Haut Folin - The peak of Morvan

A predominantly forest walk through the Bois du Roi, leading to the summit of Haut Folin, the peak of the Morvan and thus of Burgundy.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 321 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 322 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 900 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 705 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at Pré du Massé, on the D500 road between Glux-en-Glenne and Arleuf. Park in car park P3, at the end of the clearing when coming from Glux-en-Glenne (cross-country ski and hiking map).

Red arrows "Boucle du Bois du Roy"'
One-sided signposting, in the direction of the description. Red arrows are present at all junctions, but not elsewhere on the itinerary.
There are also markings of all kinds, but very discontinuously: GR®, PR®, mountain bike, cross-country ski, Pèlerin ... In the following description, these markings are mentioned only where necessary.

(S/E) From the car park, looking up at the road, follow it to the left. After just a few metres, leave the road and turn left (north-west) onto a forest track (signposted Orange). Climb gently into the fir forest.

(1) At the crossroads, take the Route Forestière de la Rosée (2nd path on the left; the dashed East-West forest track on the IGN map does not start at the crossroads, but just after). Go West-North-West on this wide track, which soon starts to descend and becomes stony, and ignore the departures on the sides.

(2) Before a bend to the left of the track, leave it and follow a grassy but well-marked path to the right (the vague path perpendicular to the track on the right leads to a dead-end).

(3) At the next junction, turn right onto a wide forest track. Heading generally north-east then north-north-west, climb then descend slightly, skirting forest plots nos. 86, 85 and 84, and ignoring all the logging lane departures on the sides. At the T-junction, follow another forest track to the left for just a few metres.

(4) A few metres after the previous junction, turn right at an acute angle onto a sunken path beneath a canopy of trees. Be vigilant, the Red arrow is discreet at this point; if you come across a signpost of a completely different format on the left-hand side of the track, turn back. Climb gently through the forest, ignoring the side trailheads and following the mountain bike markers. At a crossroads, continue straight on, leaving plot no. 75 on your left. Descend again and come to a T-junction.

(5) Turn left and go downhill on a wide track which makes a hairpin bend to the right. Cross the Rivière la Proie, turn left onto the track and climb back up. When a path comes from the right, continue straight on.

(6) At the fork which follows after a few metres, ignore the downhill path on the left and continue north-north-east towards Étang de Préperny (sign). Continue uphill, arc left and exit the forest (Haut Folin telecom tower visible on right). Continue on a gravel track, following along the Étang de Préperny on your left for some distance, ignoring a path coming from the right and reaching a crossroads.

(7) At the crossroads, the track veers to the left towards a car park: leave it and follow a path to the right that leads to the Haut Folin pylon. Go left along a peat bog and then a clump of broom. Enter the forest and, at the fork that immediately appears, turn left onto a small path under the fir trees.

(8) At the cross-country ski signs on the left, turn right (south-south-east) onto an uphill forest track. Cross a gravel track and immediately come to a T-junction. Turn right and climb steeply. At the top of the hill, look for a red and white GR®13 marker and continue on an uphill slope. At a fork, take the left-hand path (GR®, VTT and Pélerin markers). After a short stretch under the fir trees, reach the summit of Haut Folin (pylon on the right).

(9) Cross the small road and continue opposite (West-South-West) on the GR®°13, leaving the fence surrounding the pylon on your right. Descend a steep, stony path through the forest. At the T-junction, follow a wider path to the left. At the next crossroads, a few dozen metres further on, turn left onto the wide track (VTT marker) and continue downhill. At the end of the track, pass through a forest fence.

(10) At the T junction, let the GR® go left and turn right onto the small asphalt road (Orange beacon on the ground). After about 200m, at a 2-sided yellow sign, leave the road and take a path to the left. Cross the river La Proie again, and head upstream.

(11) At the next fork in the road, turn left onto a path that starts below a small road. Follow the orange markings as you head south, on an upward slope through a light fir stand. Turn left onto a small tarmac road (ignore the orange arrow indicating right). At the next crossroads (cote 783), turn right onto the road leading to Glux-en-Glenne (signposted). Curve down to the left and find the P3 car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 755 m - Pré du Massé - Car park P3
  2. 1 : km 0.47 - alt. 790 m - Carrefour - Rating 790
  3. 2 : km 1.48 - alt. 724 m - Bifurcation - Rating 726
  4. 3 : km 1.65 - alt. 713 m - Le Gros Chêne - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 3.03 - alt. 705 m - Bifurcation - Hill 706
  6. 5 : km 4.21 - alt. 752 m - T-crossing
  7. 6 : km 5.08 - alt. 734 m - Fork
  8. 7 : km 6.45 - alt. 806 m - Etang de Préperny - Carrefour
  9. 8 : km 6.94 - alt. 822 m - Departure of a forest laie
  10. 9 : km 7.81 - alt. 900 m - Haut Folin (le)
  11. 10 : km 9.02 - alt. 763 m - Route forestière de la Proie
  12. 11 : km 9.37 - alt. 744 m - Forks after the river La Proie
  13. S/E : km 10.82 - alt. 754 m - Pré du Massé - Car park P3

Notes

Hiking boots required. Potentially wet or muddy passages between (3) and (4) (forestry work dating from 2016) and between (11) and (S/E).

No water points on the route. Bar-restaurant in Glux-en-Glenne (closed on Wednesdays).

Variants :
- Departure from Etang de Préperny (car park P2). From the car park, head south and rejoin the itinerary at point (7).
- At the fork just before (9), the path on the right also leads to the summit (you'll miss an information sign).
- At the crossroads before (10), the grassy path heading due west joins the route on the Route Forestière de la Proie: continue straight ahead on the path leading to the river.

Walk made by the author on June 18, 2016.

Worth a visit

During the hike :
- Pleasant routes through the forest, notably from (S/E) to (1), from (2) to (3), from (4) to (6) and from (11) to (S/E).
- Le Haut Folin (9), the highest point in the Morvan, but unfortunately no view.
- L'Etang de Préperny (7).
- From place to place, information panels in the mountains, the forest, the peat bog, etc.

Nearby :
- A few kilometers to the south, Mont Beuvray and Oppidum de Bibracte (1st century BC), with its museum. European Centre for Archaeological Research at Glux-en-Glenne.
- Twenty kilometres to the south-east is Autun, a town with a remarkable heritage: Gallo-Roman remains, Saint-Ferréol church (11th century), Saint-Lazare cathedral (12th century), ...

 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

4.5 / 5
Based on 38 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
Utrillo
Utrillo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike without any major difficulties, a few clear-cuts but still a lovely refreshing break!

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michel tessier
michel tessier

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A walk in the heart of one of the most beautiful forests in France... one regret: no panoramic view from the Haut Folin... and a great sadness, the forest is sick, huge sanitary cuts are devastating it, no birds...

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souchon maryse
souchon maryse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hike made on 30/07/2024 very very hot day, beautiful hike but 3/4 in the sun especially the last hour. otherwise very good.

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Jojo la trace
Jojo la trace

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice walk, no problem

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Delphrando
Delphrando
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 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 and varied route. Lovely views before the summit and plenty to do by the water before tackling the final climbs.

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JM SIMOENS
JM SIMOENS

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The walk follows the Bois du Roy circuit, so you don't need a track.
I enjoyed the Préperny pond and its bench carved out of a tree trunk.
A walk in the undergrowth with a nice climb of around 6% to get to Haut Folin.
Rather pleasant but don't look for any viewpoints over the Morvan or the valley, there aren't any.

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Alice_et_Paulo
Alice_et_Paulo

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

A few moments of grace between two logging operations in use. We wanted to walk in the forest, but instead discovered the desolation of deforestation.

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Harquin
Harquin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hiking in the snow.
Like Alice and Paulo, too many areas ransacked, trees felled.

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valentin-c
valentin-c
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

Quite disappointed with the walk. Too much time spent in the woods and no viewpoints.

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bddp
bddp

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A walk almost entirely in woodland, very pleasant despite the cold, foggy weather (limited visibility at the belay station, but it was early in the morning). No particular difficulty, and the few climbs are very accessible.

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dominicmarchal
dominicmarchal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An ideal loop to get a good idea of the Morvan in summer.
A number of educational panels on the history of the Morvan and local nature.

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LucienBoin
LucienBoin

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Trail run. Wide forest paths with no particular difficulties. The gradient is a little steeper just before the finish at Haut-Folin, but otherwise the route is fairly easy and accessible to everyone.

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely hike in the snow. The temperature was negative but the sun was shining. The snow was hard, so we didn't need snowshoes. Magnificent scenery. Access to the start didn't require any special equipment, as the road was clear.
Very well signposted... don't hesitate in good weather.
PP and MM

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leacaillou
leacaillou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I did this walk in the middle of winter in the snow, but it's still possible to do it if you're well covered and have good shoes! Lovely route and very well signposted, thanks for sharing!

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Pogolyc
Pogolyc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

In snowy weather, the circuit is very good. 10kms, you should allow 4 hours, without forcing yourself. There are crowds at certain points, but otherwise peace and quiet are guaranteed.
On the day in question, the entire route was manageable on touring skis.

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