbussiere

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike. There was a mistral wind, but the route was mostly sheltered. The trail around Saint Vincent isn't particularly interesting, but the view afterwards is very beautiful. At the hamlet of Le Mas (points 11 and 12), you can take the yellow and white signposted path on the left before the bridge. This path overlooks the river on the left bank and allows you to avoid the road for about 500 metres.

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olivier duchesnay
olivier duchesnay

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 05, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very nice hike. The views are splendid. You won't get bored here. Due to its length, this hike requires a certain level of fitness. I loved it. The route description is very precise. Thank you for this route.

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RaymondMarilou
RaymondMarilou

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Visorando is a new discovery for me. This is my first hike using this app, and I am pleasantly surprised.
I will use it from now on to find hikes that suit my travel goals.
Thank you.
Kind regards.
Raymond

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Sylfrala
Which part did you find difficult and how can we fix it in the description?

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