The Bans trail starting from Rabou

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Very beautiful hike on the Bans trail to the old village of Chaudun

Details

n°341809
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.36 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 719 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 717 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,665 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,143 m
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Photos

The Pic de Bure
The Bans trail
Valley of the Petit Buech
"Memorial chapel"

Description of the walk

Park at the exit of the village of Rabou.

(S/E) Take the northbound path along the forest road.

(1) Turn left at the first intersection (cross) to follow theGR®93marked in white and red, following the Bans trail. Follow theGR® (caution: cliffside trail, not recommended for those with a fear of heights).

(2) At the first intersection, continue straight ahead on theGR®93. Follow the trail (still theGR®) into the Petit Buëch valley. The trail closely follows the course of this stream and crosses an integral biological reserve before reaching the village of Chaudun.

(3) At the old village of Chaudun (picnic table and fresh water), you can take the small footbridge to see the old village chapel.
Return to the village via the Chaudun forest road, cross the bridge and take the track that climbs towards the Col de Chabanottes.

(4) At the pass, leave the forest road and take the small path opposite marked in yellow which descends towards the village of Rabou. Pass the hamlets of Les Tournillons and La Rivière where the road becomes tarmac. Continue to the hamlet of La Font du Moulin

(5) After this hamlet, take the path climbing up to the right which leads back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,182 m - Car park at the exit of the village of Rabou
  2. 1 : km 0.23 - alt. 1,193 m - Turn left at the cross
  3. 2 : km 3.05 - alt. 1,161 m - Trail intersection, GR opposite. Valley of the - Petit Buëch (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 8.59 - alt. 1,318 m - Old village of Chaudun
  5. 4 : km 11.99 - alt. 1,665 m - Col de Chabanottes (1663m)
  6. 5 : km 16.91 - alt. 1,155 m - On the right after the hamlet
  7. S/E : km 17.36 - alt. 1,182 m - Car park at the exit of the village of Rabou

Notes

Cliffside trail at the start of the hike (Caution!)
Fresh water in Chaudun.

Worth a visit

Path along the cliff.
Herds of cows in the valley and along the route.
Old village of Chaudun.

 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

4.7 / 5
Based on 25 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
martine.bourgeois@hotmail.fr
martine.bourgeois@hotmail.fr

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Very beautiful hike with ledge passages

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User 27321647

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike to Chaudun, but the climb up to the Col de Chabotte via the forest track is less interesting with a 300m elevation gain and in the sun, as is the end of the route on the road. Most of the people we saw turned back and returned the same way.
From the car park in Chaudun, it took us 3 hours and 15 minutes, and the return trip via the Col de Chabotte took 3 hours, with an hour in Chaudun for sightseeing and lunch at one of the tables.
A magical day, thank you for sharing.

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User 16990892

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

More like 19.5 km with 731 m of elevation gain.
The section along the Büech is very pleasant but sometimes very steep. The trail is often badly damaged by rockfalls on the mountainside, making some sections dangerous. Nothing insurmountable, but you need to be sure-footed!
From Chaudun, the trail becomes very well maintained again.
You will often cross the river, so depending on the season, you will probably get your feet wet. In summer, there is no problem crossing.

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1963
1963

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

WARNING
- we had to wade across the Petit Buëch nine times, twice taking off our shoes (the water was freezing at the beginning of April), following the GR 93, which is not mentioned anywhere, either in the description or in the comments.
- there was still quite a lot of snow (30 to 50 cm) on the forest road between points 3 and 4, especially from 1,400/1,500 m, and this continued until the Col de Chabanottes.

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Victoria B
Victoria B

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a wide variety of landscapes. Be careful if you are afraid of heights, as some of the terrain can be a little daunting.

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Mariefrez
Mariefrez

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route with magnificent scenery and stunning autumn colours. The path is quite wide at the start and presents no difficulties, but you need to be careful on the descent, especially if the rocks are wet. Although secured by posts and fencing, the scree slope is almost the most difficult part of the route.
On the way back, we took the forest path that passes through the Bois des Écouts to make a loop. At the Ecouts signpost, leave the path that indicates Chaudun on your left and go straight ahead. Follow this forest path and, when you leave the woods, take the track on the right before re-entering the woods, which will take you back to Rabout

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Yannick et Bernadette
Yannick et Bernadette

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A few details:
(3) In the old village of Chaudun (forest lodge), there is a picnic table but no water as of 15 September.
To leave Chaudun, head towards Col de Gleize (the direction of Col de Chabanottes is not indicated)
(4) At a place called Les Tournillons, at the bottom of the ruins, the path descends towards the river (we found only one very faded yellow mark)

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Jérôme J.
Jérôme J.

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk!
With the Pic de Bure in sight during the first part.
The route along the little Buech river stays cool and very shady.
There's a cultural section about the history of the old village of Chaudun during the picnic.
The enchanted forest of larch and pine trees leads back up to the Col de Chabanottes and the descent ends along the river torrent.
Only the last descent is not very well marked.

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vincentlc
vincentlc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Great hike!

No tricky spots for anyone prone to vertigo (I am). There is a cable at a tricky point on the edge of the Buëch. There are several small fords and I preferred to take my shoes off once. Just before Chaudun, there is a wooden bridge that looks brand new and must have solved a problem.

As a leisurely hiker, it took me 7 hours including breaks.

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fred13007
fred13007

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with some aerial passages that are a bit tricky.

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IKINA
IKINA

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike through majestic landscapes. Fantastic. Quite a long route, so make sure you take enough water with you. One section of scree after the banks would benefit from a safety line. The scree is not secured. Part of the hike is in the shade, which is nice. Highly recommended.

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B-ron
B-ron

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb, very varied hike. I particularly enjoyed the section between points 2 and 3, where you are on a small forest path that runs alongside the Petit Buëch stream (in hot weather, this is especially pleasant as you are in the shade of the trees and can cool off in the stream whenever you want).

The hike is quite long in terms of kilometres, but the elevation gain is hardly noticeable. The biggest climb is the forest track from Chaudun, but it is not very steep and very linear.
I found the first half (up to Chaudun) more interesting. The climb up the forest track (points 3 to 4) is not the most exciting and the very end of the hike is unfortunately on a paved road.

NB: I'm prone to vertigo, but I still felt comfortable on the ledge (between points 1 and 2). This section is very short and the path is wide enough that you're not right on the edge.
NB: The scree section (also between points 1 and 2) has been made safer and no longer poses any real danger (although caution is still advised, of course)
NB: From point 4 onwards, there are a few sections where the path disappears completely and, in my opinion, are poorly marked, but if you follow the logic of the route, you should be able to find the path again without too much difficulty a few dozen metres further on

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sabinefebvre
sabinefebvre

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Loop done in reverse to enjoy the sun on the Ban Trail in the afternoon. A magnificent and varied hike, but long... Openrunner indicates 18.5 km with an elevation gain of 1,161 metres
As this is a GR trail, some sections along the Petit Buech would benefit from safety cables! Very slippery when wet!

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apraderes
apraderes

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A superb, varied hike, longer than difficult, offering magnificent views and the ever-present moving history of the vanished village of Chaudun, of which practically nothing remains since access to the few ruins has been prohibited.
Just one point to note on the descent to the Buech river on the way back: the path is not always well marked and the cow tracks can be confusing.

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goms13
goms13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

very beautiful hike, but in May, bring a towel for the sections crossing the Buech river.
The scree is secure, but due to the length, it's a good way to get some exercise

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