Loop between Valfleury and Chavanne

This circuit starts in Valfleury, a charming village nestled at the bottom of a valley, and mainly follows ridges offering numerous views towards Saint-Chamond, Saint-Étienne, Pilat and, further afield, Forez and Auvergne. Don't miss a visit to Valfleury church.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.19 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 469 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 469 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 805 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 473 m

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at Place de la Mairie (public toilets nearby).

(S/E) Head towards the calvary opposite the town hall and take the path that climbs to the left.

(1) When you reach the road, turn left and take the path that climbs to the right about thirty metres further on (this path is not marked on the map).

(2) At the white cross, take in the scenery, then turn right onto theGR®7until you reach the red cross.

(3) Continue straight ahead, leaving theGR®7.

(4) At the crossroads, take the path on the left heading south-west. Pass by a reservoir.

(5) Continue straight ahead and leave the track on your left. Join a small road before the hamlet of Chantacros and continue to the next fork.

(6) At this crossroads, take the small path opposite the road you have just come from.

(7) Cross Montgiraud and continue to the D2.

(8) At the departmental road, turn right and follow it for 200 metres.

(9) Turn left and do not enter the village of Chavanne. Follow the street and then the track to the next crossroads.

(10) Turn left and follow the track along the hillside. You will cross two small streams.

(11) Near a road leading to houses, take a sharp left turn heading north-west.

(12) You will come to a road; follow it to the left until you reach the Rachat farm.

(13) Take the path on the right just before the Rachat farm. Continue north, then turn east.

(14) When you reach La Glacière, take the road on the left. You are now back on theGR® 7. The climb to La Croix Blanche is steep.

(2) At the Croix Blanche, take the same path as on the way there in the opposite direction to return to the starting point at the Place de la Mairie (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 640 m - Place de la Mairie
  2. 1 : km 0.57 - alt. 717 m - Road/path junction
  3. 2 : km 0.79 - alt. 756 m - Croix Blanche
  4. 3 : km 1.9 - alt. 791 m - Croix Rouge
  5. 4 : km 2.29 - alt. 800 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 3.91 - alt. 705 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 4.66 - alt. 654 m - Crossroads of tracks and a footpath
  8. 7 : km 5.08 - alt. 632 m - Montgiraud
  9. 8 : km 5.99 - alt. 553 m - D2 junction
  10. 9 : km 6.14 - alt. 543 m - Track on the left
  11. 10 : km 7.03 - alt. 489 m - Crossroads
  12. 11 : km 9.17 - alt. 517 m - Hairpin bend
  13. 12 : km 9.69 - alt. 581 m - Track/road junction
  14. 13 : km 10.15 - alt. 615 m - Rachat Farm
  15. 14 : km 12.11 - alt. 591 m - Place known as La Glacière
  16. S/E : km 14.19 - alt. 640 m - Place de la Mairie

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.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
cpoujol
cpoujol

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Fairly easy route, GPS very useful as there are no signs along the way
We completed it in pouring rain, and there is a shelter for hikers 5 km from the finish line on the side of the road.
I recommend it, as the elevation gain is accessible to everyone.

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BLeaver
BLeaver

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike. The last climb before descending to the car park is quite tough!

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montmichel43
montmichel43

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This tour is best done at this time of year because the cherry orchards and other fruit trees are in full bloom.

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Isabelle Vincensini
Isabelle Vincensini

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The only drawback is the view of the completely industrialised Gier Valley; you can't imagine you're in the countryside. We only made one mistake on the circuit, before Chavanne.

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chantoune42
chantoune42

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It is not necessary to start this hike in Valfleury; you can start at the white cross, which avoids a climb and descent at the end that are not particularly interesting
Very passable and easy path – beautiful views
however, we got lost at CHAVANNE because the description is not precise or reliable enough
Little elevation gain – walk can be done with children

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Traviata
Traviata

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Desert route with beautiful paths.
Encounter with a woman carrying a handbag who appeared to be waiting for a customer between points 3 and 4.
From point 14 to Croix Blanche, there is a very steep climb at the end of the route and at nightfall.
Parking the car at Croix Blanche is a good idea because after the climb, you won't want to go any further

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le dav 42
le dav 42

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike with stunning views.

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nicky42
nicky42

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lack of detail in the itinerary with errors

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lajoelle42
lajoelle42

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We didn't use the map route but the Visiorando app on our smartphone... very good... no problems.
The only downside was the off-road motorbikes overtaking us on the climb up to the ice house... noise, smoke, smell and clouds of dust! But the trails are for everyone... all it takes is a little respect (not always easy)
The start could be from the white cross rather than the Valfleury car park, which would avoid a climb at the start and a descent at the end of the route (no particular interest except for visiting the village of Valfleury for those who don't know it)
In summary, a beautiful hike with beautiful views
Thank you

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mgb42
mgb42

Overall rating : 3 / 5

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

Lovely trails, ideal weather, but the description was a disaster, really not accurate at all
Luckily we're from the area and found people to give us directions

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guy pagat
guy pagat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful walk for a cold day, mainly south-facing. The pine and oak forests let the sun through in winter, and there are plenty of unobstructed views of St Chamond. The elevation gain is manageable. Normally, after the effort, we would have had a beer in Valfleury.
Thank you for this hike

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Calanquaise
Calanquaise

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Discovering Valfleury and its surroundings on a beautiful sunny February day... Very hilly... Very pleasant...
Impossible to get lost with the app's GPS.
However, I have some doubts about the mileage: we set off at 10 a.m. and at 2 p.m. we were halfway between points 13 and 14 (having taken a 45-minute lunch break...). So I extended the hike a little by going down to Truzeau, then we climbed back up to La Glacière. The section of the GR7 after La Glacière isn't very pleasant: very steep and stony...
With the detour, the hike was 15 km / 5 hours (we arrived back at the cars at 3:30 p.m.)
As this hike has very little shade, I would not recommend it in hot weather... Otherwise, it's pure bliss!
Thank you for sharing this hike!

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aigle43240
aigle43240

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route starting from the town of Valfleury.
A challenging start with a long climb, before reaching the plateaus to admire the panoramic view, which offers a wide landscape stretching from Saint-Etienne to Saint-Chamond.
The plateaus are windy but very pleasant in good weather.
After a long, fairly relaxing descent, the last part of this loop turns out to be a big climb worthy of a grand finale, which will satisfy hikers looking to build muscle.
A route with little road and invigorating, all in a very rural setting.
You'll come away feeling satisfied!

P.S.: Probably more elevation gain than indicated on the app.

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pechal
pechal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike, almost entirely on very good paths.
We did this hike on a Sunday in October, so there were a few walkers, mountain bikers and a few motor enthusiasts, with all the noise and smell of diesel fuel!
Be careful not to go on this hike dressed as a deer or wild boar at this time of year, as it could end badly given the number of hunters encountered along the route!
Beautiful views of the Gier Valley, St Chamond, Le Pilat, St Etienne, the Alps and Mont Blanc in the distance.
We can't comment on the reliability of the paper map as we use the Visorando app on our smartphones and had no problem following this hike (the GPS track is spot on).
I saw in the previous comments that many people mentioned a slightly steep climb... We did this hike in the opposite direction to the suggested route, so there were no very steep sections.
Thank you to the author of this superb hike.

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py.prost
py.prost

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route near the valley, with stunning panoramic views.

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