Crêt de l'Oeillon from Saint-Sabin

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A lovely hike in the Pilat hills offering 360° views of Pilat, the Alps, the Monts du Lyonnais and the Monts du Forez.

Details

n°537840
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.80 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 420 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 414 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,390 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,056 m
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Photos

Cret de l'Oeillon
Stony path
Ruins
Forest

Description of the walk

Park in the shaded car park near the Saint-Sabin cross.

(S/E) Leave the car park and walk along the meadow towards the mountain. At the first crossroads, Croix de Saint-Sabin, take a forest path towards Crêt de l'Oeillon. This path (Sentier Odouard) is wide but full of stones until you reach a fork.

(1) Leave the stones behind by turning right and continue the gentle climb until you reach the road, where you can enjoy an impressive view of the Rhône valley (weather permitting).

(2) At the Col du Gratteau, continue climbing along the road until you reach the Col de l'Oeillon.

(3) At the pass, take the path that enters the forest towards the Shepherd's Hut.

(4) When you reach a car park, turn right onto a direct path to complete the climb to the Crêt de l'Oeillon.

(5) Go around the TDF (Télédiffusion de France) relay station in a counterclockwise direction and enjoy the majestic view once again. Then return to the car park crossroads.

(4) Follow the ridge path to the right until you reach the Col de Bote.

(6) Take the grassy path on the left towards the pylon above.

(7) Leave the path and head towards Crêt de l'Étançon.

(8) At the small green meadow, turn left towards Chaumienne. This is the start of the descent.
The path crosses the forest with a few fairly steep but safe passages until you reach the D63 paved road.

(9) Cross it and continue straight ahead towards Saint-Sabin, crossing the hamlet of Chaumienne where the road branches off to the right towards the south.

(10) Take a small path on the left that enters a large, beautiful forest. This is an old path that has stood the test of time.

(11) Continue downhill until you reach the small paved road that leads to the car park (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,056 m - Saint-Sabin car park
  2. 1 : km 0.87 - alt. 1,162 m - Goodbye stones!
  3. 2 : km 1.95 - alt. 1,206 m - Col du Gratteau (1204m)
  4. 3 : km 2.45 - alt. 1,236 m - Col de l'Œillon (1235m)
  5. 4 : km 3.1 - alt. 1,319 m - Parking
  6. 5 : km 3.5 - alt. 1,362 m - Crêt de l'Œillon (1364 m)
  7. 6 : km 4.75 - alt. 1,341 m - Col de Botte towards - Crêt du Rachat (1380m)
  8. 7 : km 5.34 - alt. 1,386 m - Head towards Crêt de l'Étançon
  9. 8 : km 5.93 - alt. 1,365 m - Head towards Chaumienne - Col d'Etançon (1365m)
  10. 9 : km 7.76 - alt. 1,130 m - Head towards Saint Sabin. After Chaumienne, the - Ternay (rivière)
  11. 10 : km 8.78 - alt. 1,129 m - Small path on the left
  12. 11 : km 9.97 - alt. 1,117 m - Descent to a small road
  13. S/E : km 10.8 - alt. 1,057 m - Saint-Sabin car park

Notes

Some very rocky sections.
Hiking boots are strongly recommended.

Worth a visit

From the car park, you can visit the Chapel of Saint-Sabin
Hike described on Visorando:
Near the car park, the Vert Anes inn is very friendly:
The food is very good and you can sleep in a caravan or a yurt

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 23 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Laurence.Ody
Laurence.Ody

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 10, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We’re using the PDF route description rather than the Visorando app.
It would be useful to put up signs on rocks or trees along the route, as is done for the GR trails, because there are so many paths in the Pilat forests that it’s very difficult to find your way. Luckily we had Google Maps!

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Jcbds
Jcbds
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with varied scenery, but take care on the final section, which is quite tricky due to loose stones on the path.

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Baudras MC
Baudras MC

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views. The landscapes are varied. Good walking shoes (thick soles) are recommended: some paths are stony and others are rocky. When you return to the car park, don't hesitate to climb up to the Saint-Sabin chapel: it offers a panoramic view of the Alps and the Rhône valley.
MCB

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TotoB
TotoB
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pilat is still as magnificent as ever, especially with the sunshine we had today (a little cold and windy but, in the end, not too bad, as it prevented us from getting too hot).
On the other hand, the Pilat is still as poorly signposted as ever: we wanted to set off from the 3 teeth at point 4 and return via the south (under the Col du Gratteau)... It was a nightmare in the middle of the scree and broom bushes and took us 2 hours to cover 4 km!
So we decided to take a detour, starting at point 6 and going to Crêt de la Perdrix (and returning a little before point 8), but as we had booked the Vert Anes inn for 12 noon, we were caught short.
In short, we'll have to do it again.
As for the Vert Anes inn, go there with your eyes closed. It was our first experience there and it was delicious (everything is homemade using local produce and the ice cream is to die for!!!).

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Germonneau
Germonneau
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice hike.
The views were obscured by fog and pollution

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Everest30
Everest30

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This hike was a wonderful discovery of a little-known region.
Thank you.

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Anassou
Anassou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
Very beautiful hike. We saw the peaks of the Alps above a sea of clouds covering the Rhône valley. We even climbed to the Crêt de La Botte. It's true that there are a lot of rocks at the beginning of the hike and the slope is steep.

I think jejete07 got the wrong hike because this hike is definitely too difficult for young children with an elevation gain of 387 metres. The climb is very steep between S/E and point 1. This hike does not go to Crêt de la Perdrix.

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jepete07
jepete07
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

You are often in the woods, but the final destination with a beautiful view of the Rhône Valley is superb. Moderately difficult climb with quite a few rocks.

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Danyla
Danyla

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2020
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, especially varied in terms of landscapes, with alternating views and forests.
It is stony in places, it's true, but that's often the case in Pilat. However, the path between 8 and 9, on the descent, is old cobblestone, so there are no stones rolling underfoot, which is very pleasant and rare too!
We had no problems because the description matches the terrain.
This circuit was only busy between 3 and 8 on the part without any significant elevation. The rest was deserted because it's steeper!

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jepete07
jepete07

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

the only downside is that after Chaumienne, you have to take a path (unmarked) on the left (only a black mountain bike sign) after walking about 300 metres.

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Oeildetaupe
Oeildetaupe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike that alternates between woodland, heathland on the hills and flowering meadows. The landscape perfectly balances greenery and rock, creating a delightful contrast of green and bluish grey. There are also a few sections on tarmac. For fans of motorbikes and sports cars, this is an opportunity to see some beautiful machines in action on the bends leading to the summit. For those less keen on this kind of thing, however, it can be a downside. For the eight of us, at least, this hike was a unanimous delight.
The path is fairly busy... For the first weekend after lockdown on 11 May.

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patm69
patm69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

very beautiful hike with lovely views, pleasant, make sure you have good shoes as there are lots of stones between markers 8 and 9. Thank you for this hike and enjoy your walk

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Marc jamond
Marc jamond

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very beautiful hike under a beautiful autumn sun. Very beautiful landscapes. A tip: at the end (or beginning), take the short detour to the Saint Sabin chapel for a beautiful view.
The only downside is that there are a lot of loose stones on the paths (make sure you wear good shoes and bring walking sticks) and a long section through the woods with no views.
Enjoy your walk, everyone!

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identifiantvisorando
identifiantvisorando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2038
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Well-summarised route.
The route was well marked.
Often in the woods, with a magnificent 360° view from the top of the 3 peaks.
But not an easy route, as the descent over slippery rocks at the end is hard on the knees.

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pastibulaire-mais-presque
pastibulaire-mais-presque

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Throughout this hike, the views are exceptional.

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