Doizieux walks

A long route along the panoramic ridges of Mont Pilat.

A walk to discover beautiful views of the Dorlay valley, an opportunity to explore an old Roman road and an old railway line.

This is a fairly strenuous hike with beautiful views. If you wish, between (1) and (2), you can take a slightly easier route. The waterfall is worth the detour.

Enjoy the atmosphere of northern Ardèche with this exceptional hike in the heart of Pilat. Pass through the main ridges of Pilat to discover breathtaking views and small steep paths.

An easy walk to enjoy as a family. Very popular in summer, it is worth the detour to admire the panoramic view over the Alps and the summits of Mont Blanc, the Lyonnais mountains and the Giers valley, the Vercors massif and those of northern Vivarais. With a wealth of flowers in spring, you can gather bilberries in August and raspberries in September. Unless you choose to go ski touring or cross-country skiing here in winter.

An easy hike along the ridges of Pilat linking three major summits, via trails through forests and moors. Along the way we discover magnificent views of the Alps, the Massif Central and the Rhône Valley.

This is a lovely hike for exploring the Pilat ridges, with superb panoramic views of the entire Alpine range. The route takes you through a variety of landscapes, from scree slopes to coniferous forests and heathland covered with heather and broom. In season, you can pick wild raspberries and blueberries. This route offers a return via a less frequented path through a deciduous forest.

This hike around Crêt de Montieux offers beautiful views of Mont Pilat, the Couzon dam and the Col de Pavezin.

Most of the hike is in the woods, which is very pleasant in summer. From La Valla-en-Gier, a pretty village that has retained its authentic character, take a small road and then a footpath to reach the Ruisseau du Ban stream, nestled at the bottom of a bucolic valley. The path runs alongside this stream for almost 3 km before climbing up to the Bessat plateau. TheGR®®42 trailtakes you to Le Bessat, a tourist village with low, squat houses reminiscent of the nearby Massif Central. The return journey is a descent through the woods.

A short, varied tour in the Pilat Massif around the Crêt de l'Aireiller, with a 360° view from the Crêt de la Perdrix as the grand finale.

An easy hike (reasonable distance and elevation gain) offering views of the northern slope of the Pilat Regional Nature Park, the hillsides of Jarez and the Monts du Lyonnais. Alternating meadows and groves, with a few sections on very quiet roads.

An easy route to discover the Crêt de Baronnette and the Celtic site of the Château de Bélize, in the Pilat Regional Nature Park. A half-day walk, perfect before or after lunch.

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

This hike takes us to Les Roches de Marlin, which is somewhat overgrown with broom and other vegetation, and the beautiful flower-filled village of Longes. Don't forget to enjoy the beautiful views of the Gier valley and the crosses at almost every crossroads.

At the start and end of the route, this circuit follows the Tacot, a local railway line that connected the two sides of the Pilat Massif, the Loire and the Rhône, until 1930. Magnificent views of the Pilat Massif, but above all of the Rhône Valley and the Alps, with Mont Blanc visible on the left when the sky is clear. Most of the circuit is in the forest.

This easy walk allows you to stroll around the beautiful village of Pélussin before heading into the wooded valley of the Scie stream. It partly follows the Priel trail (Pelussin 1, yellow/white markings).

This walk starts in Pelussin (in the heart of Pilat) and offers a gentle climb (just under 600m) to keep you in shape, rising steadily throughout. You will arrive at the Dentillon hut, with its arboretum and orientation table. You can then continue on to the 3 dents, which takes an additional 45 minutes and 250m of elevation gain.

More than fourteen crosses to discover on this hike around Pavezin.

Long snowshoe hike on the Pilat ridges. Can also be done on foot if there is no snow.

Most of this hike takes place in beech forests. It is perfect on sunny or windy days. It overlooks the village of Pavezin.

Hike through the forest from one pass to another via Mont Ministre, alternating between panoramic views of the Pilat massif and the Rhône valley. Along the way, there are a few remarkable sites: Grotte des Fées (Fairy Cave) and the Old Chapel. There are places to eat at both passes, or you can stop for a picnic at Col de Grenouze. Take care on the descent from the forest track to the Vieille Chapelle: it is a narrow, fairly steep path that can be slippery in wet weather.

Walk in the Pilat, 6 km from Rive de Gier, around the beautiful Lake Barrage du Couzon.

Walk to the Roches de Marlin and return along the Lac du Couzon. On the way, you can visit the former Chartreuse de Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez.

Discover Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez and its Chartreuse in the Pilat region, starting from the dam on the Couzon.

A pleasant walk for summer days, as it is almost entirely in the shade. A spectacular finale with a unique and magnificent view of the city of Saint-Étienne.

Hike in the Pilat Massif with views of the Rhône Valley.

The route takes you through forests of tall trees on the cross-country ski trails of the Bessat resort.

An easy, shaded route with few hills, surrounded by pine trees, with beautiful views of the Gier valley, Saint-Chamond, Pilat and the Furan valley, Guizay and Saint-Etienne. Viewpoints and rest areas are provided along the route.

This is a beautiful hike that allows you to see different landscapes: lake, forest, path and, finally, the river bed as you pass over a pretty aqueduct. This hike is a shorter variation in the opposite direction to the hike I found on this website, called 'Around the Couzon Dam'.

An easy walk in the forest, refreshing on summer days, in the heart of the Pilat Regional Nature Park, to discover the somewhat secret sites of the Grand Bois.

A hike starting from Le Bessat, in the Pilat Regional Nature Park, offering unobstructed views of the Mont Blanc massif and then the Mézenc. N.B. Hike not accessible in winter (area reserved for skiing).

The Pilat massif on its southern slope with a passage at its highest point, the Crêt de la Perdrix.

This hike allows you to discover the Trois Dents rocks, which give this area of Pilat an alpine character and offer magnificent views. As an option, the Saint-Sabin chapel offers a beautiful view of the Véranne area. The Pilat Natural Park's signposts and directional signs will be a great help in following the route.

The hike combines the Odouard and Jean-Jacques Rousseau trails, starting from Chuyer. The first part, to the south-east, on the Odouard trail, offers beautiful views of the Rhône valley. At the Col de Grenouze, the small loop takes you up to Mont Monnet: orientation table, beautiful view in good weather over the valley, the Vercors and the Alps (Mont Blanc). Forest paths then follow the Jean-Jacques Rousseau trail to the Col de Pavezin, and return via the Odouard trail.

This hike will take you to the north face of the Pilat massif and the Mézenc plateau, with beautiful forest crossings. Enjoy the coolness of the two dams visited and climb a rock to admire the rugged landscape of the Gouffre d'Enfer.

Magnificent panoramic view of the Alps on a clear day. Partially shaded return route through the woods. Somewhat strenuous climb but no technical difficulty.

Another original way to get to this beautiful viewpoint that is the Saint-Sabin chapel on a small bluff in the heart of the Pilat Park, pouring into the Rhône Valley, with some of the best views of the Alps and pre-Alps (especially across the south). At the chapel, many signs and indications tell the story of the place and its flora.

fairly easy hike on the foothills of Mont Pilat, facing it and the Rhône plain

This circuit starts in Valfleury, a charming village nestled at the bottom of a valley, and mainly follows ridges offering numerous views towards Saint-Chamond, Saint-Étienne, Pilat and, further afield, Forez and Auvergne. Don't miss a visit to Valfleury church.

A very varied hike in the Loire, alternating between open landscapes with meadows, valleys, deciduous forests and numerous apple and cherry orchards. The walk also allows you to discover a curious underground aqueduct. In good weather, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Mont Blanc and the entire Alpine range. This hike can be enjoyed in all seasons, but it must be magnificent in spring when the fruit trees are in bloom.

A walk that leads along paths via the Col du Fayet to Lake Ternay, where you can, if you wish, enjoy the pleasant surroundings and take your lunch out of your rucksack.