The hill of Chalancon from Mercuer

Although its altitude barely exceeds 500 m, the Chalancon hill offers extensive views to the north over the Ardèche and Fontaulière valleys and to the south as far as Mont Ventoux.
Much of the hike follows shaded paths through pine woods.
The entire route is marked in yellow and white.

Details

28749102
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.08 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 902 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 889 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,699 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 889 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Parking is available in the car park next to Mercuer Town Hall.

(S/E) Walk up towards the D435, cross it carefully and continue to a right-hand bend. Turn left into Impasse du Ranchet, cross a small road and, at the end of the street, take a staircase that leads to a path going up through the pine trees. After crossing a forest road, you will arrive at a large meadow at the top of the hill. Cross the meadow, closing the gates behind you and staying on the path. You will arrive at the Turc sign next to a small chapel.

(1) Continue straight ahead. Turn left onto a small road, then right onto a path bordering a property. Cross another road and you will arrive at the Col de Farges sign.

(2) Take the road on the right towards Lachamp Mercuer, then immediately afterwards, take a path on the right. Join the dirt road leading to the hamlet of Chalancon and follow it for a few hundred metres.

(3) Turn right onto a path leading to a fire hydrant, leave it on your right and continue along a trail. Walk along a meadow on your left and arrive at a crossroads of several tracks.

(4) Turn right and then descend along a path on the right of the hamlet. Pass a path on the left and a trail on the right and arrive at a small road.

(5) Go down to the right, at the first bend continue straight ahead on a path and turn right at the next crossroads. Continue more or less horizontally, ignoring the paths branching off to the right and left. After a slightly steep descent, you will arrive at the D435.

(6) Take this road to the right, then left onto Route de Lachamp and left again twenty metres further on. At the end of the cul-de-sac, continue along a path between the houses until you reach a small road running alongside the Mercouare stream. Turn right and you will arrive at the Lachamp sign.

(7) Turn right, then straight ahead onto a path. Cross Route de Lachamp and arrive at the D435. Carefully follow this fairly busy road to the left until you reach the Impasse de Peyre Levade junction, which will take you back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,043 ft - Parking next to the town hall.
  2. 1 : mi 0.84 - alt. 1,621 ft - Turc signpost - Chapel
  3. 2 : mi 1.11 - alt. 1,696 ft - Col de Farges
  4. 3 : mi 2.03 - alt. 1,617 ft - Fork towards the fire hydrant
  5. 4 : mi 2.28 - alt. 1,470 ft - Fork towards Chalancon
  6. 5 : mi 2.76 - alt. 1,138 ft - Road on the right
  7. 6 : mi 3.08 - alt. 968 ft - Route D435
  8. 7 : mi 3.59 - alt. 899 ft - Lachamp signpost
  9. S/E : mi 4.08 - alt. 1,043 ft - Parking next to the town hall.

Notes

The route follows the current markings of the Bassin d'Aubenas community of communes. You can see this route on the OpenStreetMap hiking map. The old routes that appear on the IGN map are no longer officially marked.

Worth a visit

At the start or on your return, it is worth making a small detour to see the church of Mercuer with its bell tower.
At the Lachamp sign (7), the bridge over the Mercouare is a Roman bridge.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Verotif
Verotif

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We followed this guide from point 6 as we were staying nearby.
A lovely route, very well signposted and without any particular difficulty. We loved the views

Machine-translated

User 29469314

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk. The path is a bit steep and the grass is sometimes quite tall.

Machine-translated

Verotif
Verotif

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We followed this guide early one morning during an exceptional heatwave at the end of May in France. We set off from point 6 (accommodation nearby) and the route on the guide, as well as the yellow and white markings, were spot on. We had a lovely chat with a local from Haut-Mercuer. Throughout the route, the surrounding landscapes and views, as well as the natural and built-up environment, had us exclaiming “Waaaooouuuhh!!!!”
The route is mostly shaded by the forest, with a bit of climbing and some lovely descents, but nothing too difficult. Make sure to bring plenty of water in hot weather, and good walking shoes for the trail, which we think is accessible to anyone who fancies a walk and wants to marvel at the beautiful Ardèche countryside.

Machine-translated

Brunobacco
Brunobacco

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful panorama over the Ardèche valley and Aubenas

Machine-translated

krisV
krisV

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk with beautiful views.

Machine-translated

André 07
André 07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Good hike, but a bit steep.

Machine-translated

Kare
Kare

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 27, 2023
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 with beautiful panoramic views.

Machine-translated

Anick
Anick

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 13, 2023
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 magnificent views of Aubenas and the Ardèche mountains on one side.

Machine-translated

JACMODUH1981
JACMODUH1981

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The route is well marked and very comprehensive.
Our hiking group really enjoyed it.

Machine-translated

RydArdech
RydArdech

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful view from the peaks of this magnificent route at the end of summer. It climbs quite steeply at the beginning, but there are some very beautiful sections through the forest. It descends just as steeply at the end, and the middle section is superb with almost 360° views.
A very beautiful little route, good shoes and walking sticks recommended.

Machine-translated

Noush
Noush

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A beautiful hike! However, for the easy level, for us who are novices, I would say that it was only moderately easy. Indeed, there is a magnificent view from the highest point. This hike is very pleasant, even if the start is a little difficult, as is the finish, with a descent that has quite a few stones and pebbles.

Machine-translated

derque
derque
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant short walk that allows you to discover the pretty village of Mercuer and its surroundings. Very well signposted. I sometimes got a little lost in the explanations, but I admit that I may not have been reading very carefully.
Thank you very much!

Machine-translated

Perret Christian
Perret Christian

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant route with a slightly steep first section from Mercuer.
Magnificent 360° view from the top of the hill, including a view of Mont Ventoux.
Impeccable signposting and GPS tracking.
Thanks to the author for this beautiful hike.
Christian
Drovers' roads & Paved slanting streets

Machine-translated

Nasta18
Nasta18

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Frequented, yes, for the first part and the track leading to point 3, but otherwise it's deserted.
Perfect signage and GPS tracking.
Simple and varied route, very pleasant.
Thanks to the author.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

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