Épinouse Chapel and Madone Viewpoint

Park in the car park next to or in front of L'Albenc church.

(S/E) Cross the main road at the pedestrian crossing, opposite the bar-tobacconist’s. Once on the pavement, turn left and walk up it for a few metres to reach Rue des Terreaux on your right.
Follow this street until you spot a yellow^PR® sign on a concrete electricity pole, indicating that you should turn left.

(1) Take the small tarmac road (Impasse de la Buissière), passing right next to a house to reach the dirt track that climbs gently uphill. Please note: there are two gates on the track which you must close behind you. Continue along the dirt track until you reach a small tarmac road and the^PR® sign for “Plateau de Mayoussière”.

(2) Carry straight on. Walk through the hamlet of Mayoussière until you reach a crossroads.

(3) Turn left and continue along the small road for about 100 metres until you reach the^PR® sign for “Le Rat” on your right.

(4) From the sign, look for a^PR® marker on the right-hand side of the road, indicating a dirt track that climbs into the forest. Take this track until you rejoin the small tarmac road after a few hundred metres. Then turn right and continue to the next sign,^PR®, clearly visible ahead of you.

(5) Follow the sign for “Sous l’Épinouse” on your right. The dirt track climbs gradually through the forest. Stay on this track, ignoring the various paths on your left, until you reach a small tarmac road. Continue straight on to the junction where the^PR® sign “Croisée de l’Épinouse” stands.

(6) Continue straight on for a few dozen metres, then take the dirt track on your left. A wooden sign points towards the Chapelle de l'Épinouse, which you’ll reach after about a hundred metres.

(7) Retrace your steps to return to the crossroads.

(6) Turn left onto the tarmac road and continue for about 150 m until you reach the^PR® sign on your right. Turn right, towards “La Madone”, onto a grassy path between a walnut grove and a field to reach the Belvédère de la Madone.

(8) Retrace your steps to return to the tarmac road and continue to the right.

(9) When you reach a crossroads, turn right at a sharp angle, pass between two farmhouses and take the dirt track straight ahead. Continue along this track, which slopes gently downwards, for several hundred metres, ignoring the paths and tracks on your right. You will reach a T-junction.

(10) Look for the^PR® sign on a tree indicating you should turn right. Head in this direction and you will reach the sign for “Stream of Nant”.

(11) Head towards “L’Albenc”, following the^PR® markings indicating a right turn. Very soon, you’ll reach a three-way junction: follow the path descending to your left and ignore the one on the right. Continue downhill, following a hairpin bend, and you’ll emerge onto the RD1092.

(12) Cross the road carefully, take the pavement on the opposite side and turn right. Walk through the village to reach the church car park (S/E).

Important: as the^PR® signposting has changed compared to the IGN map route, please take the following points into account:
1 - There are no longer any^PR® markers between points (2) and (3).
2 - The path between points (4) and (5) is shown on the OSM base maps.
3 - No more^PR® tags between the points (6) and (9).
4 - Between points (9) and (10), the new^PR® signposting directs you to take a downhill path on your right at a place called Le Trémollet. Ignore it and continue straight ahead.
In wet weather, the dirt tracks can become muddy and slippery.

(6) La Chapelle de l'Épinouse: a small, restored chapel tucked away in the middle of the forest.
(8) La Madone viewpoint: picnic table and a stunning view over the Isère valley and the Vercors Massif.