Circular Guions loop via Le Villard

A circular walk that is easy and offers the chance to discover the famous incense-bearing junipers of the Saint-Crépin forest, returning via the hamlet of Villard and finishing in the pine forest to the west of Saint-Crépin.

Details

241343
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.51 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,490 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,473 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,472 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,015 ft

Description of the walk

Park near the Saint Crépin Post Office.

(S/E) Take the wide track that starts at right angles to the road (signposted ‘Les Guions’). Follow the yellow markings. At the first junction, ignore the canal path on both the right and left and continue straight ahead. After a few hairpin bends, you’ll reach the junction (signposted) by the juniper tree known as ‘l’Eléphante’.

(1) Take a short detour to explore this curiosity. Back at the junction, continue the climb and you’ll reach the hamlet of Les Guions with ease.

(2) Then turn right onto the dirt track serving this hamlet and follow it to the hamlet of Le Villard.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right onto the tarmac road and follow it for about 600 metres to rejoin the downhill path.

(4) Turn right (signposted) onto the wide track, which quickly becomes a path and winds through the woods via numerous tight bends. Ignore the path branching off to the left at the Torrent de Coste Chaude, and continue the descent to the right (signposted Saint Crépin). At the reservoir, take the path on the right – it’s a shortcut that leads to the Saint Crépin cemetery.

(5) Turn right onto the road, then right again at the crossroads, and you’ll easily reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,015 ft - Post Office car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.59 - alt. 3,717 ft - Carrefou l’Éléphante
  3. 2 : mi 1.08 - alt. 4,177 ft - Les Guions
  4. 3 : mi 1.84 - alt. 4,472 ft - Le Villard
  5. 4 : mi 2.14 - alt. 4,370 ft - Trail junction
  6. 5 : mi 3.2 - alt. 3,068 ft - Cemetery
  7. S/E : mi 3.51 - alt. 3,015 ft - Post Office car park

Notes

Water point in the hamlet of Les Guions, at the washhouse.
Shelter available at the Guions washhouse.
Standard hiking kit.
This walk is suitable for all walkers, even beginners; in fact, today my youngest grandchild (aged 6) completed the route with ease. Including stops, it took us 4 hours, not 2 hours 35 minutes as stated by the app.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

5 / 5
Based on 2 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
MasterGone
MasterGone

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, interesting walk to discover the incense juniper. Easy even with children (aged 5 and 7 in my case), with wide paths and tracks. There’s a picnic table at the Guions washhouse (under cover).

I would, however, recommend passing through the centres of the hamlets of Les Guions and Le Villard, which the route unfortunately bypasses. Similarly, at the end of the route, the ‘shortcut’ via the cemetery is rather pointless and quite dangerous (the path is poorly marked and slippery). The normal path is only slightly longer and much better suited.

Machine-translated

nonolerobot
nonolerobot

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 15, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We’ve extended the route a little, starting from point 3.
Take the road on the left which leads to the village of Les Chapins.
This is the birthplace of Frédéric Chopin’s family; there is an information board and a family tree of Frédéric Chopin’s family.
Once you’ve passed through the village, follow a path running alongside the Costes Chaude stream to point 1294 on the map.
From there, all that remains is to make our way back to the cars.
To round off the day, I think it would be worth visiting the Fournel Silver Mine and its museum in L’Argentière-la-Bessée.
Or the ‘Petrifying Fountain’ at Réotier.
And why not make the most of the St Crépin lake for a picnic break?
Kind regards.
Nonolerobot.

Machine-translated

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