Circular Calvaire de Portes starting from Charvieux

Date of your route : Nov 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike on a beautiful autumn day.
Fog below the ridge brought us back to Ordonnaz from Calvaire de Portes, which prevented us from fully enjoying the view on the west side.
The route is easy to follow and pleasant, with the "Difficult" rating being due more to the length (18 to 19 km) in my opinion.
A hike that I recommend.

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

Let's keep going like this

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Date of your route : Aug 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Departure at 7:45 a.m., return at 2:40 p.m. Beautiful, warm, foggy and very dry weather. You can park right under the private car park, but be careful not to block access to the fire hydrant.
No problems with the route, even without GPS.
Few people on the route except at the Portes Calvary (but the road with a large car park is only 500 metres away, which explains the crowds).
At the Calvary, the foggy weather prevented us from seeing Mont Blanc clearly, but the view of the Pre-Alps (Chartreuse and Vercors) is still worth the trip
The Chartreuse de Portes is indeed very difficult to see. We even tried to reach it via the D99 road (!) without success.
Only the crossroads at point 11 deserves a little attention (you head south on a slight incline at the start) and caution when walking along the cliff (but it's not really vertiginous thanks to the surrounding vegetation)
In summary, a very beautiful walk in a remote corner of the Bugey region that is well worth discovering. Thanks to the author of the walk.

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Date of your route : Feb 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with almost spring-like sunshine for 18 February. Stunning views of the Alps and Mont Blanc from Calvaire de Portes and its orientation table, then all along the ridge before descending to Ordonaz. The Chartreuse de Portes is nestled at the bottom of its valley, hidden from view behind a hedge of thorns!
In the shaded areas, there was still snow and ice, so caution was required to avoid slipping. On the way back, there were steep slopes in the undergrowth with lots of dead leaves covering many stones, so caution was needed.
However, despite the length of the walk, we were back on schedule and happy with our outing.

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Date of your route : Jul 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 18/07/21, the first relatively dry day after two weeks of torrential rain. Very muddy and slippery terrain, regardless of the type of footwear!
Lots of very wet forests and extremely muddy paths. A few slips, fortunately without serious consequences!
Start and finish at the Col de Portes... Start with a descent towards Ordonnaz, saving the climb between Charvieux and Chariot for "almost" the end!
A beautiful walk without meeting anyone except in Ordonnaz, where you should definitely take a detour to the church to admire a "Tilleul de Sully" tree planted in 1601 when Bugey became part of France.
it's still 800 metres of elevation gain, so you'd better be in good shape!

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

A pleasant circular route with 360° views of Mont Blanc and as far as the Cévennes. One minor drawback is the path that is supposed to lead to the monastery. It is closed off by a barrier. This is a shame, as the monastery looked magnificent.

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Date of your route : Jan 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 24/01/2021 with lots of fresh snow
Please note that points 10/11/12 are not easy to find in winter
Crowds only at the Portes Calvary

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Date of your route : Aug 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through beautiful woodland and along the ridges, in peaceful surroundings – what a treat!

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

Please note that the car park indicated for departure, opposite the old school, is private!
There is another public car park just before it.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We finally completed the entire route. Well shaded, except for the ridge towards Ordonnaz. Picnic in the large field, on the left just before Ordonaz with a view of Mont Blanc. Well-marked path, no obstacles, on the way back to Charvieux, be careful of the drop on the left, as you are walking along the edge of a cliff. (Keep an eye on children). We encountered three horses, two walkers and one farmer all day. Beautiful view of the Alps at Calvaire, but a little hazy towards the south. No problems with navigation, followed Iphygénie... All in all, a good day without any difficulties. Even the length was acceptable in the end.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We deliberately shortened the route by cutting off at point 6. Under the power line, on the ridge and at the pylon, you can choose not to go to Ordonnaz and turn left to reach Charvieux. The hike is then about 13km long and the elevation gain remains largely unchanged. On 22 May, we didn't meet anyone. And, due to COVID-19, vegetation is starting to close off some unmaintained passages, even on the GR.
Thank you for this hiking idea.

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Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It's not worth going down to the Col de Porte unless you want to catch a glimpse of the Chartreuse monastery from afar; the Calvaire is enough. Hikers between the Col and Ordonnaz. The route along the ridges and the last cliff is picturesque.

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

we only did the first part of the hike, from Charvieux to Col de Portes; it was perfect with the children! We had to search a little for the starting point, behind a house. It's a tough start, but the Chariot shed is an ideal spot for a picnic! The view from the Calvary is fantastic, overlooking Mont Blanc and the Alps. We came back down the same way, then found a quick descent to Charvieux after the cold fountain! It's fun, but you need a compass because it's not always well marked! In total, it's a 2½-hour walk covering about 10 km.

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Date of your route : Sep 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's a beautiful hike. However, there is a slight issue as the signposting is not very clear, especially when you need to change direction.
I didn't have the app to follow on my smartphone.

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Oops, sorry! I hope this didn't waste too much of your time finding your way back.

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