The Himalayan footbridge over the Lignon Gorges

A Cluniac site thanks to its priory and church, Grazac has been famous for some time as one of the two access points to the largest Himalayan footbridge in France. This route will take you there via a short walk through this wooded valley.

Details

21663435
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.09 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 332 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 333 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 793 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 603 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Grazac Town Hall - Place du 19 mars 1962.

(S/E) Leave the Place de la Mairie by turning right onto Rue de La Fayette. Pass in front of the church-castle-priory and then turn left onto Rue de Verchères. Note the ruins of the Château de Verchères on your right. Continue for about 100 metres.

(1) Turn left onto Chemin des Graillères, which descends and then climbs again, ending on Route de Carry.

(2) Note the carved calvary on the right. Continue along this road, where the left-hand shoulder is wide and soft.

(3) In front of Les Sagnes (see note), turn left and then, at the fork, take the right-hand path (signposted "Passerelle"). Follow the path as it bends to the left.

(4) Turn right (signposted "Passerelle"). At the fork, note the carved cross off the route (photo) and begin the descent towards the footbridge. After crossing the footbridge, take the hairpin bend to the right to reach the viewpoint.

(5) Admire the magnificent landscape and turn back to cross the footbridge again. Take the same path as on the way there until you reach the T-junction.

(4) Turn right. From here, the paths are wilder as they are off the usual route to the footbridge. A little further up, ignore the path on the right leading to the ruins of Carry Castle and continue right on a gently sloping path that ends at the entrance to Villedemont.

(6) Keep left on Chemin des Blaches. Turn left onto Rue de Bellevue, then right onto Rue de la Béate. Follow it until it meets Rue de la Chapelette, departmental road D43.

(7) Cross carefully and follow the footpath on the left. At the car park on the left, follow the cycle path on the right (32 km cycle route linking the Loire and Rhône rivers). On entering Grazac, follow Rue La Fayette on the left and at the crossroads, return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 791 m - Grazac Town Hall
  2. 1 : km 0.67 - alt. 782 m - Chemin des Graillères
  3. 2 : km 1.63 - alt. 778 m - Carry Road
  4. 3 : km 2.36 - alt. 760 m - The peatlands
  5. 4 : km 2.98 - alt. 754 m - Chemin de la Passerelle du - Lignon du Velay (rivière)
  6. 5 : km 4.25 - alt. 703 m - Viewpoint on the - Passerelle himalayenne des Gorges du Lignon
  7. 6 : km 7.1 - alt. 768 m - Villedemont
  8. 7 : km 8.01 - alt. 791 m - Departmental road 43
  9. S/E : km 9.09 - alt. 791 m - Grazac Town Hall

Notes

This is a shorter variant of No. 21253086 (21 km) with a modification following complaints from local residents: crossing the peatlands is no longer permitted; follow the signs for "Passerelle" on the way there and "Parking" on the way back.

The elevation gain is incorrect as it does not take into account the footbridge. As this is suspended at a height of 70 m, 140 m of elevation gain must be deducted in both directions.

Worth a visit

The Himalayan footbridge: 268.5 m long and 78 m high above the Lignon (63 m at the lowest point of the footbridge and up to the rocks below), it is currently the longest in France. It offers a panoramic view of the gorges.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 34 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 21719635
• Edited:

Hello,

I am unable to find the distance of the hike starting from the car park at the entrance to the hamlet of Les Sagnes rather than from GRAZAC. Please could you also tell me the duration of the round trip.

Kind regards.

Pierre JOUMARD

Note: I need to organise a hike for a group on Thursday 2 October.

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User 27330128

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We found the description insufficient from point 6 onwards and got a bit lost from that point on. It's a shame, as the rest was perfect!

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Hello, as a long-time moderator on the Visorando website, I have seen thousands of hikes posted, 40,000 in just a few days, and of course many of the hikes described are located in places that many of our readers want to visit. As a general rule, our authors emphasise the beauty of the locations and landscapes, which naturally makes these places particularly attractive.
We are all aware on the site that we are contributing to overcrowding, a topic currently being discussed on the site's forum.
There are obviously places where hundreds of people flock every day, but I think we have very little influence compared to other media, especially social media, which promote these places and, in particular, the photos that attract many tourists and hikers alike. Let's not forget the importance of TV series and documentaries either.
Now, with regard to this footbridge and the municipality's fight against the resulting overtourism, as highlighted by jojo2631, let's ask ourselves two questions: who was behind this project and who advertised it? This also applies to all sites and is used to great effect by tourist offices.
Just take a few seconds to type "Passerelle du Lignon" into Google and you'll see how many hits you get for this site.
Finally, although I sometimes regret the thousands of people who invade the tourist sites in our beautiful regions, I have noticed a marked improvement in the behaviour of our hikers in recent times.
And let's not forget the old saying (now out of fashion) that:
one day on the trail is eight days of good health.
Happy hiking, everyone.

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virgule
virgule
• Edited:

Hello,

the atmosphere should be international, as the circuit is translated into German and English.

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jojo2631
jojo2631

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

The site is very popular and has become a victim of its own success! The local council is fighting against overtourism with strictly marked access routes to channel tourists, signs prohibiting parking outside designated car parks, and threats of fines for offenders
The footbridge is of no use to local residents and has very limited tourist appeal, offering nothing more than a pleasant walk with a beautiful view and a slight thrill during the crossing!
Disappointing!

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jmb4269
jmb4269

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route was nice and the footbridge was great.
The route was mostly shaded, which was perfect for the hot weather on the day of the hike.

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Saint Michel
Saint Michel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A short hike, but the footbridge is spectacular.
The landscape is beautiful and the height of the footbridge allows you to really appreciate it.
Easy to do with the family but not recommended for those who are afraid of heights.

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Manigan
Manigan
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,

We really dislike overtourism. What was the point of building this footbridge in this location? It's a waste of public money, it doesn't help local businesses, and people are incredibly undisciplined.

We won't be going back.

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virgule
virgule
virgule
virgule

I completely agree with you. Mass tourism has reached natural areas.

My thoughts go out to those who have lived there for generations and to those who moved there for peace and quiet.

Here's my tip for avoiding places like this: I type in the name of the place and "overtourism". If it comes up, I give it a miss.

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ROB38
ROB38

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

This route should be updated because hikers are prohibited from walking on the streets of Grazac under penalty of a fine by the Gendarmerie. You must stay on the designated footpath; there are numerous signs reminding you of this prohibition. On the way back from the Visorando route, we did not see these signs... but the prohibition still applies.
We were approached by residents of Grazac, a quiet little village, who are overwhelmed by the large number of walkers heading for the Himalayan footbridge, badly parked cars, incivility, the construction of car parks and footpaths that spoil the landscape, etc.
After completing this tour, I wonder what the point is of sending so many people to this beautiful area and what the point is of building a Himalayan footbridge

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Saint Michel
Saint Michel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Super interesting!

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Yogonza
Yogonza

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

The highlight of this hike is the footbridge; otherwise, there isn't much else to see.
I would recommend doing this hike outside of the summer season, as it is likely to be very busy otherwise. Even at the end of April, there are already quite a few people..

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nicolas0711
nicolas0711
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very easy hike (the only difficulty is the footbridge for those who are afraid of heights). I didn't even notice the 9 km passing by.
i'd do it again for the scenery. We did it early in the morning and didn't see anyone else, which was very pleasant

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Zorr
Zorr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful route, easy and well frequented. Beautiful location and beautiful footbridge.

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