At Cros-de-Géorand, there are numerous parking spaces between the church and the wash house, or to the right of the church where you will also find the Info-Rando sign.
(S/E) From the car park, follow the D302 towards Tauron, which you will cross. Follow the departmental road, marked with yellow and redGRP® signs. Turn left at the hairpin bend, then take the path going uphill immediately on the right. Go through two gates.
(1) At the crossroads, take the path on the right towards Le Poyet. Leave the yellow-red marked path and follow the white-yellow markings. After 150 metres, climb up to the left to the signposted viewpoint, where you will find a landscape interpretation table. At the foot of the greenhouse, on the opposite side from the arrival point, you will see the Lapalisse-sur-la-Loire dam, which also supplies Montpezat. There is a view of several wind farms.
Return to the marked trail and turn left. Continue along this trail, which descends to the Croix de Montlaur, of which only the original base remains (a small cement cross on the base). Follow the paved road on your left.
(2) At the hairpin bend, take the dirt track on the right and, after about 70 metres, follow the path that descends to the left, continuing to follow the signposts. You will pass through an avenue of tall beech trees towards Sagnelongue (a beautiful house). Reach a small pass on the ridge path.
(3) Leave the road and take a path on your right that descends steeply through the woods. Follow the white and yellow markings at the intersections. On the last part of the descent, before the ruined mill at Fédarié, there are two paths which merge and arrive at the same point before the small bridge over the Gage. Cross the bridge and climb up the path, following the signposts to reach a tarmac road (hiking pole).
(4) Turn left onto the road towards Cros-de-Géorand via La Chapelle. After about 50 metres, turn right onto the road that climbs uphill. After a big bend, there is a beautiful view of the Gage reservoir (currently empty due to works - September 2016). 200 metres before the hamlet of Le Poyet (very beautiful houses to see in the hamlet), take the signposted path on the right which descends through hazel trees and then beech trees and leads to a fork.
(5) At this fork, take a detour to see the Vernède chasm. Take the marked path on the left that climbs along the Gage, which it overlooks, to a viewpoint over the gours a few dozen metres below.
(6) Turn around and return to the previous fork.
(5) Take the marked white-and-yellow trail downhill to the left. The descent is quite steep in the last section, then cross the Gage on a footbridge. Climb up opposite and make a long traverse along a balcony.
(7) At the first trail junction, turn right to descend to the Sagne-Morte stream. Ford the stream and climb up opposite to join a forest trail.
(8) At the double signpost, Eau et la Force, make a detour to the right (600 m currently, 400 m when the dam is full) to see the other side of the dam. Return to the fork and climb up the forest path marked Blanc-Jaune through a spruce plantation.
(9) The path becomes grassy when you reach the chapel. Go through the gate and continue to follow the signs.
Cross a meadow, descending to the right, then continue to follow the marked trail, which becomes less easy before crossing the Boyer stream. At the start, the path climbs gently opposite, then steeply before reaching the road (picnic tables at the top).
(10) Cross the road, continue towards a house, pass underneath it on the right, then take the road on the left which returns to the starting village (S/E).