Circular route from Croix de Bauzon to Col du Pendu, Le Bez, Les Chambons

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

From the Bauzon cross to the Pendu pass, beautiful trails and stunning views. After that, it's uninteresting and the section from Betz to the pass is on a forest path with no views... very long.

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Date of your route : Sep 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did points 1 to 4 there and back, but we climbed to the top of Valadous, which was our initial goal . We climbed to the top, then followed the route to go around it and then retraced our steps from point 4. A superb trail, with little elevation gain, incredible views almost all the way, and a total distance of 12 km. We will do the entire circular route the next time we visit the area.

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Date of your route : Sep 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An almost perfect hike: the view during three quarters of the hike is superb. During the last quarter, you are somewhat enclosed between two rows of trees, but overall it is a hike worth doing again and again.

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

A beautiful circular route with stunning views of the open landscape between Croix de Bauzon and Bez. The return route is through the forest, which is nicely shaded, making it pleasant on hot days. The route follows wide tracks and small roads, making for easy walking. There is little elevation gain.
At the start, once you leave the woods, stay on the path that stays closest to the ridge. You will then find the markings again.
Be sure to look out for the small yellow chevrons on the ground after Les Chambons, which indicate whether to turn right or left.
Recommended as a leisurely walk.

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Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

From the car park at the Col de la Croix de Bauzon, the sign points to Le Bez via Col du Pendu. We take this path and come to a fork, but there are no signs indicating which direction to take. It's like this all the way. We walked a long way but never found any signs pointing to Le Bez or Col du Pendu.

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Date of your route : Oct 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

According to our Garmin GPS watch, the route was 16 km long, even though we did not deviate from the planned circular route.
At no. (1) we hesitated because the sign on site indicated a path behind the ruined houses, while the yellow-white mark was on the front of a house, leading us onto the wider track in front of the houses.
(2) The path that climbs up to join the ridge path is barely visible – it passes between broom bushes that are gradually invading it. There is an old wooden sign there, but it no longer has any writing on it. It is only a short passage of about 20 m that quickly joins the magnificent ridge path.
(7) At the Col du Bez, the path towards Les Chambons was strewn with cut broom branches, making it difficult to walk.
Unfortunately, there were no mushrooms!

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

Superb hike in good weather, without any particular difficulties.
The description is accurate.
The icing on the cake was that we found mushrooms without even leaving the trail!!!

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Thank you for the clarification, Marc M5.

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Date of your route : Aug 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant hike today in warm weather, but with quite a few shaded sections. There is a slight problem with the wording in point 4: you need to take the path on the left. On the other hand, the path must have been re-marked recently because the pink and light green fluorescent lines on the stones were very helpful. It is best to follow these.
It took me 4 hours and 45 minutes with four stops, including a long one at the BEZ inn, which serves excellent ice cream, which is very motivating after a little over half the route.
In short, a very good day.

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Date of your route : May 19, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very interesting hike. We were staying at the Auberge du Bez, so we set off from Le Bez. The first part took us through Les Chambons in the woods, with small waterfalls cascading down the mountain. We had a picnic at the Col du Bauzon, then in the afternoon we crossed the Col du Pendu along the ridges, with magnificent views of the Ardèche mountains and still some traces of snow! Then back to Le Bez. A good day for average hikers.

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