From garrigue to Cévennes shale landscapes, departing from Les Vans

Contrasting landscapes between the southern scrubland and the deep gullies in the clay-limestone marl.
Fossil footprints, botanical path, abrupt change of vegetation between limestone strata and Cevennes shale, and return by a path overlooking the Chassezac river.
Very pretty and picturesque village of Naves.

That's what's on the menu of this spectacular hike which takes you around the west of Les Vans.

Technical sheet

376182
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.93 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 442 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 446 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 468 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 172 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start : Maison de Santé, Les Vans (07140)

(S/E) From the health centre (Maison de Santé) car park, go to the main square, ignore the small street on the right going to Naves (Yellow-Red markers), stay on the pavement and go up the Rue du Temple. At the church, take the road to Brahic (D216), on the right as far as the bend.

(1) Chemin de la Galine : after some houses, the path climbs up in Combe Escure to reach a small crossroad with a nice view over Les Vans.

(2) Cross the crossroads with the D216 and take the Chemin de Haut Gras opposite. At a fork in the road, turn left (dead end on the right), continue to reach a new crossroads.

(3) Between a house and an electric post, go down a few metres between the rocks and take the path on the left.
On the descent, be careful not to slip in wet weather, very beautiful landscape of scrubland in the Bourdaric valley with its vineyards and olive trees and higher up, the village of Naves.

(4) At the bottom of the descent and the passage on the bridge over the Bourdaric, take the path which goes up on the left.
You join a yellow-red marked path. Turn left into the coble-stoned street.
Admire a superb vaulted fountain with very clear water, follow this street to a first small panel with walkers drawn in Yellow heading towards Les Vans.(These guide visitors coming down from Naves.)
Turn right when you reach a terrace, then left and go around a house. You then go up to the village by stairs, the small panels and the Yellow-Red markers guide you.

(5) Pass through the village and at the bottom take, on your left, the botanical path indicated by a signpost following the Yellow-Green markers.
After about 80 metres, take the path on your left (ignore a half-faded marker encouraging you to climb a small scree).
The path climbs through an impressive landscape of erosion in the marl and then, almost abruptly, the box trees fade away to make way for chestnut trees indicating the presence of a tectonic fault.
Once arrived, you can see the Alauzas farm (chestnuts, goats), follow the indicated route of the botanical path

(6) Don't be tempted by a track that goes off to the left; the itinerary starts in a small trench lined with stones.
The path is very well marked (yellow-green) and quickly passes through limestone strata to descend into the marl; the path is narrow and steep, on the sloping side of the Serre du Cocu, again with an impressive landscape. Pass the small reservoir to reach a pass where you leave the botanical path.

(7) Take on the left the track arriving in a hairpin bend and go down to the junction with the Route de Villefort D901 then the Route de Gravières D113. Take care crossing these 2 roads.
Continue a little further to the right on a small tarmac road, Chemin du Pradal, in a straight line. At a T-junction, turn left onto the tarmaced Chemin des Armas Haut. Pass by Les Armas Haut and turn left onto the "Chemin de la Jeanne" for about 200m.

(8) Turn right, take a gravel path and before the house in front, in a clearing, turn left on a path lined with low walls. Go through the gate on the left and go down into La Grande Muraille (nothing nasty). At the bottom, turn right following the GR® (White-Red markers), enjoy the nice views of the river Chassezac (dam, Chambonas bridge)

(9) You arrive in a residential area. At the Chemin des Goussets, go straight on leaving the GR®. Follow the large signs for Le Carmel. Take the lane along Le Carmel on the left, go up to the right on the Grand Place to arrive at the car park(S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 176 m - Car park at the Maison de Santé
  2. 1 : km 0.56 - alt. 191 m - La galine-Combe Escure
  3. 2 : km 1.18 - alt. 287 m - D216 crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.88 - alt. 304 m - Edge of the Gras de Naves
  5. 4 : km 2.74 - alt. 211 m - To the left
  6. 5 : km 3.04 - alt. 282 m - Naves
  7. 6 : km 4.51 - alt. 464 m - Les Alauzas
  8. 7 : km 5.63 - alt. 324 m - Hair pin
  9. 8 : km 7.48 - alt. 270 m - On the right. View of the - Chassezac (rivière)
  10. 9 : km 8.7 - alt. 262 m - Urban sector of Les Vans
  11. S/E : km 9.93 - alt. 176 m - Car park at the Maison de Santé

Practical information

Start : Maison de Santé, Les Vans (07140)

Note : Map produced by combining the sheet 21 published by the Les Vans tourism office and a part of the botanical path of Naves.
Avoid Saturday mornings: Market on the Ollier square, car parks are saturated in the village center.
Park in the Place de la Poste and the Maison de Santé (after crossing the main square coming from Aubenas or Alès). Many visitors in Naves during the tourist season.

Facilities : In Naves, drinking water and toilets in the Place de l'Église

Terrain : Hiking shoes, sticks recommended, headgear, drinks.
2 ascents: one on a damaged path (Combe Escure) and the other in limestone strata (Naves-Alauzas), sometimes steep paths; rocky slabs on the slopes that can be tricky or even dangerous in wet weather (vertical rock strata)

⚠️Please do not pick up fossils (studies in progress).
Chestnuts are part of the income of the owners or farmers: it is forbidden by law (art.549 Civil Code) to collect them even on public roads.

Walk translated by Wanderer du Gard originally from the French author Michel_M.

In the nearby area

(4) Here is a shortcut: if you turn right, either because you are tired or because of bad weather, you will reach Les Vans at the health center car park.
(5) Take the time to bowse the village with its alleys, its craftsmen's shops. Note that the stones of the houses are of two rocks: white-limestone and brown-gneiss, indication of the proximity of a geological change.

Environmental sources :
Guide Géologique de l'Ardèche. Editions brgm; Maryse Aymes and Jean-Pierre Esteban (association Clapas)
see

Naves

Naves :
- Endangered (from the book quoted above),
... the southern part of the village and more particularly the church rests on limestone banks dislocating according to the creep of the underlying marls...
- and summarizing it,
Numerous landslides have destroyed entire parts of Naves, including the one in 1986 which stopped a few metres from the church. In order to delay the destruction of the church by creep, the association for the preservation of Naves had the foundations consolidated by concrete underpinning.
The keep (private property) suffered from these landslides.

Between Naves and Alauzas, a buried tectonic fault marks the border between the limestone and the Cevennes shale.

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

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

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 21 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 3198374

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

nice to do in spring

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ki
ki

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A well-marked trail with beautiful views of the village of Naves.

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Kwiss07
Kwiss07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A great walk with varied landscapes, some beautiful fossils to admire, and the village of Naves not to be missed. I'd definitely recommend it!
Thanks to the person who suggested this walk

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monteilpat
monteilpat

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

The only downside is that the last section through the housing estates of Les Vans is not very interesting.

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Flo N
Flo N

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

This is a lovely easy walk with magnificent views. There is very little shade on some sections. We take small paths lined with low stone walls typical of the area.

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André Constanzo
André Constanzo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Feb 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Although the signposting on this route sometimes leaves something to be desired, the description published by VISORANDO is clear and precise. So it fits the bill.

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Dédé SAKADO
Dédé SAKADO

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A little hesitation at the start as the path known as the galine on the topo has a different name.
For the rest of the route, no problem, it's a lovely walk through varied countryside, with the added bonus of a visit to the village of Naves.

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Ange Heureux
Ange Heureux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A superb hike, full of lovely sections, with no particular difficulties. The paths were varied and pleasant in spring.
It took us 6 hours, but we had to make several exceptions in order to find the geocaches that were more or less close to the planned route.
We recommend this loop.

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bm.mar13
bm.mar13

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Pleasant walk with no particular difficulties, pretty wild landscapes after the village of Naves.
The return to Les Vans is less pleasant on tarmac, but the end of the route is very pretty above the Chassezac and the view of Chambonas from the GR.
To be recommended.

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jbchantal
jbchantal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk, best done in the morning to avoid the heat. Magnificent views of the mountains, the heath and the chassezac as you go along, not forgetting the picturesque village of Naves. Watch your step carefully, as some areas are very stony. This walk was a real pleasure. Thank you very much.

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nissarts06
nissarts06

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very nice, pleasant and varied walk. The sections on the strata face due south, so it's early in the summer. I would recommend

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gecko30
gecko30

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very varied and pleasant. The little village of Naves is really worth a visit!

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JLF84
JLF84

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 10, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

parish specific to Brittany, the fossilised amonite marks on the path are impressive in some places. keep your eyes peeled.
The scenery is magnificent, the village of naves is very beautiful. we got as far as the alauzas farm and had to make an emergency return because the sole of our shoe broke off! Otherwise, the directions were perfect and the geological variety of the soils was interesting, as was the variety of landscapes.
Seen from above, it seemed to us that we weren't losing much by rushing back from the farm to Les Vans, as the tour of the town seemed to take us through a number of districts. In any case, we had no choice - despite my Macgiver skills, my wife's shoes looked like the Russian retreat.

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VISORANDO3063
VISORANDO3063

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very interesting walk with varied landscapes, contrasting between the marl/clay slabs and their fossils and the schist/chestnut vegetation, a magnificent view of the surrounding snow-capped peaks
very pretty and picturesque village of Naves in the Ardèche, beautiful Ardèche farmhouse at Les Alauzas

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A very pleasant walk.
Pretty landscape

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