Cirque de Navacelles

A spectacular cirque with breathtaking views.

Details

259167
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.96 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 397 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 426 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 678 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 323 m

Photos

Description of the walk

(S/E) Park in the Bois de Calo Rouge car park. Head south-southeast, following the Gorges de la Vis, which you will quickly come to overlook. Continue until you reach the junction with the D713.

(1) Follow it downhill to the right.

(2) At the point marked "Pente de Navacelles", leave the road and descend into the woods via a small path.

(3) After about 40 minutes of descent, you will arrive at the Moulin de la Foux (Roc du Ceisse) where you can see the resurgence of the Vis. Take the time to look at the mill, which has been partially restored. You can also read the information displayed for walkers. Climb above the mill to the crossroads.

(4) Turn left towards Cirque de Navacelles. You are now on theGR® de Pays "Tour du Larzac méridional" (yellow and red markings) which follows the meanders of the Vis. Continue until you reach a junction with a road.

(5) At the Truque crossroads, take the road that descends to the left for about 300 metres.
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(6) Leave this road and take the path on the right that runs alongside the river until you come to a bridge.

(7) Pass a pretty bridge over the Vis and continue to Navacelles.

(8) After visiting the village, retrace your steps and cross the bridge over the Vis (GR®7)

(7) After the bridge, turn right and then left at a hairpin bend.

(9) Pass Mas Guillou and after a few hairpin bends, leave theGR®7, which branches off to the right, and continue straight ahead. Join the D713 road at Les Bayrades.

(10) Follow the road uphill for one kilometre.

(2) Retrace your steps.

(1) Below the Rocher du Loup, take the path that climbs north-west above the road. This path has already been taken on the way there.

Return to the Calo Rouge wood car park (S/E).

:

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 678 m - Bois de Calo Rouge car park
  2. 1 : km 2.78 - alt. 547 m - Junction with the D713
  3. 2 : km 3.43 - alt. 494 m - Navacelles slope
  4. 3 : km 4.44 - alt. 357 m - Moulin de la Foux
  5. 4 : km 4.58 - alt. 389 m - Turn left towards Cirque de Navacelles
  6. 5 : km 8.45 - alt. 369 m - Carrefour de la Truque
  7. 6 : km 8.8 - alt. 337 m - Path along the Vis
  8. 7 : km 9.97 - alt. 326 m - Bridge over the - Vis (rivière)
  9. 8 : km 10.12 - alt. 325 m - Navacelles - Cirque de Navacelles
  10. 9 : km 10.48 - alt. 354 m - Mas Guillou
  11. 10 : km 12.45 - alt. 456 m - Les Bayrades
  12. 11 : km 14.5 - alt. 665 m - Les Faïsses
  13. 12 : km 15.93 - alt. 647 m - Blandas
  14. E : km 15.96 - alt. 647 m - Bois de Calo Rouge car park

Notes

Alternative

(1) Turn left (below the Rocher du Loup) onto the north-northeast trail that climbs above the road and continue to Les Faïsses.

(11) Once you reach Les Faïsses, the path becomes flatter. Continue straight ahead. You will then see the village of Blandas (12) about 1.5 km away. Follow the path that leads to the village.

To return to the Bois de Calo Rouge (S/E) from Blandas (12), it is approximately 3 kilometres by road (D113)

Worth a visit

(3) Take the time to admire the Moulin de la Foux.
(8) Visit Navacelles.
(12) Stroll around Blandas, a pretty village in the Causse region.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 25 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
pylabrosse
pylabrosse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks to Ren38 for suggesting this hike.
We had a lovely day in varied and interesting surroundings. The start and finish points and the route itself are fairly well signposted, and by following the GPS track on the map, we didn't encounter any difficulties.
We parked in the centre of Blandas and reached the starting point via the Calo Rouge trail, which allowed us to avoid the D113. At the end, we opted for the suggested alternative route.
Don't hesitate to "waste" some time in the hamlet of Navacelle and climb up to the Madonna statue overlooking and protecting this little village! At the Moulin de la Foux, please don't stop for a picnic... when we passed by, a large group had settled there, blocking part of the path and preventing us from taking beautiful photos without "interference"!
Nath and PYL

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Said
Said

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The signposting isn't very clear in some places, but otherwise the route itself is great as far as the village of Navacelle. However, the 3 km climb up to the Causse is quite steep, so make sure you wear good shoes. We did the 14 km route starting from the car park at the main site near the viewpoint
Cathy/Said

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2ch
2ch

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice route, although there were a few doubts about the itinerary and, in general, the departure points were not always easy to find...

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papadid
papadid
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in an exceptional setting.
We decided to do the loop: 19 km in 6 hours, including a 1-hour DJN break, with 400 m of elevation gain. The cirque is superb with magnificent views: the Moulin de la Foux, the Gorges de la Vis, the village of St Maurice de Navacelles and its little stone bridge.

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Mae44
Mae44

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that allows you to enjoy the Cirque de Navacelles, taking in all the points of interest (Moulin de la Foux, the village of Navacelle, etc.).

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Y Mei
Y Mei
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this beautiful route starting from Navacelles and going counterclockwise (so we started with the climb) and therefore skipped the upper part. The south-facing section is very beautiful, with the resurgence of the Moulin de la Foux impressive after a recent Cévenol storm, and the return trip at the bottom of the valley pleasantly cool.
It's a shame that there is no hike described for the section upstream from the Moulin de la Foux.
It's also a shame that all the lodges in Navacelles are closed at this time of year, as we had to travel several dozen kilometres to find accommodation.

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celinemma
celinemma

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, we preferred to take the same route back rather than the road. The mill and path along the river are magnificent.

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Pinpon43
Pinpon43

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful walk, but best done in autumn after the heat of summer.
Magnificent landscapes, few people except at Navacelle and Moulin de la Foux

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Michoubidouille
Michoubidouille

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike. The detour to point 12 is well worth the effort, offering stunning views of the Cirque de Navacelles. The return journey from Blandas to the Bois de Calo follows a pleasant, tree-lined path.

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Le bois dormant
Le bois dormant

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route around the cirque, but a large part of it is at the bottom of the cirque along the stream, which means you can walk in the shade for part of the way. Very pretty mill and a really enjoyable visit to Navacelles.

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Manu081
Manu081

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk, but best done outside of the hottest part of the day

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jeani84
jeani84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, not to be missed.

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Pep 64
Pep 64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Well marked with yellow signs and signs indicating directions and times. Times match your map. Exceptional site. A must-see in the region

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cachoute
cachoute

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A hike in an exceptional location at the ideal time of year. The natural surroundings are stunning when the trees change colour. It's magical! We adjusted the start of the hike slightly so that the route was only 15 km long with an elevation gain of around 400 m, which is very reasonable for a 5-hour walk. We parked our vehicle and set off from the car park at the Maison du Grand Site, to the east of the map. After 1 km, we reached point 11, then point 1, and followed the clearly marked trail to the resurgence of the Vis and the Moulins de la Foux: the place is magnificent! The circuit then continues as indicated until point 10, returning via the same route taken in the morning, points 1 and 11, then back to the car park to collect the vehicle. Allow plenty of time to take photos, as there are magnificent views throughout the circuit and plenty of opportunities to swim in the Vis if the weather permits. Don't hesitate for a second! This is the hike to do!!

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Stefanuel
Stefanuel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike enjoyed at a leisurely pace with the family (children aged 8 and 11) over a day with stops for picnics and swimming two weeks ago.
We read all the reviews before we left and can confirm that the signposting is very clear, the Moulin de la Foux and its waterfalls are definitely worth a visit, and the return to the viewpoint at the end of the hike is indeed a little tough.

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