From La Roussillière to Les Bozançons

A wild walk, often along the Bozançon, with the option to visit special sites (Roman aqueduct).

Details

87060
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.06 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 301 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 291 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 421 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 246 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in a sort of square in the middle of the hamlet of La Roussillière.

(S/E) Take the marked trail south towards La Renavelière.

(1) At the bottom of the descent, cross the stream to the right and climb up a path that joins La Jubilière

(2). Continue along a small road and then a path to the north. Pass a cross and face the chapel.

(3) Continue straight ahead, then at the water treatment plant, turn right onto thePR® until you reach the road.

(4) Continue straight ahead towards the "piles", the old pillars of a ruined railway viaduct.

(5) At the bottom of this valley, turn right and cross the stream via the bridge. At the next intersection, take the marked path opposite, which climbs alongside the stream for 200 metres, then continue eastwards to La Chandelle.

(6) Continue south on the PR®.

(7) Turn left to climb up and see the remains of a Roman aqueduct 500 metres away. Turn around and head back down.

(8) Turn left to continue along the path beside the river. At the junction at elevation 306, go straight ahead. Ignore the first path on the left and further on, the path turns left at a 90° angle and joins a small road at elevation 356 before the power line.

(9) Turn right and then immediately left to reach the hamlet of La Roussillière and the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 342 m - La Roussillière
  2. 1 : km 1.4 - alt. 246 m - Ford
  3. 2 : km 2.93 - alt. 359 m - Intersection with a small road. To the right
  4. 3 : km 3.96 - alt. 381 m - Fork in the path. Mines Trail
  5. 4 : km 4.73 - alt. 383 m - Intersection. To the right
  6. 5 : km 5.32 - alt. 343 m - Bottom of the valley. On the right
  7. 6 : km 6.76 - alt. 420 m - Intersection
  8. 7 : km 7.41 - alt. 356 m - The Aqueducts
  9. 8 : km 8.19 - alt. 319 m - Path intersections
  10. 9 : km 9.69 - alt. 356 m - Intersection with a small road
  11. S/E : km 10.05 - alt. 343 m - La Roussillère

Notes

Wear good waterproof shoes as you will often be following and crossing the river.
If there is too much water to cross the Bezançon, turn back, go down to the bottom of the valley to cross the river (ford) and go back up via a marked path that joins the initial route on the plateau at (3).
.

Worth a visit

Former gold and antimony mines in Bissieu (la Combe).
Remains of the Roman aqueduct from Pilat to Lyon.
Piers of a railway bridge under construction in the early 20th century (Mornant-Rive de Gier).
Old mill at the confluence of the two Bozençons rivers.

 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.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 27 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
TITI- B
TITI- B

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On this route, at times the description on the map did not correspond to the actual terrain, so on several occasions I deviated from the plan to find the path further on.

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SiobanS
SiobanS

Overall rating : 3.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Overall, it was a pleasant walk that allowed us to discover the area. A few comments:
- At point 2, in July (even though it was a cloudy, cool day at 20 degrees), the smell of silage was very strong. Perhaps not the best season for this walk.
- At point 5, we went a little further north-west to see the buried remains of the aqueduct.
- Between points 5 and 6, a path seems to have disappeared, so we went back up to the road.
- While looking for our way at this point, we saw a sign that led us to another remnant of the aqueduct.

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ginjoj
ginjoj

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route, a little difficult at the start (the first 4 km are a steep, rocky descent into the valley, then the same on the way back up), but as soon as you reach the outskirts of St Joseph, the terrain becomes much more pleasant, with varied and very attractive scenery.

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noelterry
noelterry

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
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 with a fascinating historical aspect.
On the route, there is a private property sign before point 7 and a chain after point 7

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annick.jabouyna
annick.jabouyna

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

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

disappointed, but very pretty spots!

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pouget yves
pouget yves

See, if applicable, the review of the previous hiker(s) who did not encounter any issues.

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annick.jabouyna
annick.jabouyna

Hello,
Nice hike, but we had trouble following your description.
We had a problem especially between stages 3 and 8, we didn't understand your description, so we managed on our own. In the end, it was a beautiful hike through the woods and fields.
We will do the route again soon, following your description.
It's a shame there are so few signposts.

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rdouzal
rdouzal

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, somewhat challenging hike that starts at La Roussillière and first takes us down into the valley to the Le Bozançon stream, then up onto a plateau to admire the Chapelle de Chagneux in the distance, and finally back to the Bozançon further north before returning to our starting point. This is a wild walk that allows us to admire the stream, which has plenty of water at this time of year, and discover some rather special sites, such as the remains of a Roman aqueduct and gold and antimony mines. In total, this is an 11- to 12-kilometre hike that can be completed at a leisurely pace in around four hours.
To watch the video, please visit: |https://randos-e-r.blogspot.com/]

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hiker38
hiker38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk full of discoveries, as described in the guidebook.
Rest assured, there are no longer any difficulties at point 1. Only the ford crossing the Beauzançon may pose a problem during high water.
Thanks to Yves for this hike.

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xmar
xmar

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I went a little off-trail, but I crossed the stream bed instead of following the path alongside it, which is very pleasant in hot weather
I got lost several times, but as I run these routes with my dogs, I don't always have my nose glued to the GPS

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Phyvon
Phyvon

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike.
Do not rely on the GPS track, which is very approximate around point 1.
Look for a path on the right on the descent 300 metres before point 1. This is the right path to take to follow the river towards the Roussilliere bridge. You can make a return trip to point 1 from this path

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pouget yves
pouget yves

And yet I've done it several times. Sometimes you have to search a little. And then the paths sometimes disappear a little into nature.

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jibz
jibz

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walk is great, very varied, with old mine galleries to visit, waterfalls, meadows, a river... in short, it's almost like Disneyland!

However, be careful if, like me, you follow the GPS track, as it goes haywire from point 1 (when you cross the river for the first time). The path really didn't exist! We had to improvise.

Apart from that, it was great

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tducreux
tducreux
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk, thank you. We had a wonderful time and the view is magnificent. The variety of landscapes is also impressive (rivers, mountains, plateaus, aqueducts, antimony mines, chapels, etc.)

Be careful, however, after point 1 and for 300/400 metres, the route takes you along the river and it is impossible to pass without a stick to push back the brambles. It is very difficult to access because you have to make your own path (brambles and very dense vegetation). I suggest going a little higher rather than following the river, or making sure you are properly equipped

Thank you for this beautiful hike. We will do the others in the area

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manuel.fonseca
manuel.fonseca

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

During our first attempt at this hike in February 2021, we were unable to complete the entire route due to flooding in Bozançon. This time, however, we were successful, and we do not regret our choice today, as the beauty of this route can be described as wild, with tree trunks to climb over, birdsong, waterfalls, wildlife and narrow paths almost invisible due to the dense vegetation, it leaves us dreaming...
We made a short detour to the Chagneux chapel for a picnic.
At the end of the hike, we still wanted to continue...

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.