The Pilat circular: Chapelle Saint-Sabin, Trois Dents and Route des Crêtes

The Mont Pilat massif is very popular and criss-crossed by numerous trails. This circular loop combines several of them to pass by the site of the Chapelle St Sabin, then climb up to cross the Trois Dents on a fun route, before reaching the ridge and following it through the various crests stretching from the Œillon to the Perdrix. The return journey is via a descent that favours paths through the woods.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 19.04 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 709 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 701 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,431 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,049 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The starting point is at the Croix de Saint-Sabin, on a small road that can be reached:
- from the Giers valley, going up from St Paul-en-Jarez via the CD 62 towards Pélussin, then the CD 63 to the Col de l'Œillon. Descend the southern slope for a few hundred metres and turn left onto the small road to St-Sabin at the hamlet of Chaumienne
- from the Rhône valley (Vienne or Roussillon) via St-Pierre-de-Bœuf, Maclas and Véranne.
Park in the car park at the entrance to the forest.

(S/E) From the car park, leave the Route de St-Sabin and take the forest road that heads south, following a contour line. It climbs slightly to a crossroads (altitude 1075) where you must turn sharply left to climb northwards up the ridge bearing the Chapelle St-Sabin, which you reach after a flat section.

(1) Descend via a north-west facing path until you leave the forest. Leave the return route to the car park on your left and head towards the hamlet of St Sabin opposite. Turn left and follow the tarmac road for 150 m until you reach the Croix de St-Sabin.

(2) Climb up the path on the right, heading north towards the Col du Gratteau. Halfway up the slope (at around 1140 m), turn right onto a track that descends quite steeply to a wide, flat forest track. Follow this track northwards. It curves to the right to join a forest road that also climbs up to the Col du Gratteau.

(3) Take this gravel road to the left for 100m, then immediately turn right onto another forest track climbing eastwards. Several paths climb up from the right. At the junction of one of them, a clear path continues to the left up the slope (this path is actually 200 m after the sign inviting you to climb to the left towards the Trois Dents).

Climb this path straight up the slope. It emerges from the forest into the broom below the Pic du Midi and joins the path running along the south face of the Trois Dents. Go around the base of the rock on the right to climb to the summit via a steep path on the east side.

(4) From the summit, follow the rocky but easy ridge of the Trois Dents, or descend a few metres to join the path on the south face. Keep heading west to climb a ridge and follow the crest that leads to the road near the Col de l'Œillon.

(5) Cross the CD 43 to take the straight path opposite, which climbs straight up to the Crêt de l'Œillon along the municipal boundary. On leaving the forest ("scree"), turn right to go around the foot of the platform and climb up to it after joining the path coming from the north-east.

(6) From the orientation table, go around the TV relay and descend westwards towards the car park, cutting across it to take the "route des crêtes" opposite. When it flattens out after a 250 m climb, turn left to join the last bend in the road leading to Crêt de Botte (military installations).

(7) Continue west to the Col de Botte and turn left towards the Crêt du Rachat (antenna).

(8) Descend to the next pass and turn left again towards Crêt d'Étançon.

(9) Continue to Col d'Étançon.

(10) Take the path opposite heading south-west into the forest. Follow the markings for 100 m along a path that descends southwards: leave it on the right, heading east, to reach Chalet Bourgisan.

(11) From the clearing by the chalet, head south and take a ridge path that passes Crêt de l'Arnica (the highest point on the ridge) and continues to Crêt de la Chèvre (cross).

(12) Retrace your steps to descend left onto a path that enters the forest, then veers right and leads to a grassy pass and a crossroads at the foot of Crêt de la Perdrix. Turn left to climb straight up to this clearly visible peak with its orientation table.

(13) Descend facing west, keeping to the right until you reach the edge of the Route de la Shepherd's Hut. Turn right just before the road to reach the start of the "route des crêtes" (ridge road).

(14) Take the "route des crêtes" path, heading north-northeast at first, then east. Ignore the paths coming from the left from the Shepherd's Hut and the right from Chalet Bourgisan to reach the Col d'Étançon.

(10) Turn right to take (towards Chaumienne) the descent southwards along a well-paved, sometimes quite steep path through the Bois d'Étançon, until you reach the Col de l'Œillon road (CD63).

(15) Cross the CD and take the small road opposite to St-Sabin, crossing Chaumienne.

(16) The road then turns right and enters the forest again.

(17) At the edge, take the path to the left which climbs gently into the Bois de l'Arrivée. It levels out and then begins to descend slightly, heading south-east to a crossroads of forest tracks. There, it descends straight south to join the road to St-Sabin at L'Éclot.
Follow the road to the left, which leads back to the Croix de St-Sabin and the car park 100 m to the right (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,056 m - Croix de Saint-Sabin - Car park
  2. 1 : km 1.63 - alt. 1,120 m - Chapel of Saint-Sabin
  3. 2 : km 2.33 - alt. 1,058 m - Croix de Saint-Sabin
  4. 3 : km 4.62 - alt. 1,082 m - Forest track junction towards Col du Gratteau
  5. 4 : km 5.55 - alt. 1,209 m - Three Teeth - Pic du Midi (1213m) - Massif du Pilat
  6. 5 : km 6.77 - alt. 1,234 m - Road junction near - Col de l'Œillon (1235m)
  7. 6 : km 7.39 - alt. 1,361 m - Crêt de l'Œillon (1364 m)
  8. 7 : km 8.3 - alt. 1,382 m - Xrêt de Botte (1387m)
  9. 8 : km 9.01 - alt. 1,378 m - Crêt du Rachat (1380m)
  10. 9 : km 9.48 - alt. 1,389 m - Crêt de l'Étançon
  11. 10 : km 9.92 - alt. 1,365 m - Col d'Etançon (1365m)
  12. 11 : km 10.69 - alt. 1,420 m - Chalet Bourgisan
  13. 12 : km 11.1 - alt. 1,426 m - Crêt de la Chèvre (1427m)
  14. 13 : km 12.06 - alt. 1,431 m - Crêt de la Perdrix (1432m)
  15. 14 : km 12.51 - alt. 1,382 m - Route of the Shepherd's Hut - Departure from Route des Crêtes
  16. 15 : km 16 - alt. 1,131 m - CD63 crossing - Departure from Route de St-Sabin
  17. 16 : km 16.61 - alt. 1,136 m - Turn right. Near the source of the - Ternay (rivière)
  18. 17 : km 17.02 - alt. 1,129 m - Route de St-Sabin - Sentier Bois de l'Arrivée
  19. S/E : km 19.04 - alt. 1,056 m - Croix de Saint-Sabin - Car park

Notes

In winter, the ridge trail can be explored on snowshoes.

The only danger facing hikers is fog, which makes it difficult to find your way across the moorland.

Worth a visit

The various peaks and ridges offer generally extensive views of the eastern edge of the Massif Central, the Rhône and Gier valleys, the last folds of the Jura and, above all, the Alps on a clear day: Vercors, Ecrins, Chartreuse and Mont Blanc.

In spring, the hillsides are resplendent with flowering broom, and in late summer, blueberries abound.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
christianmarche
christianmarche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

30 minutes from Samoyas (Savas 07), this hike, which is a little long, is very beautiful. We did the entire route in beautiful weather, with views of the Rhône Valley, Giers Valley, Annonay Basin, Mont Blanc and Grand Veymont from every ridge. The advantage is that the Saint Sabin chapel circular can be done at the end of the route, and the Crêt de la Perdrix circular halfway through is also optional, depending on your fitness level or the weather. Highly recommended and worth doing again.

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jprohel
jprohel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with beautiful panoramic views on a clear day.
The passage through the 3 Dents is a little technical, but it is possible to go around them.
The GPPS trail is very useful.
The route is not very busy, but we crossed a hunting area that was not marked by hunters on the way down 😡

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brigitte38
brigitte38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The good weather allowed us to pass by the 3 (4) peaks, with magnificent views. The route is perfect, but once there, the trails are not really well cleared...

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BALVERDE
BALVERDE

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The path to access the three peaks must be sought among several. But you will eventually find it, and the same goes for the descent.

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Superjuju
Superjuju

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, with lots of shaded areas and magnificent views. Several stopping points and different landscapes. I recommend it!

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Sergio1958
Sergio1958

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike on terrain that is generally quite rocky (be careful when the ground is wet; walking sticks are recommended).
No directional signs at strategic points, GPS tracking essential to avoid getting lost.

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5GARNIER
5GARNIER
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent views along this route
A rather intense and difficult but enjoyable route
However, we had 22 km to go at the finish instead of 19.

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Calanquaise
Calanquaise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Absolutely magnificent!
Despite constant rain from start to finish (meaning we didn't see a soul!), we really enjoyed this hike (we did cut it short by 2 km, though, as we didn't climb to the summit of the 3 dents)...
The landscapes are varied throughout the hike (pine forests, ridges with panoramic views...). We were treated to some stunning views and even got to sample some blueberries at the foot of the 3 dents!
With the GPS track, it's impossible to get lost, while still having the option of shortening the route to get dry a little faster (we found a lot of warmth – and quality food – at the Lodge du Vernolon in Colombier!).
I definitely want to do this hike again in good weather!
Thank you to JC Paravy for this hike, which made our weekend truly wonderful!

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flapflap
flapflap

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Only completed part of it, had a problem with my knee, so I cut it short. Very beautiful views. Like all of this mountain range at this time of year, it is very busy, including with mountain bikes, some of which are a little fast. To each their own.
Finished the circular with great pleasure.

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yvanva
yvanva

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely walk, very beautiful views.

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A-Marie de Chap
A-Marie de Chap

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A variation in the area that we enjoyed. Long stretches with little traffic and passing through the Pilat "spots" (St Sabin, 3 dents and crêts).
We had to improvise a little to find the passage between St Sabin and Les 3 Dents... but we found our way (there are lots of forest paths and we took a wrong turn at point 2 – we didn't have an altimeter!!).
We took some liberties at point 5: a group of scooters was hurtling down the slope below L'Oeillon; we preferred to cut across the marked path that leads back to the L'Oeillon car park (visible on the map).
A little practical information: be wary of using your car's satnav to get back to the starting point; ours insisted on taking us up through woods and scree! After Vérane, just follow the road signs, which will take you to the car park at the chapel!
Thank you for this beautiful route.

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JacquesC3
JacquesC3

not used to date

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