Stroll along the Canal du Forez

de fr

An open-to-the-sky Sunday stroll in the sun Canal du Forez.

Details

n°200546
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 7 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 7 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 393 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 383 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

Canal du Forez: between the canal bridge and Frécon Neuf
Canal du Forez in winter.
Forez canal

Description of the walk

Park in the car park next to the David Pond.

(S/F) Cross the road and follow the side of the canal avoiding the path to David Pond marked with a fish symbol.

(1) Cross the road and continue on the same bank.

(2) At a stone bridge, cross over to the left and move to the other bank. Otherwise you will be unable to get over the Bonson river. Continue along the canal.

(3) After Frécon Neuf farm with a pond where a small windmill is located, turn right. Cross at the bridge and take a left to return to the right bank.

(4) Cross the D102 departmental road and continue straight on the same bank.

(5) Arrive at the old Estivarelle rail bridge, turn back on yourself and return by the same route to reach the car park (S/F).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 390 m - Car park next to the - Etang david
  2. 1 : km 1.49 - alt. 392 m - Road crossing
  3. 2 : km 2.11 - alt. 392 m - Obligation to change banks. Close to - Bonson (rivière) - Affluent de la Loire
  4. 3 : km 3.06 - alt. 391 m - Change banks.
  5. 4 : km 3.63 - alt. 393 m - Road crossing
  6. 5 : km 4.98 - alt. 391 m - Half a lap.
  7. S/E : km 10.05 - alt. 390 m - Departure car park - Canal du Forez

Notes

This Sunday stroll is family-friendly. Take extra care with young children because the canal banks do not have barriers.

Worth a visit

Between (4) (5) and you will likely see a good number of egrets which are to be found here.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 22 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
claudemarche
claudemarche

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A short walk with no elevation changes; on the way back, we varied the banks of the canal.

Machine-translated

yro
yro

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Start of a pleasant circuit along the Forez canal, with plenty of tarmac roads.

Machine-translated

teedom42
teedom42

Lots of walkers on the path

Machine-translated

MSL43
MSL43

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A simple, easy afternoon ride along the canal with no difficulties and a return trip. Children can follow on their bikes without any worries.

Machine-translated

Daniel Brignon
Daniel Brignon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It wasn't a complicated circuit. Quite the opposite, very cool. The safe route is particularly popular with mountain bikers, family groups and even large numbers of accompanied children.

Machine-translated

LA BROSSE 42
LA BROSSE 42

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very easy walk along the canal, discovering its engineering structures, in particular the canal bridge.
Possibility of returning via Etang David and its birdlife: wild ducks, coots and numerous little egrets.
Note: both banks of the canal bridge were open on this day. (2/4/2021)

Machine-translated

Little Bob
Little Bob

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk for a summer Sunday with the family, with both people on foot and others on bikes. A little short, but you could add the tour of the pond David.

Machine-translated

st hil
st hil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

for a day after reveillon it was perfect, we completed by the etang david which unfortunately was .... empty!
there are also with the egrets many grey herons
merci pour ce tracé

Machine-translated

42Sylvie
42Sylvie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Easy walk as it's all flat.
Shame to have to make a return trip.
Thanks to the person who suggested this hike, I didn't know it.

Machine-translated

gegerando42
gegerando42

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A great idea for a bucolic walk.

Machine-translated

Collette
Collette

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant, easy and scenic route, even on hot days. You can picnic by the river with a little cover at the canal bridge.

Machine-translated

BRET chantal
BRET chantal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A pleasant walk for all ages! It's good to see nature awakening and waking us up from this long winter!

Machine-translated

JCSABATIER
JCSABATIER

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

CLEAR

Machine-translated

SZCZOTA
SZCZOTA

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Why to choose this route: flat
Ideal for children or people who don't do much walking.
Quite a monotonous route, perhaps a loop would be more pleasant.

Machine-translated

JLB42650
JLB42650

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The route is a little monotonous in winter, but should be brighter in spring with the presence of numerous egrets.
It ends at a dead end on a main road. A loop via the old St Marcellin railway seems possible, with the route returning to the Frécon farm. Passing the lock above the Bonson is pleasant. Etang David is worth a look at at the end of the return journey.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking The Loire Gorges from Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert

Visorando Member
Les gorges de la Loire au départ de Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert
↔10.37 km ↗+185 m ↘-186 m ◔3h 30 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert (Loire)
A circular route in Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert that runs along the Loire to the Grangent Dam with breathtaking views of the Loire Gorges.

Walking Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez – the railway line

Visorando Member
Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez - la voie ferrée
↔9.13 km ↗+99 m ↘-99 m ◔2h 55 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez (Loire)
A family walk along the old Estivarelle railway line, a path known as “L’aventure du Rail”, maintained by the regional council.

Walking From Essalois to Les Camaldules

Visorando Member
D'Essalois aux Camaldules
↔4.78 km ↗+183 m ↘-183 m ◔1h 55 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Chambles (Loire)
This route through the Loire Gorges offers beautiful panoramic views.

Walking La Bachasse on the edge of the artificial lake at Grangent

Visorando Member
La Bachasse en bordure du lac artificiel de Grangent
↔4.77 km ↗+141 m ↘-146 m ◔1h 45 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Saint-Étienne (Loire)
An easy, mostly shaded walk with beautiful views of Lake Grangent at the start and the rest in the forest. The route is dotted with informative and entertaining signs about the flora and fauna. The site is currently being restored to a natural forest after being planted with Douglas firs in the last century. Ideal for family walks and/or hot weather.

Walking Circular starting from Chambles

Visorando Member
Boucle au départ de Chambles
↔12.21 km ↗+244 m ↘-243 m ◔4h 10 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Chambles (Loire)
Circular starting from the village of Chambles with beautiful views of the Loire Gorges, passing by the medieval Essalois Castle, the Monts du Lyonnais, the plain and the Monts du Forez.

Walking Loire Gorges and Plateau de la Danse from Saint-Victor sur Loire

Visorando Member
Gorges de la Loire et Plateau de la Danse depuis Saint-Victor sur Loire
↔8.11 km ↗+270 m ↘-276 m ◔3h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Étienne (Loire)
This is a challenging hike with significant elevation gain, but the beautiful panoramas and views of this little-known region are well worth the effort.

Walking Between the Malval and the Étang Picard via the Bois du Roi

Visorando Member
↔9.30 km ↗+198 m ↘-190 m ◔3h 15 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from La Fouillouse (Loire)
A very pleasant walk, featuring several paths along the river and through the woods, offering a complete change of scenery. As you will be walking along many paths through the woodland, there are few tarmac roads or sections. This walk is easy as there is little elevation gain relative to the distance.

Walking La Roche - Nus from Marieux station

Visorando Member
La Roche - Nus par la gare de Marieux
↔10.11 km ↗+133 m ↘-133 m ◔3h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Marcellin-en-Forez (Loire)
A walk through Forez on waymarked trails.

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.