Historical and prehistoric loop of Saint-Christophe la Grotte

Short hike to discover prehistory at the Fru site and the historic passage of the Via Sarde between Lyon and Turin.

Details

126562
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 306 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 305 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 590 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 405 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Coming from Chambéry, park in the car park before the tunnel.

(S/E) Take the Voie Sarde south, then south-west.

(1) At the foot of the cliff, stay on the Voie Sarde, continuing south-west. Continue downhill until you reach the road.

(2) Head towards the Pont Saint-Martin bridge over the Guiers Vif river, go to the Roman bridge and continue on for a round trip in the Gorges de l'Échaillon, where the Guiers Vif torrent flows.

(3) Return to the fork you passed on the way there.

(2) To climb up to the right via theGR®9trail of Échaillon (red and white markings). The climb is steep until you reach the signpost for Échaillon.

(4) Leave theGR®9and turn left towards the Ravoire plateau and the Belvédère de Gerbaix. Continue along the path at the edge of the cliff until you reach the sign for "Bois de la Ravoire"

(5) Turn left at the Belvédère de Gerbaix.

(6) Return to the sign.

(5) From the sign, head towards Les Charmilles along a forest path. From this point, follow the white arrows marking the "Azil et Magda" trail.
The route leads to the archaeological site of La Fru. Follow the white arrows to reach the Charmilles car park.
Then continue along the path. The plateau is criss-crossed by numerous tracks and paths that are not well signposted, so follow the marked route that leads back to the edge of the cliff overlooking the Via Sarde canyon.

Descend easily into the canyon via a metal structure to rejoin the Via Sarde.

(1) Climb up the Via Sarde on the right to return to the car park (S/E), which is nearby.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 542 m - Parking before the tunnel
  2. 1 : km 0.44 - alt. 508 m - Foot of the cliff on the Voie Sarde
  3. 2 : km 1.43 - alt. 418 m - Common fork in the road (return trip) - Pont Saint-Martin
  4. 3 : km 1.74 - alt. 440 m - Échaillon Gorges - Guiers Vif (rivière)
  5. 4 : km 2.34 - alt. 513 m - L'Échaillon
  6. 5 : km 2.98 - alt. 575 m - Signpost "Bois de la Ravoire"
  7. 6 : km 3.1 - alt. 588 m - Gerbaix viewpoint
  8. 7 : km 5.49 - alt. 536 m - Metal structure
  9. S/E : km 6.05 - alt. 543 m - Parking before the tunnel

Notes

The proposed route is a GPS track imported from visorando; it has been slightly modified to make it easier to read.

Marked with white arrows.

Worth a visit

Visit to the caves.
La Fru website.
Inn near the car park.

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 34 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Thomas73
Thomas73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route with plenty of points of interest: the Sardinian trail with its monument dedicated to the King of Sardinia, the Echaillon Gorges, the prehistoric site of La Fru, and the descent down the cliff via the metal fixtures.
No particular difficulty, even for my little dog.
It might be worth combining this with a visit to the caves and the historical show in the evening during the season (July and August).
Best done in the morning on a weekday to avoid the crowds

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JCParavy
JCParavy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route taken in the morning, before the forecast rain, with a few variations.
Coming from the Guiers Valley, I set off from the Roman Bridge car park at point (2) on the map.
From the plateau, instead of returning to the Belvédère de Gerbaix, I continued above the Gorges de l'Echaillon to the Crosat road: the end is not a variation to be recommended, as the path is very overgrown with branches and brambles, in a state of neglect, and then you can only return to Les Charmilles by road.
The La Ravoire plateau, which I have visited many times, remains a sure bet for a half-day outing whatever the season.
I'm adding a few photos taken in winter.

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Shizenart
Shizenart

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, mainly through woodland, perfect for August, with hardly anyone around.
We also discovered the Sarde trail and the Échaillon Gorges.

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paquerette73
paquerette73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We already knew this route, so we added a little extra loop for the prehistoric part. It was a lovely walk, which we were able to share with a new group, including the Roman bridge and its canyon. THANK YOU!

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sempervivum
sempervivum

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very varied and sometimes spectacular hike, with views, gorges, magnificent deciduous forests in autumn, footbridges, etc. Access to the Sardinian trail is currently prohibited by order due to tree felling.

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ChrisTrad
ChrisTrad

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant two-hour hike with a beautiful viewpoint and shaded forest trails. Best to go early in August; I didn't see anyone else.

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Gilportier1961
Gilportier1961

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike that ends in the woods with a beautiful descent down a metal structure in perfect condition. As we are regular visitors to the caves, we decided not to visit the two caves.

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micedase
micedase

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike in every respect: history, setting, views, beautiful places to discover along the way
A wonderful encounter with a chamois
Definitely one to do again with friends

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cocogne.bernard
cocogne.bernard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice hike, be careful with children.

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smashdc
smashdc

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

👨‍🎓 Time to get out the holiday workbooks 😱 ;-) Superb Sardinian route and superb paths.
The view is fairly limited in the gorges (see video). Superb monument linked to restoration!
🦖 A historical and prehistoric atmosphere for this short hike + visit to the cave ;-)

🎬 These superb panoramas here 🚀 https://youtu.be/dr-58M8gjII
✅ 7.9 km for 321 m elevation gain/loss
⚡️ Highlights of the hike:
- Sardinian road restored by Charles Emmanuel II in the 17th century
- Altitude: 462 m - Échaillon Gorges & Roman Bridge - Guiers Vif (river)
- Altitude: 482 m - L'Échaillon
- Altitude: 574 m - Bois de la Ravoire
- Altitude: 579 m - Belvédère de Gerbaix

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Volubilis69
Volubilis69
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, a little steep in places, so take care with children. The Sardinian route is definitely worth a look!

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Paccard
Paccard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The circuit must be even more interesting in the summer.

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Chrij73
Chrij73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We started at point 3, where there are car parks. We preferred to start with the climb and finish with the Sardinian road and the Roman bridge. A magnificent walk through the woods, very safe, without any problems, with superb views.

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belu33
belu33

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, with or without children. The 2-hour loop can be a bit exposed at times if you have children, so be careful! But the route is interesting, the canyon is impressive, and the trail on the plateau is quite pleasant. We would have liked it to be a little longer, given the 40-minute drive from Grenoble. It's a shame that the metal path in the cave was closed off.

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Mimizen38
Mimizen38

Great walk to do with children.
For point 3, be careful not to miss the path that branches off to the left (it's the first path), as the GPS doesn't work properly and if you continue straight ahead, the path becomes quite difficult for children (if you reach the top of the hill and it starts going downhill, you've gone too far).
My only regret is that the caves are not accessible without a guide.

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.