The Brou departmental forest

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This is a large loop offering several views of the Lyon area and, on a clear day, even Mont Blanc and the Alps. You will also discover the Beaujolais des Pierres Dorées (Oingt, Le Bois d'Oingt, Moirée, etc.) and part of the Tarare Mountains. No major difficulties to expect, the route passes along forest tracks, trails and a small section of tarmac (D629, very little traffic).

Details

n°333452
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.01 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 361 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 361 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 745 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 421 m
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Photos

ALL THAT GREEN
The new orientation table
View from the old orientation table
Towards La Roche Palais

Description of the walk

Between Saint-Vérand and Saint-Clément-sur-Valsonne, take the D313 then the D106 and park in the car park next to the Ruisseau de Brou.

(S/E) Take the forest track climbing up to the right of the stream. Join theGR®76at the Grande Tournée crossroads.

(1) Turn left onto thisGR® towards Les Roches Blanches, and you will come to another crossroads.

(2) Continue left (altitude 580 m) to leave theGR® and continue on Les Roches Blanches (signpost), until you reach it.

(3) Cross an area where the vegetation is lush, depending on the season (watch out for your calves). You will reach a small shelter, a stone hunters' hut.

(4) Climb the forest track towards the Cabane Guérin, at the junction with the D629.

(5) Continue along the path opposite to reach the highest point of the walk (745 m), with a magnificent view and an orientation table.

(6) Begin the descent and quickly join theGRP® Tour des Pierres Dorées. Turn right and descend to the Croix de Brou (tarmac section on the D629 - very little traffic, not cleared of snow in winter).

(7) Take the forest track alongside the motocross track. ( Be careful, there are several tracks at this point. Head for the shaded picnic table.

(8) Continue down the forest track and cross the main track.

(9) Cross it and continue down the track opposite (ignore the main track). You will easily reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 421 m - Parking: along the Brou stream
  2. 1 : km 1.25 - alt. 528 m - The Grande Tournée
  3. 2 : km 1.61 - alt. 580 m - Direction sign - elevation 580m
  4. 3 : km 2.49 - alt. 641 m - Be careful of the lush vegetation
  5. 4 : km 3.18 - alt. 694 m - Shelter - Hunters' hut at 690 metres
  6. 5 : km 3.73 - alt. 721 m - The Guerin Hut
  7. 6 : km 4.06 - alt. 745 m - The "Roche St Martin" orientation table
  8. 7 : km 6.06 - alt. 613 m - Croix de Brou, viewpoint
  9. 8 : km 7.87 - alt. 583 m - Picnic table
  10. 9 : km 8.59 - alt. 491 m - Main trail junction
  11. S/E : km 9.01 - alt. 421 m - Arrival - Picnic tables

Notes

There are no specific markings for this hike. I therefore strongly advise you to take a printout of the map and an IGN map with the route marked in advance.

Most of the elevation gain is in the first part of the walk, up to the highest point, the orientation table at Roche Saint Martin, at 745 metres, followed by a gentle descent through the woods.

Although the route is not very technical, some sections require good footwear.

Worth a visit

There is no shortage of places to visit in the Beaujolais des Pierres Dorées region, but the highlight is the small village of Oingt, listed as one of the prettiest villages in France.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

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

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Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 34 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
bg05
bg05

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike about ten years ago, and nothing has changed. The route is shaded and pleasant. Just a heads up: the road to the car park is narrow, so it can be difficult for two vehicles to pass each other.

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pauline43
pauline43

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk in the forest with a few scenic viewpoints. Thank you for suggesting this.
We did it at the end of the day, so there weren't many people around.

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mimiche1954
mimiche1954

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks to the author for this beautiful hike
We did it in very hot weather, but the paths are well shaded

There is a small error in the description of the starting point: you need to take the forest track to the left of the stream, not to the right as indicated in the description.

Stay alert because there are many intersecting trails, especially about 500 m after the orientation table. The path to take is a small trail on the right that is not easily visible, and it is easy to follow a path that is not marked on the IGN map. We realised this because my phone rang.

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nattes
nattes

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route that requires a bit of attention...or a GPS track...in my opinion, it's better to do it in reverse

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Hearly
Hearly

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 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 on a Sunday morning.
Nothing but forest and beautiful views. We used a GPS.
This was necessary as there are many paths that cross each other.
Be careful, the access road to the car park is narrow (it's impossible to pass other vehicles)

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nattes
nattes

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

A beautiful route through lush countryside; a real success.
One downside: considerable uncertainty at the start. To prevent hikers from taking the route backwards, which is what we did, it would be sufficient to say that from the car park, you need to climb up following the GR trail, which you leave further on.
That said, luckily we had the route marked, otherwise I think we would have had more questions.
A magnificent trail, with hardly any tarmac, but a little rough for children, in my opinion.

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Geraldiine
Geraldiine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route and very well described. We just got lost at the end where you have to turn off towards the last climb because the explanation was a little unclear
Lovely views and a magnificent castle to see. The old railway track is very pleasant and even in hot weather the alternating shaded areas make the walk quite doable.
Easy even with children.

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bernardbertignat
bernardbertignat

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hike done on a very hot day, very suitable as it is mostly in the forest. Beautiful view from the top.
Pleasant, easy hike
BF visorandonneur

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catherine BERNICHON
catherine BERNICHON

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, accurate description and easy to follow
The starting point could be better indicated, but the map and details are perfect
The loop is well designed in terms of difficulty (not very difficult)
We did the walk in early March in beautiful weather but with a north wind, so it wasn't warm and there weren't many walkers. We'll do it again in spring when this walk under the pine and deciduous trees must be even more magnificent, plus the views of the Monts du Lyonnais and Beaujolais

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SAULNIER Christian
SAULNIER Christian

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant autumn hike.
Point 3, "Les Roches Blanches", was not found (you had to take an unmarked grassy path!).
I've never seen a GRP marked with just a yellow line – a GRP has a yellow line with a red line underneath! – so I continued straight ahead and joined the road further on
At point 7, it should have been indicated that the path to take is to the left of the GR!

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tirounette
tirounette

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The description of the hike is completely inaccurate! Luckily we had GPS to guide us! We enjoyed the cool shade of the woods on this very sunny and hot Sunday, 26 July. It was a beautiful day!

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gerardf69
gerardf69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is the perfect route for sunny days, as it runs through the forest. It is definitely a good idea to have a GPS, as there are many paths in this forest.

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Marieetgérard
Marieetgérard

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The recommendation to bring an IGN map is to be taken seriously, as without one the route can be difficult to follow.
Otherwise, it's a very beautiful walk under the pine trees, especially in warm weather.

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paschemViso
paschemViso

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very pleasant hike.
As for navigation, without the Visorando app, I think we would have got a bit lost. At point 7 in particular, there are two forest tracks running alongside the motocross track; it's the one on the right that goes downhill.
But with the app and the IGN map, it's perfect.
Thank you for your work

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Laura76
Laura76

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

great place. Very nice hikes and a real change of scenery
we adapted our hike using the map, which is very accurate, although we did take a detour at the end without meaning to.
i would recommend it

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