La Garine

de fr

A lovely walk starting from the Col de Malval, offering views of both sides of the Monts du Lyonnais, the Brévenne side and the Lyonnais basin, with the added bonus of views of the Matin mountains to the west and the Alps to the east when the weather is clear. Physically demanding climb between km 3 and 6.

Details

n°3835367
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.81 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 258 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 249 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 837 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 606 m
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Photos

La Garine
La Garine
La Garine

Description of the walk

Park in the Col de Malval car park.

(S/E) Take a well-trodden path heading north-west downhill. When you reach a hairpin bend, stay on the left-hand path and follow it to the D50 road.

(1) Turn right and follow the road for about 100 metres, then cross it and take the slightly uphill path heading west. Follow this path and, after a fairly steep and stony descent, you will reach a crossroads at the Lafont orientation table. Take the opportunity to enjoy the view from this table.

(2) Turn left, quickly enter the woods and begin a long climb to reach a flat area at the crossroads of a wide path.

(3) Continue through the forest, keeping to the left, and leave the forest to arrive at the Chapelle Saint-Clair crossroads.

(4) Take theGRP® Tour des Monts du Lyonnais trail on the left, marked in red and yellow. Continue, cross the D113 road to reach the crossroads with another path.

(5) Leave theGRP® and take the path opposite, entering the woods again. Go around the small summit of Le Châtelard to rejoin the D113.

(6) Cross it and turn right onto a wide path in the forest. Leave it at the next crossroads and take the path on the right that winds through the woods. First on a balcony, then on a slight descent, you will reach the GRP® crossroads.

(7) Turn left onto theGRP® to quickly reach the Col de Malval car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 732 m - Parking - Col de Malval (732m)
  2. 1 : km 1.13 - alt. 677 m - D50 crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.77 - alt. 606 m - Table d'orientation de Lafont
  4. 3 : km 4.69 - alt. 751 m - Flat crossroads
  5. 4 : km 6.04 - alt. 832 m - Chapelle Saint Clair
  6. 5 : km 6.96 - alt. 827 m - GRP-sentier crossroads
  7. 6 : km 8.35 - alt. 816 m - Crossroads D113
  8. 7 : km 9.4 - alt. 794 m - GRP crossroads
  9. S/E : km 9.81 - alt. 732 m - Parking - Col de Malval (732m)

Notes

(S/E) Parking is available near the castle of Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid, which adds about 2 km of relatively flat terrain.
No water source. Walking shoes recommended, as the terrain is very rocky in places.

Worth a visit

(4) Saint-Clair Chapel: beautifully restored by the locals.
Good restaurant in Saint-Bonnet-le-Froid with snacks available.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 18 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
BALADEZ
BALADEZ
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I agree with all the reviews posted about this hike. We did it on a very hot day and coped well with the heat because there was shade everywhere. The only exception was near the Saint-Clair chapel, but that didn't last long. Beautiful route, varied terrain, family-friendly hike, beautiful views, and apart from crossing the road, no sections on tarmac. I highly recommend it. A very peaceful hike.

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Fordi01
Fordi01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 07, 2025
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 views.
A few rocky sections but lovely paths on the second part.

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RANDOCATHY
RANDOCATHY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with my dog during the hot weather. We stayed cool thanks to the dense undergrowth. Very pleasant.

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Didier Brut
Didier Brut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, very shaded with beautiful scenery. We followed the GPS track, so there were no issues with the route.

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levvin59
levvin59

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

very beautiful views over much of the route
muddy sections in spring, especially as there are numerous timber harvesting operations underway
it may be preferable to go at the weekend to avoid noise and machinery

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Thomas-
Thomas-

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with beautiful views, shaded by trees for most of the route. No sections on roads (except at crossings), and very few people when we were there (a sunny Sunday in early October, midday)

I recommend it

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Kanougole
Kanougole

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike in the woods, a bit rough at the start, beautiful view from the lookout point

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Hearly
Hearly
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 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 through the woods for a warm outing.
Please note that there is no shade at La Chapelle de Saint Clair.
It's better to have a picnic in the woods further on.
There are a few stones on the paths, but with good shoes
it's perfectly doable

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Stanlaie
Stanlaie
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely family hike in autumn. Be sure to follow the trail on the app towards the end... there are lots of different paths.

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dixmillebrun
dixmillebrun

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

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jean-yves morvan
jean-yves morvan

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I followed the description starting from the Malval Pass, and it seems to me that by going in the opposite direction to the suggested route
the elevation gain is less noticeable and the descent takes longer... (especially if the group is not homogeneous)

otherwise, it's a superb hike, mostly through forest, with a magnificent view from the Lafont orientation table.

Thanks to Visiorando. Walk on 11 March 2022

JY Morvan

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Plvx
Plvx

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for this quiet and very pleasant route with the return of the warm weather! Lots of shade but also beautiful unobstructed views.

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Kathounette66
Kathounette66

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Difficulties at the start and end of the route in finding the way.
Beautiful climbs and descents, unfortunately on rocky terrain, which increases the difficulty somewhat, placing this hike in the moderate rather than easy category.
Otherwise, beautiful views of the Monts du Lyonnais

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Gulliedubourg
Gulliedubourg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk with scenic views and shaded areas.

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baboutravel
baboutravel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We really enjoyed this walk: no tarmac, pretty paths, varied landscapes (undergrowth, ridges, etc.) and beautiful panoramic views. A bit of cardio but not too much
Be careful on the last section going down to Maleval: without the GPS track, we would have missed the "fork" at point 7 towards Maleval, which has no signs on site.
we counted 11/12 km rather than 9.8, but I know that our pedometers all have their own opinions...
thank you for this beautiful route, we'll be back!

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