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Head to the village of Izeaux, in the centre of the Isère department. You can park on Place de la Liberté, in the south-east of the village, near the schools and the parish hall.
(S/E) From Place de la Liberté, head towards the large school building. Opposite the school, turn right (south-west) into Rue Ampère. At the crossroads, turn left. At the fork, turn right (Rue du Moulin). Very soon, take the path that descends to the right. Cross the Ravageuse (the name of the stream).
(1) You will come to a T-junction. There is a signpost for "Sous le Bois - alt.450m". Turn left towards Miseroud. You will come to a small road with a small square on your left (Moulin rest area). Take the road on the left. Watch out for traffic. You will pass a series of houses on your right.
(2) Just before the last house, turn right into what looks like a small courtyard. It continues as a narrow path that climbs up the moraine. It turns 90° to the left. Further on, leave a path on your left before coming out onto a small road. Turn right and then quickly turn left. After a while, you will come to a stop sign. Turn left. You will come to another small road (a sign indicates Col de Parménie to the right). Take the dirt track in front of you.
(3) Very soon, you will come to a fork with a sign for "Croix de Saint-Adan - alt.490m". Turn right towards Domaine de Parménie. You will enter the forest. At a fork, continue to the right (yellow signpost). Follow the yellow signposts throughout the climb (and it's a steep climb...). You will arrive at the top of the hill, with an open space on your right.
(4) You will arrive at a small road with a sign for "Domaine de Parménie - alt. 700m". Take the path on your left (green sign for "Table d'orientation, Notre-Dame des Croix"). At a fork, follow the Way of the Cross.
(5) You will arrive at a barrier blocking the road to vehicles. Go around it on the right and immediately turn right again, climbing up to the Calvary. From here, you will have a beautiful view of the chapel, the entire estate and the mountains. Head towards the chapel. Take the time to go inside and admire the fascinating modern stained-glass windows. Once you have done so, continue along the left-hand side of the chapel towards the orientation table (sign).
(6) When you reach the orientation table, take the time to feast your eyes. Turning around, you will see that there are two paths: the one you came on, which is on the right, and another one. For a change, take the one on the left, which climbs a little at the beginning. When you reach a gate, go down to the right. You will rejoin the previous path at the toilet block, before the chapel (which was closed at the time of writing). Cross the field, facing the chapel, following the low stone wall on your right.
(5) Go back through the gate you came through when you arrived. You will see a path leading down to the right. Go down this path. It is also marked in yellow. Be careful! The descent is tricky on loose pebbles, which are sometimes covered with leaves. After a while, the path turns to the right. At a fork, take the right-hand branch.
(7) At the sign for "La Combe Noire - alt. 550m", go straight ahead towards "La Pierre Pucelle" (there are various theories about the origin of its name, but these are just theories...). Go down into the woods, passing the famous stone on your right, which is nothing special...
(8) When you reach the plain, you will see a sign for "Pierre Pucelle - Alt. 480m". Take the first path on the left towards Beaucroissant - Les Étangs.
(9) At the sign for "Les Étangs - Alt. 425m", turn left towards Izeaux and follow the road alongside two ponds. After the second pond, ignore the path that branches off to the right and continue straight ahead. The path will turn right on its own. You will come to a small road, which you should take on the left.
(10) At a fork, turn left. Pass the "Grange aux Érables" before reaching a "Stop" sign. Turn opposite, slightly to the left, to enter Izeaux. Follow the street (be careful, it is narrow and has no pavement) to return to your starting point (S/E).
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Nice hike, but unfortunately no sun. We had a snack at Notre-Dame des Croix. There was a lot of mud and water at the ponds along the way, but otherwise everything was fine. (Is the weather forecast for Viso reliable or not?)
Visorando member
Easy 
