The Col de Finiels

de fr

The Col de Finiels is the road crossing over Mont Lozère, between its two peaks, Finiels and Pic Cassini. This means that, once out of the woods, on the moors and peaks, the views are extraordinary, sometimes to the south over the Cévennes, to the north over the chain of volcanoes, and to the east, further away, when the weather is clear, over the Alps.

Details

n°461652
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Snowshoeing
    Activity: Snowshoeing
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.27 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 4 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 129 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 129 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,672 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,543 m
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Photos

Snow-covered landscape.
Col de Finiels

Description of the walk

Park your vehicles in the pass car park,

(S) Take theGR®7trail heading east-northeast for about 200 metres.

(1) At the first crossroads, turn right and follow the red and whiteGR®7trail, an old Roman road and Languedoc drovers' road. Follow this path through the pine woods for 3 km.

(2) At a viewpoint to the south-west, leave the path and turn left into the clearing in the small pine forest that climbs eastwards.
At the edge of the woods, head for the rocky summit, zigzagging up the slope to reach the highest point (altitude 1674m), going around the rocks to the north.

(3) Descend by following the ridge northwards. Turn slightly left to join the path that passes at the foot of the summit, not far from the 1,645m mark.

(4) When you reach a place called La Croix de Fer, take a 50-metre detour to the right towards the east, following a fence to see the cross. Return to the path and continue to the right until you reach the next crossroads.

(5) Turn left to return to the initial crossroads.

(1) Continue straight ahead to return to the pass car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,543 m - Car park at > - Col de Finiels (1541m)
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 1,545 m - GR7
  3. 2 : km 2.44 - alt. 1,561 m - Viewpoint
  4. 3 : km 3.6 - alt. 1,672 m - Summit 1674m
  5. 4 : km 4.98 - alt. 1,605 m - Iron Cross
  6. 5 : km 6.66 - alt. 1,560 m - Crossroads
  7. S/E : km 7.27 - alt. 1,543 m - Car park at Col de Finiels.

Notes

Shelters at Col de Finiels.
Unchecked source on the left side of the Roman road (long: 378450 lat: 44.41666).
Snowshoes on snow-covered ground.
Walking shoes.

Worth a visit

Viewpoints (2) and (4).
Iron Cross to the right of (4).

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

3.9 / 5
Based on 12 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
User 24861617
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful, easy hike. We came across a transhumance on the Stevenson trail, which was magical. However, the return trip after the Finiels Pass is quite long and monotonous.
Be sure to wrap up warm: it can get quite windy.

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Gregory Wolff
Gregory Wolff

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It is best to plan this hike on paper, and you can use your phone to help you by downloading the visorando.com app. The network coverage is good throughout the route. It is true that points 3 and 4 are not very precise, but by planning your route and reading the reviews, you will get there.

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gpicot
gpicot

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

Magnificent landscapes, best enjoyed on a clear day to take in the panoramic views. A slightly longer alternative is to push across the plateau to the point with an altitude of 1643, then join the track to the north-east via the sources of the Tarn.

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phil34
phil34

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

We did the hike
The hike follows a wide trail to point 2, where you have to go through the gate and around the beehives.
After that, you follow the markers of a snowshoe trail for a while, then the paths become much less clear. The main thing is to head towards the highest point of the summit.
The return from 3 to 4 is just as unclear, with random tracks, and from 4 to 5 on an old trail that plays hide-and-seek with the trees.
A pleasant hike where you have to use your sense of direction.
A GPS is essential.

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cotin
cotin

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

Taking into account the previous reviews, we walked from the car park to point 2 and back, then took the path from point 1 to point 4 and back.
These two routes allowed us to discover very different and superb landscapes.

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Touraine
Touraine

Overall rating : 2.3 / 5

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

In point 2 of the description, you have to "zigzag" between rocks to reach the summit? It's not easy and it's difficult to know if you're at the right point. Fortunately, the view is breathtaking.
Finding the way back down is not easy either.
At point 4, after the iron cross, "continue right until the next crossroads", the path disappears into the woods and is overgrown with vegetation. It is somewhat difficult to return to the crossroads that will take you back to the initial crossroads.

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griberol
griberol

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

We did it backwards, following the advice of the owners of Maison Victoire in Finiels (a guest house on the Stevenson Trail). We started on the discovery trail, which leads to Mont Lozère via the ridge trail (with breathtaking views), then descended via the Stevenson Trail towards Pont de Montvert. After crossing the woods, we had a magnificent view of the village of Finiels.

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Gonidec
Gonidec

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Too many fences to cross, some of them electrified... We had to improvise with a compass, cutting through the forest.

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edwige-jacky
edwige-jacky

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, without difficulty.
Very beautiful view at the summit.

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Bizac30
Bizac30

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Excellent route with splendid views

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rahierchristian
rahierchristian

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Up to point 2 ras
When you leave the GR, after opening and closing the gate, climb up through the gap, passing by the beehives (the bees are not aggressive), and follow the markings for snowshoe routes until you reach the edge of the woods.

THEN THERE ARE NO MORE MARKINGS, YOU HAVE TO CLIMB TO THE SUMMIT (point 3) BY WALKING THROUGH THE BLUEBERRIES
Between points 3 and 4, there is very little visible trail or markings.
Beautiful view from the summit.

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kris.teyran
kris.teyran

This route is recommended for snowshoeing. In winter, the bees are hibernating...

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lil_runt
lil_runt

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

We did the hike, which was very good up to point 2, but from that point onwards, you can't turn left because there are lots of beehives and the path is closed. We tried to go further, but again, it was impossible to turn left. What a shame. Fortunately, there is another hiking trail starting from the car park.

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