La Combe aux Mammouths

Combe d'Arvaux, known as Combe aux Mammouths, with its Cave aux Loups.

Details

24813
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 471 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 464 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 561 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 269 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: Fleurey-sur-Ouche (21410)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 47.31515° / E 4.859959°
  • Accessible from the train station Gare de Lantenay.
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3022ET
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Park on Route de Velars in the centre of the village of Fleurey-sur-Ouche.

(S/E) Take this road parallel to the Ouche (left bank) heading east.
Go past the foot of some beautiful cliffs on the left, past the water treatment plant and 150m further up a good track. Join the Paris/Dijon railway line.

(1) Go straight on (North-East), leaving out the dirt track on the left and 200m further on turn left onto a track heading North-West. Join a power line.

(2) Continue straight on, ignoring the left-hand track.
When you reach the D104, turn left towards Lantenay and pass in front of the château gate.

(3) Head towards Pasques.
Go around the wash-house and up the D104k to the edge of the village.
After the last house on the right, take the dirt track, then immediately the path on the right that leads up to Chapelle St Louis.
Beautiful views over Lantenay and the Ouche valley.

(4) Follow the path north through the ruins of the old fortified castle.
Further on (300m), turn left north-west, and again, after 300m, turn south-west to go down into the Combe.

(5) Cross the D104K to take a wide path rising north, then west through the forest, which leads to the plateau where the Combe d'Arvaux, bordered by cliffs, appears on the left; this is the Combe aux Mammouths.
A metal ladder takes you down to the foot of the rock and along the bottom of the combe for 500m, leaving out the left-hand path and turning right onto the violet path signposted by the Club Excursionniste Dijonnais.
A steep climb leads to the Cave aux Loups (cave consisting of a small room lined with concretions).

(6) After a short climb along the same purple path, reach the plateau and turn right. Continue along the Violet North path, following the edge of the cliff for about 300m, then turn left around the Bois des Croisées.
Leave the cliffs on a south-westerly path, which joins the blue path, signposted by the Camping Club de France.

(7) Then gradually head south-west. After passing under a power line, stay on the blue path, which turns left and leads to the Roche d'Ancey lookout.

(8) Leave the blue path and head south-east down a narrow path that passes the Tuère spring.

(9) Continue and soon find the Yellow OR path marked out by the Association Bourguignone Culturelle, heading slightly eastwards.
When you reach a large track, turn right and walk downhill for 20m, then turn left again along the OR path, heading east. Reach the edge of the wood in the Combe d'Arveau.

(10) Turn right and, after passing under the power line again, turn right onto the path that joins the D104c. Go 200 m towards Lantenay, then turn right onto the track that crosses the railway line.

(11) Go due south for 500 m, reaching a new crossroads in the Combe Pésard.

(12) Turn left onto the track leading to Fleurey-sur-Ouche. Join the D104 towards the cemetery. Go down into the village, turn left to pass the church and return to the starting point(S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 270 m - Car park Route de Velars - Ouche (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 2.69 - alt. 332 m - Railway line
  3. 2 : km 5.05 - alt. 344 m - Power line
  4. 3 : km 5.9 - alt. 363 m - Grids - Château de Lantenay
  5. 4 : km 6.58 - alt. 445 m - Chapelle Saint-Louis (Lantenay)
  6. 5 : km 7.57 - alt. 437 m - D104K
  7. 6 : km 9.53 - alt. 501 m - La Cave aux Loups (Lantenay)
  8. 7 : km 10.94 - alt. 536 m - Crossroads
  9. 8 : km 12.42 - alt. 540 m - Viewpoint of the Roche d'Ancey
  10. 9 : km 12.98 - alt. 454 m - Source de la Tuère
  11. 10 : km 14.09 - alt. 373 m - Edge of the wood in the Combe d'Arveau
  12. 11 : km 14.8 - alt. 352 m - Railway line. Close to the - Gare de Lantenay
  13. 12 : km 15.32 - alt. 363 m - Carrefour Combe Pésard
  14. S/E : km 17.33 - alt. 270 m - Parking Route de Velars. Close to the - Canal de Bourgogne

Notes

Make sure you have good walking shoes.

Worth a visit

The city of Dijon, its parks and monuments.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 16 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
joc
joc

Hello,
Thank you for your review. I am delighted that you had such a wonderful day on this hike.
Have a nice day
Joc

Machine-translated

JYPX
JYPX

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant circuit, with access from Fleurey allowing for a good warm-up before tackling the slopes of the combes. There are no markings on this circuit, but the description and map provide guidance, and the paths are well marked. The purple markings advertised are virtually non-existent (a few old traces of paint here and there, but not at intersections). Between points 7 and 9: after passing under the power line, follow the yellow markings to reach point 8, but you can also go straight ahead to reach the same point. Then follow the new "Mâlain - facile" sign to reach point 9, and don't forget to visit the viewpoint, which is well worth the detour.

Machine-translated

joc
joc

Hello,
Thank you for your review and I'm glad to have guided you on this itinerary: you were satisfied and enjoyed it. That's great.
Have a great day and enjoy your other hikes.

Machine-translated

Arnaud Gauvin
Arnaud Gauvin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, uncrowded route offering a wide variety of landscapes (fields, forests, cliffs, villages) with many points of interest, the most impressive being the passage between the rock pillars of the Combe d'Arveaux, known as the Combe aux Mammouths. There are two or three climbs that are a bit challenging but spaced out enough to allow for a peaceful recovery. About 10 km from the start, there is a 1.5 km section on a hunting trail that is not the most pleasant, but that is just my personal opinion... beware of ticks in this area! About two-thirds of the hike is not shaded, so remember to bring something to cover up!
A very nice discovery despite everything, I highly recommend it!
Thanks to the author for this lovely route.

Machine-translated

ptk21
ptk21

Thank you

Machine-translated

joc
joc

Hello,
If you enlarge the route of the circuit on the visorando website, you will see the path that leads precisely to point 7.
This is a point not to be missed.
It's true that the best thing to do is to download the route onto a GPS so that you can be guided.
Have a nice day.

Machine-translated

ptk21
ptk21

Good evening
During our hike, we didn't find point 7 and that's what we're looking for !!!

Machine-translated

joc
joc

Hello,
The lookout is actually at point 7, so if you've been here, you're in luck!
For more details, look on google earth, the viewpoint is very well signposted.
Thank you very much
Have a nice day
Joc

Machine-translated

ptk21
ptk21

Very nice walk, but from point 6 onwards, there's no way of finding the lookout point at the Roche d'Ancey.
Could you please show me the way and give me some pointers?
Thank you very much

Machine-translated

joc
joc

I'm delighted you enjoyed the walk.
Thank you and have a nice day

Machine-translated

Vero21000
Vero21000

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting and unusual route
with this ladder to descend unfortunately at this period the paths are invaded by vegetation

Machine-translated

jcehenne
jcehenne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent scenery.
A small rocky section after the "cave aux loups" was tricky to negotiate in the pouring rain.

Machine-translated

joc
joc

I'm delighted you enjoyed the walk.
Thank you and have a nice day

Machine-translated

Philippe COULOT
Philippe COULOT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great walk.
Some nice climbs.

Machine-translated

jyb25410
jyb25410

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A varied and very pleasant walk...
A great discovery
Thank you

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.