Combe Pelouze

Near Lyon, a day's walk along beautiful paths. Woods, a few hills, beautiful landscapes and a beautiful castle.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.74 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,168 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,148 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,207 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 846 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

(S) Park in front of the church of Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu. Walk past the notary's office to reach the east side of the church. Walk a few steps south, cross the road and turn left at the three-way junction. At the intersection, continue uphill to the right (Chemin du Sablier). The road begins to curve to the right.

(1) Admire the view, then take the small grassy path down to the left. Ignore a path on the right and continue to an intersection after a house. Turn right onto Chemin de l'étang. Continue straight ahead.

(2) Shortly after a shed and a horse sign, take the path on the right. Continue right on the path that climbs into the forest. Further on, you will come to a field. Keep following the path that takes you to Chemin des Crêtes (paved).

(3) Take this small road on the left to descend to a roundabout.

(4) Turn right and then, immediately after, take Chemin de Chantemerle on the left. At the fork, turn right. Follow the road downhill, which becomes paved further on. At the crossroads, continue straight ahead until you reach the entrance to Rajat Castle.

(5) Turn left and immediately right. Just after the fork, follow the path on the right that goes around the park in a heart shape (a romantic gift from a bourgeois Lyonnais to his beloved wife). Admire this beautifully maintained château.

(5) Back on the road, as you leave the estate, cross the road and take the path opposite, slightly to the left. You will then follow the departmental boundary between the Rhône and Isère rivers. Be warned, the climb is long and difficult. Further on, you will reach some houses and the path becomes a road. Continue to a four-way intersection.

(6) Turn left towards "Les Oranges". At the entrance to this hamlet, take the path that descends to the right and ends in front of a beautiful private lake.

(7) Leave the lake on your right and continue straight ahead on the path. At the next intersection, turn left. At the junction with Chemin des Oranges, continue straight ahead. At the next intersection, take the road on the right. Further on, it turns right and then left to join a road. Turn right to come out onto another road. Continue left until you reach the intersection with a path, shortly after the entrance to the village of Heyrieux.

(8) Turn right onto Chemin de Périquet. At the fork in the woods, continue in the same direction, taking the path on the right. Ignore a path on the left. Shortly after, cross the Ozon. Immediately after, ignore a path on the right. Further on, the path widens at Maison Prat. Continue straight ahead until you reach a paved road. Continue straight ahead and ignore a path on the right.

(9) Turn right into a small housing estate (Impasse des Châtaigniers). At the end of this road, turn right in front of the last house and take the path on the left. Further on, turn left and then right onto the path. You will eventually come to a wider path. Go down a little to your left.

(10) Just after this, turn onto the path on the right before the stream. You will be following a high-voltage power line. Continue straight ahead and pass under the power line. Just after this, ignore a path on the right and continue straight ahead until you reach Ozon.

(11) Turn right and follow the stream. Further on, you will find a small wooden bridge that will take you across the Ozon without getting your feet wet. The small bridge may have been washed away by flooding, in which case you can cross the Ozon using one of the many fords with well-placed stones. Continue straight ahead to reach the Combe Pelouze landmark, at the intersection of several paths.

(12) Take the left-hand path and climb up to a paved road. You will reach some houses.

(13) Immediately take the path on the right alongside the house. Continue straight ahead until you reach a paved road.

(14) Turn left heading west and continue straight ahead at the next two intersections to reach a small Nature and Wildlife viewpoint, marked with a cross, on your left.
Continue along the road for a few metres until you reach a bus stop.

(15) Take the small path on the right that runs alongside a property. It descends, is narrow but widens at the bottom of the slope and leads to the end of a street.

(16) Turn right onto the path that joins another street. Continue north on Chemin Sous-Vignère until you reach the church, your starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 846 ft - Church of Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu
  2. 1 : mi 0.26 - alt. 1,010 ft - Small grassy path on the left
  3. 2 : mi 0.89 - alt. 945 ft - Path on the right
  4. 3 : mi 1.43 - alt. 1,161 ft - Turn left onto the road
  5. 4 : mi 1.75 - alt. 1,083 ft - On the right, at the roundabout
  6. 5 : mi 3.21 - alt. 879 ft - Rajat Castle
  7. 6 : mi 3.95 - alt. 1,056 ft - Turn left towards "Les Oranges"
  8. 7 : mi 4.42 - alt. 981 ft - Small lake on the right
  9. 8 : mi 5.43 - alt. 1,063 ft - Turn right onto Chemin de Périquet
  10. 9 : mi 6.99 - alt. 1,086 ft - Turn right into a small housing estate
  11. 10 : mi 7.48 - alt. 1,014 ft - Small path on the right
  12. 11 : mi 8.39 - alt. 869 ft - Crossing the - Ozon (ruisseau) - Affluent du Rhône
  13. 12 : mi 8.8 - alt. 909 ft - The path furthest to the left
  14. 13 : mi 9.15 - alt. 994 ft - Immediately path on the right
  15. 14 : mi 9.67 - alt. 1,194 ft - Turn left, heading due west
  16. 15 : mi 10 - alt. 1,132 ft - Small path on the right
  17. 16 : mi 10.34 - alt. 961 ft - Path on the right
  18. S/E : mi 10.74 - alt. 846 ft - Church of Saint-Pierre-de-Chandieu

Worth a visit

(7). You can picnic near the Combe Pognon ponds.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 32 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 27848127

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this route run after a night of rain, so it was a bit muddy :
The route crosses very few roads; we have a dog and were able to let him run free almost the whole time. The section where trees had fallen was no problem at all (they’ve been cleared away except for one, but you can easily step over it). We didn’t do the circular hike around Rajat Castle as it wasn’t of interest to us. A pleasant hike.

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dangoodsoft
dangoodsoft

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in mid-January in windy weather. We completed the hike in one morning, taking the time to take photos at Rajat Castle and especially towards Ozon. There are no major difficulties, except for the length - because we did it in the morning. There are beautiful views of Mont Blanc and the city of Lyon.
Several trees have fallen across the Chemin de Perriquet, a few dozen metres before crossing the Ozon. You can pass underneath them on the left in the direction of the route (see photo – sorry, it's a bit blurry!).

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dangoodsoft
dangoodsoft
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in mid-January in windy weather. We completed the hike in one morning, taking the time to take photos at Rajat Castle and especially towards Ozon. There are no major difficulties, except for the length - because we did it in the morning. There are beautiful views of Mont Blanc and the city of Lyon.
Several trees have fallen across the Chemin de Perriquet, a few dozen metres before crossing the Ozon. You can pass underneath them on the left in the direction of the route (see photo – sorry, it's a bit blurry!).

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randocrem
randocrem

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, especially in dry, sunny weather, with beautiful views of Mont Blanc and other mountains.
Nice paths with lots of colourful leaves on the ground in the woods at this time of year.
The Rajat castle is worth seeing, but it is impossible to get close to the ponds as they are private and closed off.
With the GPS app, it's easy to follow the route.
Between points 7 and 8 on GR 422 (towards the indicated altitude of 298), we encountered several large trees that had fallen across the path. There was no way to get around them and no other route to avoid them, so we had no choice but to climb over them (which was difficult given their size) or crawl underneath them, which wasn't easy as there wasn't much room! Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo at this spot to report it. We are taking a group of hikers there in December, so I hope that these trees will have been cleared by then.
After point 11, for the Ozon crossing, the footbridge was unsafe, so we crossed the stream in the water.

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Annick L
Annick L

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Between the frost of the previous week and the rain of the last few days, the paths were very muddy.
Fortunately, it's a pleasant country walk
To be repeated in drier weather

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Vincent Bron
Vincent Bron

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hike completed on 13/11 to scout out the same hike for a group outing on 6/12.
On both dates, we had dry weather with occasional sunshine. What is particularly enjoyable in this wooded autumn environment is the beautiful colours throughout the route, which really show off the forest to its best advantage.
The paths are well maintained, with beautiful wide lanes covered with a thick carpet of fallen leaves.
The constant proximity of water (ponds, streams) is also appreciated and made us think that this hike must be even more enjoyable in summer.
The passage near ponds (at least three) and castles would also be interesting if they were not all private and therefore impossible to approach. The brief explanatory note at the entrance to the Château de l'Aigue in St Pierre de Chandieu adds to this frustration. As for Chandieu Castle, only the tops of the towers can be seen from point 13. So, from a heritage point of view, this walk is not very attractive.
The passage near Rajat Castle is worth mentioning. The castle itself is beautiful and deserves to be admired and even photographed; however, walking around the park is, in my opinion, of little interest.
What we found interesting about this route was the pleasure of walking on paths that presented no technical difficulties and, for us, the "achievement" of covering around 17 km in six short hours, including a lunch break (9 a.m. to 3 p.m.).
We will definitely do it again, but in better weather.

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masdelaraz38
masdelaraz38
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Hike done on mountain bikes. Easy to find car park with plenty of spaces available. The trail is easy to follow, although due to recent rainfall, the ground was covered with trees and branches in places, but these can easily be stepped over. There are some beautiful views when the sky is clear, and the detour through Rabat Castle Park is well worth a look (there is a fitness trail for families). There are a few easy fords if you take it slowly. Public toilets are available behind the church, which is very convenient.
Thanks to the author

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drimic
drimic

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, mostly shaded (which is appreciated at this time of year).
A little difficult to follow the route in places: the GPS track is very useful.

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Mica6910
Mica6910

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very good, a complete change of scenery and a shaded path near LYON / great for summer

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HélènO
HélènO

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Unfortunately, partly in the rain.
Distance as indicated, but elevation gain much higher (520 m)

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Mesylda
Mesylda

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route, especially the section passing by Raja Castle
A few paved sections, but nothing too bad
However, it's best to do this route when it hasn't rained for several days, as many of the paths are very muddy and waterlogged, some to the point of being impassable
Otherwise, the route is perfect and very easy to follow

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papychat
papychat

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a few errors due to closed trails

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NissouIver
NissouIver

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, few paved sections, fairly easy to access
You often pass by water sources, which made it very enjoyable with my dogs

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nom
nom

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk. There were lots of people on certain parts of the route (hikers, cyclists, walkers) but given the unusual circumstances, many of us were out enjoying the sunshine and spring warmth.
You need a GPS app to confirm your route, as the explanations in the guidebook and the map are not always sufficient.
No difficulties

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enzo1611
enzo1611

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route we took (to stay within a 10 km radius of our home) was from point 5 to point 14, then from there we returned to point 3 and finally back to point 5.
Point 5 is Rajat Castle, which makes it easy to park in the castle car park.
The road from point 14 to point 3 and then 4 is not too busy (at least on a Sunday) and gave us a beautiful view of Mont Blanc.
The rest of the walk through the valleys and woods is very pleasant.

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