Riou Gorges and Revuaire summit

A varied loop in the Baronnies Provençales, which runs through pretty gorges and then to a summit with beautiful panoramic views.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.09 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 646 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 640 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,292 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 704 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The start is in the hamlet of Saint-Genis in the commune of Garde-Colombe. From the D1075, between Laragne and Serres, take the D94 and park near the town hall annex before the village of Saint-Genis.

(S/E) Cross the village following the D94.

(1) At the bend, turn left onto the street that continues along a path marked in yellow and red and follow the signs for Gorges du Riou. You will reach the Riou torrent near a stone bridge.

(2) Stay on the right bank and continue along the stream.

(3) A tunnel allows you to cross to the left bank and the path continues, still marked in yellow and red.

(4) At a place called "Saume Longe", descend to the left to rejoin the Riou and then arrive at a footbridge.

(5) Cross it, then climb up into the forest, heading north, and pass the Jubéo forest house.

(6) Cross the car park and turn left, heading west, following the yellow markings to reach the Col de Revuaire.

(7) At the pass, turn right, taking a hairpin bend, and follow the track that climbs quite steeply to the Revuaire ridge at 1,299 metres . Be careful, as this is the edge of a cliff.

(8) Return to the Col de Revuaire.

(7) Turn right and continue downhill.

(9) At the only crossroads, turn left. The route is still marked in yellow.
Rejoin the Riou just before the stone bridge.

(2) Turn right and take the same path you took on the way there to return to the car park at the Saint-Genis town hall annex (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 704 m - Saint-Genis town hall annex
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 731 m - Fork
  3. 2 : km 2 - alt. 738 m - Crossroads of the loop
  4. 3 : km 2.37 - alt. 754 m - Tunnel
  5. 4 : km 3.02 - alt. 827 m - Saume Longe
  6. 5 : km 3.29 - alt. 797 m - Footbridge over the - Riou (cours d'eau) - Affluent du Buëch
  7. 6 : km 4.48 - alt. 894 m - Jubéo car park
  8. 7 : km 5.48 - alt. 1,051 m - Col de Revuaire (1054m)
  9. 8 : km 6.53 - alt. 1,291 m - Summit of Revuaire
  10. 9 : km 8.24 - alt. 1,063 m - Fork
  11. S/E : km 12.09 - alt. 705 m - Saint-Genis town hall annex

Notes

Everything is very well marked. Some sections are quite steep, especially the last part of the ascent and the final descent. Be careful at the edge of the cliff on the ridge.
Although much of the route is relatively shaded, the steepest slopes are in the sun and face south.

Frank D suggests an alternative route:
Do the hike in the opposite direction and, at the point (9), turn left, even if the IGN map shows the trail as ending. It actually continues to the ridge. The trail is not marked, but the markings on the ground are clearly visible and there are cairns to help you reach the summit at the point (8). This brings the average time back to 5 hours 40 minutes, distance: 13.24 km without significantly changing the elevation gain (667 m)

Worth a visit

On the way back, you can swim in Lac du Riou, downstream from Saint-Genis, on a beach that is equipped and supervised in season.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 43 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 27445391

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike. Well marked, but the end of the trail is dangerous with lots of rocks on the descent. The path is not very wide, so you need to have a head for heights.

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YannCoudouret
YannCoudouret

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Travelled in trail mode.
A beautiful route, shaded and cool in the gorges and forest, then opening up just before the summit.
Superb gorges to explore slowly and enjoy, fairly easy in trail mode.
The climb back up through the forest is pleasant, and the pass after the car park is quite steep but enjoyable early in the morning.
The final climb to the summit is fairly easy (except for the steep slope) as the terrain is soft. Breathtaking view once at the top.
The descent is fine, then there's a fairly fast plateau before a steep descent over rocks to reach the gorges.
Did this early in the morning, with very few people around and no intense heat. A very pleasant route, even for trail running.

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CocoRandonne
CocoRandonne

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short hike I did on 9 August, a really hot day, but I did it backwards and started at the summit of Rivuaire. To be honest, it was very, very difficult, but the reward was worth it 😍 i did it very early in the morning, which was lucky because it was very hot, but at the summit I sat under a tree that looked like it was waiting for me, a real parasol 🌳🌳 It was wonderful, then I went back down and the Riou Gorges are just a little gem where I was able to swim 💦💦 the walk back through the forest is excellent.
Personally, I recommend doing it in reverse, but you need to be in fairly good shape. It's a very beautiful hike. Thank you to the person who posted it. 😍

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JulieFJ
JulieFJ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 16, 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 in spring, with lots of flowers and fields of thyme, and water in the Riou.

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althe
althe

First spring hike without snow, the route is well marked. The trail to the forest house is varied and full of pleasant surprises, especially fritillaries. The climb to the summit of Revuaire is easy. The ridge trail is all the more interesting because the 360° view offers familiar landscapes: Bure, Dévoluy, etc. and, for us, some new discoveries, including Montagne d'Aujour and Arambre. We were delighted to see vultures flying overhead. We completed the loop, but the last part, the descent, is quite challenging and not particularly interesting.

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Françoise 04
Françoise 04

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike with lovely views, but the descent back is long and rocky!

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Maraisse
Maraisse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did it during the week and only encountered two people. A very beautiful hike, especially at this time of year when there are flowers everywhere

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DanielANDRE
DanielANDRE

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

For the descent, we completed the loop via the ridges to rejoin the route at point 9
Very good, although the trail is poorly marked along the ridge and at the start of the descent; cairns are present

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rataplan
rataplan

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful hike in late autumn. On the way back, the descent through the scree is well marked but quite challenging. Be careful if you have very young children

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koala84
koala84

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

On the advice of a few hikers who left messages on Visorando, we decided to do the route in reverse, and we didn't regret it.
We recommend leaving Saint-Genis around 9:00 or 9:15 a.m.
There are two options for reaching the summit and enjoying the view (which is superb):
1) Climb to the summit of Revuaire via the recommended route from the pass: it is quite steep and has very little shade (250m elevation gain over 1km). Return to the pass via the same route.
2) Climb from point 9 to the western end of the ridge (180m elevation gain over 1.16km): this route is through the woods and is less steep (but I don't recommend following the ridge eastwards if you're in a group or with children, as the path is right on the edge of the precipice). Return to point 9 via the same route.
We enjoyed finishing the walk in the gorges, on a mostly shaded and cool trail.
We think the elevation gain is a little underestimated; we would estimate it to be more like 750/800m.
In conclusion: a very pretty, fairly challenging hike, mostly on shaded paths, with views of varied landscapes.

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Isa84100
Isa84100

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

A beautiful hike with very contrasting and varied landscapes: gorges, trees, ridges.
We had lunch at the top of Revuaire, with superb views.
After the forest house, the climb gets steeper, especially the last half hour before reaching the ridge, but it's beautiful, so definitely worth doing!
The descent along the rocky paths is easy, but you still need to be careful!
A very nice hike, we suffered a little from the heat on the last part of the climb, which is exposed, but we left late in the morning.
Not being from the area, I recommend this interesting and varied route. Thank you for this trail!

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cargolagil
cargolagil

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. The start in the gorges is very pleasant. The climb to the summit is more challenging, after the Jubéo forest house, as is part of the descent before returning to the stone bridge over the Riou. Due to a rockfall, the start of the hike has been diverted. This diversion is well signposted. It's a beautiful hike!

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Papycal84
Papycal84

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A varied hike, the first part in the gorges is pleasant enough to cool off as much as you like. The second part, with the climb to Revuaire, is a little more physically demanding.
Be careful not to miss the fork to the left at the picnic area, just after the car park at the Jubéo forest house (if you reach the tarmac road, you've gone too far!)
The climb up to the Revuaire ridge is optional. Once you reach the pass, you can descend on the left to return to a very pleasant woodland trail.
Please note that at the start of the route, there is a diversion put in place by the local council following a rockfall. The diversion is safe and well signposted

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Olivier Georis
Olivier Georis

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike that is relatively accessible except for the last section of the return loop at the bottom of the Revuaire. Not a problem in itself, but it's best to be aware of it and adjust your speed accordingly. Steep slope and narrow trail with lots of rocks. Personally, I really liked this section, but it contrasts with the rest of the hike, which is much easier.
The first third in the Riou Gorges is absolutely superb. The transition to the Revuaire is nice, but nothing more. The Revuaire is very good with a superb view.

I recommend it

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Gégé d'Embrun
Gégé d'Embrun

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with superb views, of moderate difficulty, highly recommended

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