From La Garde-Guérin to Lake Villefort

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Loop starting from La Garde-Guérin towards Lac de Villefort, crossing a wooded area then climbing back up to the medieval village via the Voie Régordane after skirting the northern end of the lake.
03/01/2024: Route modified between 1 and 3.

Details

n°1470982
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.91 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 358 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 358 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 927 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 608 m
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Photos

view of Villefort lake
The Villefort lake trail
The village of Pourcharesses
The lake at Villefort

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the car park at La Garde-Guérin, at the stone cross, follow theGR®72, which joins theGR®700(Voie Régordane), until you reach the small road to Albespeyres. Cross it and follow the path that runs alongside the golf course.

(1) At the intersection, continue right, heading north, still on theGR®72-GR®700, until you reach a junction with a new path.

(2) Turn left onto theGRP® Tour du Chassezac and continue until you reach the D906. Turn right and follow the departmental road for about 100 metres until you reach a new path on the right that runs parallel to the road and joins it further on.

(3) Turn left and cross the departmental road to continue opposite on theGRP®, which starts again directly on your right.

(4) Follow the path on the left.

(5) Turn left again. Continue to Pourcharesses through the forest.

(6) At the end of the village, go down the road on the left until the first hairpin bend and continue for about 50 metres.

(7) Then take the path on the right that joins the path around the lake.

(8) Take this path on the left and follow it until you reach the road on the right. Shortly after the bridge over the Morangiès stream, leave the road and follow a path on the right that runs alongside the road at the edge of the lake. Continue, staying as close to the bank as possible.

(9) At the inn, take the road that winds around a few bends before joining the D906 and follow it to the left.

(10) Before the hairpin bend, cross the road and take theGR® on the right, which rejoins the D906. Cross it again to rejoin theGR® opposite. Follow thisGR®700, also known as the Voie Régordane, to the starting point at La Garde-Guérin (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 868 m - Car park at the Croix de Pierre in La Garde-Guérin
  2. 1 : km 1.29 - alt. 881 m - Cross the D906
  3. 2 : km 1.5 - alt. 885 m
  4. 3 : km 2.26 - alt. 922 m - On the left
  5. 4 : km 2.61 - alt. 920 m - Left-hand path
  6. 5 : km 2.95 - alt. 920 m - Fork, left
  7. 6 : km 5.86 - alt. 764 m - Pourcharesses, road on the left
  8. 7 : km 6.65 - alt. 704 m - Path on the right
  9. 8 : km 7.05 - alt. 648 m - Villefort Lake, trail on the left
  10. 9 : km 9.61 - alt. 614 m - Inn
  11. 10 : km 10.01 - alt. 655 m - Cross the road
  12. S/E : km 12.91 - alt. 868 m - Car park at the Croix de Pierre in La Garde-Guérin

Worth a visit

Visit the medieval village of La Garde-Guérin.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 22 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
kalisher
kalisher

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really like this hike, which allows you to explore Lake Villefort but above all to walk along the Garde Guerin, which is an incredible place
The hike isn't very difficult and is often shaded

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Metalika
Metalika

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful loop around La Garde Guérin in magnificent surroundings. Having done this hike on a very hot afternoon, I recommend starting with the descent along the Régordane trail, which has very little shade and is quite steep. The climb back up through the village of Pourcharesses is gentler and shadier, which is very welcome at the end of the walk.

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Cécilia Gressent
Cécilia Gressent

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A perfect route, remarkable views, sublime landscapes.

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Nadège12
Nadège12
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

We started at point 9 and went to point 8 (because we combined two hikes) to continue around the lake.
The climb up to the village is nice with a beautiful view of the lake below.
Otherwise, it's monotonous with a little "ouch" at point 5

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monange
monange

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I don't really understand the point of doing this hike in reverse: going back up after the lake is very long, even though it's in the forest.
i did it in the direction indicated and enjoyed the hike. I took a short break and went for a swim in the lake before heading back up to the village of La Garde Guerin (a beautiful little medieval village with one hotel/restaurant and one café/restaurant selling local products).
Go to the viewpoint to see the gorges.
there is indeed a barrier with a padlock after the golf course, but I think it's for cars. I got through without any problems
there's also a restaurant by the lake.

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bernard carriquet
bernard carriquet
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk with all the ingredients for a wonderful hike (lake, beautiful medieval village of La Garde Guérin, beautiful views of the countryside)
We chose to start at the lake so that we could walk downhill at the end.
The only minor issue was that at point 1, we found a gate locked with a padlock blocking the path. We didn't dare go through the gate, so we reached point 2 via the D906 road. But that didn't spoil our enjoyment of the hike.

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Ybxl
Ybxl

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that can be done in either direction. From the Col de la Violette towards Pourcharesses, it is more shaded as you pass through a forest. In the middle of the afternoon under the sun, it is better to do it from the Garde Guerin towards Pourcharesses

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DDucasse
DDucasse

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, the visit to the village of La Garde Guerin is interesting and very pleasant. We also really enjoyed the break at the little bar/grocery store.

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SarahDlf
SarahDlf
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Part of La Garde-Guérin, a very pretty little village (you can climb to the top of the tower, but be careful, the stairs are steep and narrow) which was almost deserted at the beginning of September. Take a short detour for the view of the Chassezac gorges (the car park is a starting point for canyoning). Starting with the climb up the Regordane from Villefort is a good idea on hot days, as there is very little shade on this path, whereas the descent from La Garde is through forest! No particular difficulties apart from that. A few road crossings, but no problem at this time of year. Swimming in the lake halfway is a nice bonus!

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4477252525
4477252525
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We started this beautiful hike at Lake Villefort and climbed up to La Garde-Guérin in the cool morning air! We also added a detour to the Chapelle Saint-Loup and back.

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Randopat30
Randopat30

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We decided to start from the edge of Lake Villefort and make the climb in the morning before it got too hot, and we didn't regret it because we arrived at La Garde Guérin before the crowds of tourists. The detour to the viewpoint is a must because the view of the Chassezac Gorges is spectacular. Thank you for this beautiful route.

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saint victor
saint victor

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike with beautiful views and plenty of variety. No particular difficulties. Don't hesitate to visit the village of La Garde Guérin. Thank you for this beautiful route.

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Vstrom
Vstrom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike: beautiful paths, magnificent panoramas and varied points of interest. No particular difficulty, just the long climb up La Régordane, but it's easy going as it's very gradual. We set off from the lake beach to tackle the hardest part before it got too hot, and finished off with a swim.
After La Garde-Guérin, at the Chassezac Gorges car park, don't hesitate to take a slight detour to the viewpoint: the view of the gorges is magical !
Thank you for a wonderful day

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Rockster
Rockster

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, we started at point No. 4 where we camped with our van.
A beautiful, shaded descent to the lake. The climb back up is fine but must be difficult in hot weather.
Without pushing yourself, it can be done in three and a half hours.
Highly recommended

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Marcel Devillierre
Marcel Devillierre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone,
A very nice hike with magnificent scenery.
The time given is an average time that allows for breaks...
Be careful when leaving the golf course (at the start) as the path continues and requires crossing the road, which is blocked by large piles of rubbish... To continue on the trail, you will need to climb over them.
It looks like a dumping ground for professionals...
Other than that, everything is fine.
The difficulty level is average, with the most difficult part at the end, so take care and pace yourself...

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