The Circuit around Py Froid

A very nice circuit around the Monts du Lyonnais to explore the climbing area at Py Froid.

Details

29925
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.74 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 314 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 310 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 785 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 514 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the centre of Yzeron (S).

Take the path down to the left of the post office. Arrive at the road, at the second hairpin bend (1) turn left onto the path that serves the Cascade. Continue on this path and at the first junction turn right to ford the stream (2) then head onto a road.

The turn left, at the first intersection take the road to the right, cross the hamlet if Giraud (3) and continue on the path ahead.
Flat at first, the incline increases along a dolmen before reaching the village of Châteauvieux (4).

Take the road up to the (signposted) village of Fontrobert (5). Take the wide path westwards, reaching the edge of the D25 road (6).

Turn right on the wide path that goes through the forest to reach the Py Froid viewpoint (7).

Continue left by the trail with Yellow markings (PR) to the hamlet of Le Planil (8) and then follow the many signs for Yzeron.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 711 m - Car park in the centre of Yzeron
  2. 1 : km 0.37 - alt. 655 m - Second shoelace
  3. 2 : km 2.4 - alt. 518 m - Ford on the - Yzeron (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 3.23 - alt. 529 m - Giraud
  5. 4 : km 5.04 - alt. 583 m - Dolmen (Saint-Laurent-de-Vaux)
  6. 5 : km 6.08 - alt. 677 m - Chateauvieux - Chapelle Saint-Jean-Baptiste (Châteauvieux)
  7. 6 : km 7.19 - alt. 727 m - Fontrobert
  8. 7 : km 8.83 - alt. 702 m - D25 crossroads
  9. 8 : km 10.18 - alt. 771 m - Belvedere - Crêt du Py Froid (772m)
  10. 9 : km 11.73 - alt. 729 m - Le Planil
  11. S/E : km 12.74 - alt. 711 m - Car park in the centre of Yzeron

Notes

No water refill point on this route.
The Py Froid is preceded by a vast meadow popular with picnickers, especially on Sundays.

Worth a visit

The Monts du Lyonnais, here in West Lyon are a beautiful undulation of valleys and peaks.
These market towns (Saint Martin en Haut, Yzeron etc.) are worth a visit.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 84 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
maurice.ogier
maurice.ogier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very good hike

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igouana
igouana

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, easy hike at the start of autumn. A wonderful experience with beautiful scenery. Very little tarmac
Completed in 3 hours, not including breaks

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verthipaul
verthipaul
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk, quite busy in the first part (before Le Giraud). Beautiful views at Châteauvieux, Fontrobert and the Py Froid viewpoint. It is best to park in the hikers' car park (75 spaces) and walk to the village centre via the Montée des Jardins, the street next to the car park. Thanks to the author.

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User 25859585
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

An interesting and pleasant nature trail of moderate difficulty, fairly popular with hikers, with several points of interest, both natural (waterfalls, panoramic views) and cultural (chapel, dolmen). Partly on trails, partly in wooded terrain.
Clear and easy-to-follow directions.
Recommended!

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Migandal
Migandal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A top-notch itinerary, but best done in the warmer months as a lot is overcast...

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CaroDuetti
CaroDuetti

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent tour on a Sunday after torrential rain the day before. The route takes in both open areas with fine views and woodland on pretty paths. There were no particular difficulties, and a few interesting things along the way: a small bridge over a waterfall, a dolmen, rocks, wild animals, etc. The view from Py Froid is lovely, but the view from Fontrobert is even more so! There weren't many people there that day.

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gefa65
gefa65

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk with lovely views! Take a good look at the GPS or the map with the track!

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Cripure
Cripure

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fine circuit with a bit of elevation gain to get you back into shape.

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Azur42
Azur42

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk with no difficulties; to be done in fine weather to take full advantage of the magnificent panoramas of the Alps. We generally use GPX files on a laptop to follow the route, which allows more time for contemplation ....
A lovely walk that we recommend!

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Bmorange
Bmorange

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Super walk, starting with a fairly steep descent, then a flat section, before climbing for a good while and finishing with a downhill section.

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randcarole
randcarole

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk on pleasant paths, with fine views and beautiful autumn colours. At Le Giraud we made the mistake of foolishly following the first yellow signposting we saw, and the path took us straight up to Châteauvieux, thus bypassing point 4. This has already been pointed out in a previous comment, perhaps attention should be drawn to this point in the description? Otherwise, the route is very well signposted.

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grosse dondon
grosse dondon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

It was a Sunday, so it was busy. Nice walk

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antonioo
antonioo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

very nice hike with beautiful viewpoints over the city of Lyon, the one at crêt du py froid is magnificent too.
The map is very accurate, we never got lost and it's great to be out in the fresh air in the woods 👌

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Toumpy
Toumpy

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant walk with lots of shady sections

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ASEB Marche-Loisirs
ASEB Marche-Loisirs

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No


Good evening,
Very nice walk, not many people
We made a mistake once, but soon got back on the right route.
Definitely worth doing

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