Country:
District:
Go to the Couzon Dam near Saint-Croix-en-Jarez and park near the dam.
(S/E) The hike starts on the right side of the dam, with the lake behind you. There is a hiking signpost at this location. Take the path that goes uphill (impasse de la maison du garde). When you reach the house after a few hundred metres, take the rocky path that goes sharply to the right. Follow this path. It is marked in yellow and white.
Continue straight ahead, following the markings. After passing under a high-voltage power line, the dirt path ends and becomes a tarmac road near a house.
Follow this tarmac road, still marked in yellow and white, passing under a second power line and arriving at a crossroads.
(1) Leave the yellow and white markings and turn right towards Couzelon, taking a small shortcut (dirt track on the right near a kind of buried tank with vent pipes) to cut across the bend in the Route du Couzelon. After a few metres on this track, you will find a picnic table on your right. At the top of the path, you will find the tarmac road to Couzelon and pass under the power line you crossed earlier.
When you reach Couzelon, the tarmac road ends and continues as a stony path, branching off to the right.
(2) After passing a farm and walking along a high wall made of large concrete blocks, turn left onto the path that goes uphill and ignore the one opposite. Pass under the first power line you crossed earlier.
Continue straight ahead, staying on the main path.
(3) When you reach a crossroads, turn right and continue straight ahead, ignoring the paths leading off to the left and right, to reach the Croix de Crème.
(4) At the Croix de Crème, continue straight ahead towards Les Roches de Marlin, as indicated on a hiking sign. Here you will find the yellow and white markings again.
(5) At the crossroads, turn right. Here, a signpost will again point you in the direction of Roches de Marlin. Turn right towards Roches de Marlin.
(6) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead for about 50 metres to reach the end of the Roches de Marlin site.
(7) Retrace your steps back to the previous crossroads.
(6) Turn right downhill towards Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez.
(8) At the crossroads, turn right and continue along this path.
The dirt track then becomes a tarmac road (Chemin de Vienne) and leads to a crossroads.
(9) Turn right, then a few metres further on, turn left (Route de Jurieux). The path is now marked in brown and white.
(10) In the left-hand bend, veer slightly to the right to admire the old chapel, then continue down the same road.
Continue along the road until you reach a larger road. The brown and white markings end here.
Cross this road carefully and take the small path on the other side, opposite the corner of the cemetery wall, which descends towards the charterhouse.
After crossing a small bridge (Chemin des Viviers), take the path on the left that runs alongside the buildings.
(11) At the crossroads, turn right into a tunnel-like passageway that will take you to the middle of one of the monastery's courtyards (Cour des Pères). Cross this courtyard and then turn left into a passageway that will lead you to the monastery's second courtyard (Cour des Frères). Continue on, exiting through the main gate.
When you leave the monastery, turn right. Ignore the road leading towards Pavezin. Pass a small car park on your right. Continue straight ahead, leaving the Route du Moulin on your right, and head towards a cross.
(12) At the cross, take the road on the right towards Seyoux. Continue along the tarmac road until you reach the entrance to the village of Seyoux.
(13) At the entrance to the village, at the first crossroads, take the road on your right (Route de Seyoux). At this point, a rustic sign indicates the direction of the Couzon Dam, but do not follow it as it indicates the direction of the dam for cars and you need to turn right, not straight ahead.
Continue for about 60 metres, then take the dirt track that descends to your right. A small handmade wooden sign indicates the direction of the dam. Continue downhill, turning right again.
You will arrive at the banks of the small Couzon river. The path is quite narrow at this point. Follow the river to the left, staying on the left bank, and ignore the small footbridge that crosses to the other side. The path gradually widens.
(14) You will arrive at the first dam and a small reservoir. Continue along the second, larger reservoir until you reach the main dam and the end of your hike (S/E).
Visorando member
Difficult 
Easy 
