Footbridge circuit from Saint-Jean-d'Arvey

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This is a pleasant route to walk at any time of year, particularly in late autumn as it enjoys plenty of sunshine.
The route of the Himalayan footbridge at Trou de l'Enfer allows you to discover the curious meanders of the Leysse.

Details

n°183775
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.61 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 486 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 486 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 711 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 418 m
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Photos

the footbridge at Saint Jean
Start of the hike
Himalayan footbridge
Himalayan footbridge at Trou de l'Enfer

Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the Saint-Jean-d'Arvey community centre.

(S/E) Go up the small street to return to the D 206. Follow this road to the right for 300 metres until you reach the signpost.

(1) Go down to the right. A path quickly follows the road.
In the forest, leave the path that descends towards Saint-Alban-Leysse and follow the trail that descends to Trou de l'Enfer. This trail winds down to the torrent and crosses the Himalayan footbridge at Trou de l'Enfer

(2) After the footbridge, climb back up the winding path to emerge on the plateau at the edge of a small road.

(3) Turn right onto the road, leaving the path that leads to the Pont du Sordet. Follow the road, turn left, then continue straight ahead to the hamlet of Le Chêne.

(4) In front of the old bread oven, take the path on the left opposite a large cross and descend towards the Petit Moulin footbridge.

A good hundred metres after crossing the footbridge, turn left to climb up towards the village of Thoiry

(5). Cross the D206, descend about 100 metres on the left and turn right towards Thorméroz.
Cross the village, pass the church, the school and finally the cemetery, going up the D21. Continue along this road, passing a first road on the left and then a second one on the right 200 metres further on.
You will reach the first houses in Thorméroz.

(6) Turn left towards the Moulin Pachoud footbridge (signposted).
Follow the yellow markings downhill, cross the hamlet of Les Crêts, leave it via a grassy path and turn sharp right in the meadows.

(7) (There are several gates to go through after Les Crêts). Go down the path through the forest, cross the Moulin Pachoud footbridge and start climbing again to rejoin the road at La Crouettaz.

(8) Continue straight ahead on this road until you reach the intersection with the D206 in Sainte-Nicolle.

(9) Keep right and head towards Saint-Jean-d'Arvey, returning to the intersection where the hike began.

(1) Turn left onto the first street, which descends to the community centre and car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 565 m - Parking at the multi-purpose hall
  2. 1 : km 0.46 - alt. 583 m - Directional sign
  3. 2 : km 2.14 - alt. 420 m - Himalayan footbridge at Trou de l'Enfer - Leysse (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 2.8 - alt. 576 m - Road on the plateau
  5. 4 : km 3.89 - alt. 658 m - The Oak Tree
  6. 5 : km 5.35 - alt. 648 m - Thoiry
  7. 6 : km 7.02 - alt. 711 m - Entrance to Thorméroz
  8. 7 : km 7.72 - alt. 624 m - Meadows after Les Crêts
  9. 8 : km 9.32 - alt. 610 m - La Crouettaz
  10. 9 : km 10.37 - alt. 609 m - Sainte-Nicolle
  11. S/E : km 11.6 - alt. 565 m - Parking at the multi-purpose hall

Notes

Take care when following the D206, which is a busy road with narrow verges.
32-metre Himalayan footbridge.

May 21: Route modified between the oak tree and the Petit Moulin footbridge to take into account the new path layout.

Note: Alternatively, after this footbridge, you can turn right onto a path that follows the course of the Reysse river and rejoins the route described further on.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 57 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.9 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
jakotfr
jakotfr

The carpenters were putting the finishing touches to the footbridge at Pachoud Mill.
You can now cross safely and admire their work.
To shorten the route, we avoided the village of Thormeroz (point 6) by taking the Route de Les Crets, the first tarmac road on the left after the cemetery.

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Thomas73
Thomas73

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A circular 11.5 km route with 420 metres of elevation gain. A pretty Himalayan-style bridge at Trou de l'Enfer, and a new footbridge at the Pachoud mill.
However, too much road for my liking (about 40% of the route).
I won’t be doing it again...

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jakotfr
jakotfr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The carpenters were putting the finishing touches to the footbridge at Pachoud Mill.
You can now cross safely and admire their work.
To shorten the route, we avoided the village of Thormeroz (point 6) by taking the Route de Les Crets, the first tarmac road on the left after the cemetery.

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User 7653921

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike today, the new footbridge at the Pachou mill is in place. It's not officially open yet, but it's perfectly usable. Continue along the path uphill to reach this new footbridge, which is about 300 metres further on than the old one.
Thank you for the great hike.

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balbou
balbou

The Pachoud mill footbridge is still demolished, so we crossed the stream underneath on rocks, which was fairly easy
be careful in case of flooding

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G C
G C

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very well signposted

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Lilyben
Lilyben

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant and varied hike (woodland, meadows, paths). Encounters with animals (horses, cows, donkeys and fish)
The only downside is that the last footbridge is closed

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pierregauthier.1950
pierregauthier.1950
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

09/05/2024 We wanted to prepare for the outing on 13/05. We were warned by comments on Visorando that the Moulin PACHOUD footbridge on the route was closed. There were no other ways to get around this section of the route
There was no information about the condition of the footbridges from the St Jean d'Arvey town hall on the route information boards at the entrance to the circuit.
We changed the destination of the hike from St Jean d'Arvey to Curienne.
On the map, IGN indicates Pont_ du SORDET on the Ternèze stream, when in fact it is a ford with a water depth of more than 25 cm: you have to turn back!

Two serious incidents: The hiker cannot complete their hike

Visorando is not to blame, but how can such incidents be prevented?

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MaitreFolace
MaitreFolace

I confirm that the entire route is currently impassable. The Moulin Pachoud footbridge is closed. According to the town hall, it is made of untreated wood and has a lifespan of 10 years (!!!), so it needs to be completely rebuilt, but no date has been given.

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Chaden
Chaden

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 7 February 2024 without snow.
Interesting hike with the Himalayan footbridge. Trail through the woods to descend and climb back up to the plateau, followed by an open hike.
Please note: in the village of Les Crêts, there is a municipal by-law dated 13 December prohibiting access to the Moulin Pachoud footbridge due to the risk of rockfall. We therefore took the path on the left, which runs alongside a meadow, then crosses a wood and arrives at the Callets bridge. Afterwards, we wanted to take the path on the right to rejoin the original route, but this path is not very well maintained, so it's a bit of a struggle. It is therefore better to continue along the road and rejoin the route at Sainte-Nicolle.

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Midep
Midep

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

Please note that the route markings are very old and a few signs are missing. However, the description and map will help you find your way.

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L'arbinois
L'arbinois

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike

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thierry.gt
thierry.gt

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

pleasant because there is plenty of shade
unpleasant because there is also a lot of tarmac
the Himalayan footbridge is worth seeing nonetheless

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rebec.pham
rebec.pham

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Please note: signposted up to point 3.
From point 4 onwards, we had to use the map as the directions were unclear. A tree has fallen after point 5 and before the mill footbridge. Climb over the tree to reach the footbridge.
Ideal in spring or autumn as the path is sunny and there is quite a lot of road.

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Nicolas_73
Nicolas_73

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk with few people around.
the difficulty is uneven: the first hour of the hike is steep and requires effort, but the rest is fairly gradual, except just after the footbridge.
The views aren't incredible, but it's pleasant, shaded and once you reach the footbridge and the rafting spot.
We didn't return via Leysse but via "Curienne", which was also uphill.

Thanks for the itinerary!

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