Loop starting from Joux

de fr

I recommend this hike when nature is waking up in mid-April, to enjoy the green meadows and bright yellow dandelions. There are unobstructed views over much of the route. The ridge offers beautiful views of the Loire and Rhône departments. Picnics by the pond are very enjoyable and peaceful. The return trail near the river (Turdine) is very wild and quiet.

Details

n°2001417
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.31 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 504 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 495 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 894 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 485 m
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Photos

The return
The GR7
Valley towards Roanne
La Croix Amide

Description of the walk

Departure from the car park of the village hall in Joux

(S/E) Cross the village via the main street, Rue de la Corgeonnière, pass the town hall and the post office and, at the three-way junction, turn left onto the road towards "Chez Perdrix".

(1) Just before you reach the houses, turn left onto the path, pass to the left of the hamlet and follow the path that forms a loop.

(2) At the top of the meadows, turn left onto the path between the forest and the meadow.

(3) At the sign for Les Sapins de l'Hôpital, keep right until you reach the fork at Croix Armide.

(4) Turn right and follow theGR®7trail north-west along the ridge.

(5) Pass through a large meadow and continue to the D49.1, which you follow for a good hundred metres to the left.

(6) At the three-way junction, cross this road and continue on theGR® trail towards the pond.

(7) Cross the path to the right of the house by the pond and walk along the woods to rejoin the path that descends to Joux Sud-Est.

(8) Take the path on the left after the house at Lafay.

(9) Cross the Turdine stream and continue immediately to the right, following the river bed until you reach a road.

(10) Continue right until you reach the village of Joux. Cross the village, passing near the castle, and head to the car park of the village hall (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 485 m - Parking at the village hall
  2. 1 : km 2.04 - alt. 709 m - Path before the place called Chez Perdrix
  3. 2 : km 2.86 - alt. 801 m - View of the meadows
  4. 3 : km 3.34 - alt. 851 m - Sign for Les Sapins de l'Hôpital
  5. 4 : km 3.65 - alt. 871 m - Croix Armide
  6. 5 : km 5.86 - alt. 842 m - Meadows
  7. 6 : km 8.55 - alt. 776 m - Crossing the road
  8. 7 : km 9.08 - alt. 791 m - Pond
  9. 8 : km 10.11 - alt. 743 m - Lieu-dit Lafay
  10. 9 : km 10.7 - alt. 677 m - Crossing the - Turdine (rivière)
  11. 10 : km 13.16 - alt. 502 m - Last stretch of the route
  12. S/E : km 14.31 - alt. 485 m - Parking at the village hall

Notes

Depending on your walking pace, it will take between 2 and 3 hours to reach the pond for a picnic
(7) At the pond, there are picnic tables and toilets.
In the village of Joux, the restaurant offers a lovely, quiet spot with a beautiful terrace where you can enjoy a drink (check opening days).

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 28 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Julien Sambre
Julien Sambre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike. The elevation gain is very manageable, even better with walking sticks. Once you reach the top, there are beautiful views of the surrounding area. It's windy, but you're still very sheltered. The paths are very passable and well marked, with no particular difficulties. The few road crossings are quick to get through. The one at the beginning is a bit long, but there are few/no cars and the surroundings are pretty.

A small note: if it's hunting season (which it was for me), there may be quite a bit of shooting, as the area is apparently ideal for it.

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wizztop
wizztop

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk

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grosse dondon
grosse dondon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hike done on Ascension Day, not very busy for a public holiday
i agree with other reviews: at a time when nature is blossoming and the broom is in bloom, this hike is pure joy
we finished the hike with a festival in the village of Les Conscrits: an incredible atmosphere and a beautiful tradition. One to keep an eye out for next year, same festival for those born in 2006

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fch53
fch53

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. The ridge trail (GR7) is very rugged and rocky, with frequent quad bikes and motorcycles. But still recommended.

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GD69690
GD69690

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Avoid windy days, as there is approximately 6 km along the ridge at an altitude of 850 m.
Otherwise, it's a beautiful hike with a very pleasant break at the pond, which has tables and toilets.

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mimiche1954
mimiche1954

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done today in sunny weather. There were 22 of us, and we stopped for a snack at the lake where there were tables
On the way back to the place called La Rivière, we took a path on the right that climbs quite steeply to the Salette chapel
Everyone was delighted with their day
Thanks to Chrystophe for this route

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gilbert lafay
gilbert lafay

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

At the start, the lodge has a different name, which I can't remember, and the path to take is marked as private, which creates some doubt about the choice of route
The time indicated is for a good walker; this is not a leisurely stroll.

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JLJ#cONSTANT#
JLJ#cONSTANT#

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done on a Sunday in autumn. Most of the climb is on tarmac, although there is little/no traffic. It's fine, but it's a slight downside. However, the rest of the hike is very pleasant, especially the long walk along the ridge, with some very pretty views. For me, the end of the hike is a little less enjoyable, but still nice.

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Philippe GELY
Philippe GELY

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, great walk at 5 a.m. with the children (aged 11 and 15). They found the hill before Archinaud a bit tough! But everyone was delighted in the evening. We stopped for a 30-minute picnic halfway along the route on the rock overlooking the Loire Valley. Magnificent. A hike to recommend, but the "medium difficulty" rating is justified.
Philippe

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ALTMANYOSSEF
ALTMANYOSSEF

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with no difficulties.

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Lysverte
Lysverte

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this very pleasant walk with beautiful ridge landscapes.
A wonderful time in pure, unspoilt countryside.
We appreciated that there were very few roads apart from at the start.
Actual walking time for us: 4 hours
A small mistake in orientation at point 6, the three-way junction was a little unclear, especially as there is a clear one a few metres further on: you just need to rejoin the GR by crossing the road, heading towards the "leisure area"
I highly recommend this beautiful circuit.

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BABOUR RANDO
BABOUR RANDO

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Nice weather, a little too foggy on Thursday to enjoy the views...
Beautiful, fairly open landscapes, nice return trip along the river.
No difficulties to report.
Perfectly doable in half a day...

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BERNARD GIROUD
BERNARD GIROUD

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful hike near Lyon that can be done in any season;
A wide variety of landscapes between the climb up to the ridges and the descent along the stream
Bernard G

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pascal.amieux
pascal.amieux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Departure at 10:15 a.m., return at 4:30 p.m. Beautiful weather, slightly foggy... a shame for the distant views.

A very beautiful walk with varied landscapes. One can imagine even more beautiful views when walking along the ridges (GR7) if the atmosphere is clear. The picnic at the lake was just right. And the return trip through the forest and the Turdine valley was pleasant at the end of the day. As a result, we stopped often along the way, which explains the long schedule.

Just one clarification: at point 1 (for those who don't have GPS), you can't see the houses yet, so you need to leave the tarmac road and take the forest path slightly to your left.

Thanks to the author of the hike

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SCharron
SCharron

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike
The climb is long but the elevation gain is reasonable
the ridge is nice and the water source is ideal for a picnic.
The descent through the woods is very pleasant to finish off the tour

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