The Puy de Montoncel from La Lizolle

In Saint-Rémy-sur-Durolle, from the Place de l’Église, head towards “Plan d’eau”. When you reach the start of the descent leading to the lake, stay on the same road and head towards Palladuc. Pass through Palladuc and, on leaving the village, head towards Arconsat. Follow this road to La Muratte, which you cross, and at the top of the road as you pass through the next village (La Lizolle), you will come to a crossroads: to the left, a dirt track runs horizontally northwards. To the right of this track, a street climbs past some beautiful stone houses heading north-east.
Between the two, there is a two-storey house with a façade covered in grey trowelled render on the left-hand half of its surface. In front of this house is a lay-by where you can park without inconveniencing local residents.

(S/E) Head up the street towards the north-east. This paved street turns, as soon as you pass the houses, into a track of white granite sand. After a spring catchment found above on the left, the track becomes a stony path. Follow this path for about 500 m.

(1) After a right-hand bend, ignore a less clearly marked path on the left and continue right along the well-marked path, which remains rocky and stony, until you reach a wider track.

(2) At the T-junction, head down to the left (north-north-east). At the next junction, turn right. Continue climbing, with a gully on the left.

(3) In an open area, at a crossroads in a sort of clearing, take the first path on the right and follow it to make a circular route at a higher level.

(4) At the crossroads, you rejoin the previous track and follow it uphill to the right. Ignore a path on the left and you’ll reach a junction just before the 1203m mark.

(5) You then turn left to head due north. This takes you to the summit of Puy de Montoncel (signpost, metal cross).

(6) Retrace your steps southwards.

(5) At the T-junction, turn right.

(4) At the crossroads, head slightly left.

(3) At the next crossroads, turn left.

(2) We leave the route we have already taken and continue along the track towards the south.

(7) At the three-way junction, take the track on the right. At the T-junction, turn left and at the next junction, turn right.

(8) Shortly after passing a water intake, do not take the track that branches off horizontally to the right; instead, continue downhill for about a kilometre, ignoring the turn-offs to the left. You will come out onto the D64, which you take to the right. After a good kilometre or so, ignore a road coming from the right and continue straight on to quickly reach the starting point (S/E).

As for the condition of the paths, it varies greatly, and the trails are often very rocky and stony; you will therefore need proper mountain walking boots.

Walking poles are also very useful, particularly for the descent.

Outside the summer season, when it can be very hot, the weather can be changeable as we are on a west-facing slope highly exposed to wind laden with moisture. It is therefore advisable to bring warm clothing and ponchos.

Despite the numerous existing spring catchments, we did not see any sources of drinking water; so bring your own drinks.

Given the very harsh climate, the condition of the paths is likely to vary considerably from one year to the next, both due to erosion caused by rain and as a result of forestry operations. We undertook this hike in September 2015, and we cannot guarantee that the waypoints can be found in their entirety.

If you’re coming from Saint-Rémy-sur-Durolle, this village is well worth a visit: it has a beautiful Gothic-style fortified church, surrounded by an esplanade offering lovely views over the Limagne and the Chaîne des Puys; the village is also dominated by a calvary built on a massive quartz vein, from which there is a stunning view of the village and its church. Another highlight of Saint-Rémy is its lake, which is very busy at weekends and during the holidays, but very peaceful the rest of the time.

From the western slopes of Montoncel, one can also enjoy superb views of the Thiers mountains, the Limagne, the Chaîne des Puys, as well as towards Chabreloche and Noirétable.

As I mention in the caption for the photo of the summit cross, the summit was completely overgrown with trees in 2015 (the year of my hike), but today it appears to be largely cleared following extensive tree felling, as evidenced by Clément Chabert’s report from 2019. The climb to Montoncel is therefore enhanced by this magnificent panorama, which did not exist during this particular hike.