Loop between the Col de la Croix du Ban and the Col de la Luère

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A lovely circular route through the forest between two of the main passes of the Monts du Lyonnais.
A breath of fresh air and a gentle warm-up just a stone’s throw from the city of Lyon.

Details

n°181197
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.08 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,142 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,138 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,365 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,558 ft
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Photos

Shortly after the Croix du Ban
Forest
Fir trees
The woods

Description of the walk

Car park at the Col de la Croix du Ban.

(S/E) Leave the car park and take the path on the other side of the road, on the left.
The path climbs gently up to the Croix du Ban.

(1) At the cross, take the path leading off to the right. It follows a pleasant route along the mountainside. Ignore the paths leading down to your right.

(2) Take the Chemin Malatray, which turns left, and continue along this path.

(3) When you reach the edge of the forest near a reservoir, take the first path on your left which climbs into the forest. Follow this, ignoring the paths and tracks on your left, until you reach the D24 county road.
Follow this road to the left for about a hundred metres until you reach the Col de la Luère.

(4) At the pass, head left, but very quickly leave the main, signposted and well-trodden path heading due north to follow the one descending to the right towards the east (follow the sign for “Les Crêtes”).
Follow this path, which continues straight down, ignoring the one branching off to your right at a pine forest. Quite steep in places, the path passes Les Béchères on its right before finally reaching the D610. Follow it to your right for about a hundred metres until you reach a junction on your left leading to the Pollionnay climbing wall

(5) Take this path and follow it until it crosses a tarmac road near a house in the forest.

(6) Follow this short track to the left. Cross the D610 and take the path opposite which climbs up to the Croix du Ban.

(1) Once you reach the Croix du Ban, take the path on the right which leads you back to your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,975 ft - Car park at - Col de la Croix du Ban (604m)
  2. 1 : mi 0.16 - alt. 1,978 ft - Path on the right - Col de la Croix du Ban (604m)
  3. 2 : mi 0.86 - alt. 1,719 ft - Chemin Malatray, which turns left
  4. 3 : mi 1.31 - alt. 1,647 ft - Reservoir on the edge of the forest
  5. 4 : mi 2.52 - alt. 2,346 ft - Col de la Luère (714m)
  6. 5 : mi 3.75 - alt. 1,572 ft - Climbing hall
  7. 6 : mi 4.04 - alt. 1,657 ft - To the left
  8. S/E : mi 5.08 - alt. 1,978 ft - Car park at the Col de la Croix du Ban

Notes

Starting point: parking is available at the Col de la Croix du Ban.
Alternative starting point to point (5), car park at the Lionel Daudet climbing wall

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 31 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
RANDOCATHY
RANDOCATHY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this walk on Saturday 31 May with my dog in very hot weather. A route with few viewpoints but very suitable for hot weather. No difficulties.
Nice walk.

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Zélie22
Zélie22

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short hike mostly through the woods, perfect for hot summer days. A few nice climbs and descents. We completed it in less than two hours. I used the GPS track from Visorando, which was perfect, rather than the description, which seemed a little complicated (at the Croix du Ban, I hesitated, but after reading the comments, I realised that I had to take the path on the far right. To avoid having my nose glued to the comments, I preferred to use the GPS track). Late on Sunday afternoon, we didn't come across any hikers, just a few mountain bikes and motorbikes.

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Patoop
Patoop

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Great hike, but the car park isn't very big. We had to park a little further away. There may be a few bikes.

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cedrix73
cedrix73

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good tracking of the route based on GPS positioning, but some difficulty knowing which path to take at the start from a fork in the road with three paths (you really need to zoom in on the IGN map to distinguish the "side" paths).
Another thing: the app kept sending me notifications about the GPS route (unclear messages), which was rather annoying. I had to turn off all notifications from the mobile app on Android.

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Jeffou
Jeffou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Well done for following Erpat's instructions from 5 June 2023. It is indeed completely on the right that you begin the descent, which will eventually take you back up to complete this lovely walk without too much difficulty.

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Stephben
Stephben

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant Sunday stroll in the forest on a warm day

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Rom75
Rom75

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, best enjoyed on hot days as it is mostly in the forest. I particularly liked the first half, which is in a beautiful pine forest. The duration is greatly overestimated: it took us 3 hours and 20 minutes rather than the 2 hours and 15 minutes advertised.

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ERPAT
ERPAT

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

From the car park at the Col de la Croix du Banc, it's easy to find: opposite, there is only one path leading southwards, so it's hard to go wrong.
At the cross , follow the sign to the right. There is a path slightly to the right (this is the GR trail that leads directly to the Col de la Lueur). Keep to the right and then turn completely right. This is the path you need to take for the walk described. At the reservoir, don't hesitate to go to the nearby orientation table (in front of the reservoir, it is indicated at the crossroads) before taking the path that climbs towards the Col de la Luére. A well-shaded hike. Perfect for getting back into shape.

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Talleuxmaureen
Talleuxmaureen

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

hike with very few views (only two), mostly through forest, so pleasant in summer. Fortunately, there were markings (yellow and red lines), as the description was not clear enough

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totof276
totof276

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk combining descents and ascents.

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patricepennes
patricepennes

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route.

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sumo69
sumo69

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

This route is mainly through woods, so there are very few views. It must be nice in summer to cool off.
The usual Croix du Ban/Col de la Luère route is very busy, so this route is a good alternative to avoid the crowds.
Same comment as Randolaguille on 17 January 2021 regarding the points... (especially point 1!)

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Randolaguille
Randolaguille

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Some clarifications regarding the description:
(1), (2) and (3):
- in point (1), specify that the path that branches off to the right of the cross is a steep, continuous descent (the term "mountain side" could suggest that it follows the contour lines)
- the sign "Chemin Malatray" does not appear anywhere
- however, at point (3) there is a sign indicating the Col de la Luère
(4): Caution. Immediately after leaving the road, be sure to turn right, otherwise you will end up directly at the Croix du Banc.

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toposrandos
toposrandos

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike for an afternoon (3 hours allowed!!!).
We started at an altitude of 482m between points 5 and 6, which had the advantage of allowing us to climb straight away and then descend from the Malval pass.

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Esteoule
Esteoule

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Nice walk. A few mountain bikes.

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