The Giants’ Trail in the Tamié Valley

You must park in the abbey car park.

(S/E) Leave the car park heading towards the abbey. The tarmac path passes a building (picnic room and toilets), then goes past the abbey shop before running alongside the abbey wall.

(1) At the large staircase next to the church entrance, leave the tarmac road on the left and take a wide dirt track that climbs into the forest. It leads to a tarmac forest road; follow this to the left.
The road climbs gradually until it reaches the^second hairpin bend, where a figure carved into a tree trunk indicates that you are now in the Tamié Departmental Forest.

(2) You can take a shortcut opposite. Continue left along the forest road, which continues to climb. At the next hairpin bend, do not take the path leading off opposite, but carry on climbing along the tarmac road for 550 metres, before reaching the start of the Sentier des Géants.

(3) A sign marks the start of the trail, which begins with a flight of steps carved into the earth and a wooden handrail. The entire route follows a narrow, zigzagging path along the ridge, which is quite steep in places.
Don’t hesitate to stop frequently to explore the sculptures and short phrases carved into the wooden planks. Halfway along the route, a (fake) dolmen is an ideal spot to take a break.
Carry on climbing. After a signpost indicating the Sentier des Géants, do not take the wide path that begins to descend, but continue climbing along the narrow path to the right of the post marked with red paint. The path leads onto a stony forest track.

(4) Highest point of the walk (alt. 1,276 m). Head down to the right. After crossing the bed of the Combe Noire torrent, leave the path leading up to Les Drissons on your left. After passing through a white gate, you’ll arrive at the foot of a huge fir tree.

(5) The ‘Sapin Président de la Combe Noire’ is 41 metres tall and is thought to be 200 years old. A small path leads up to its base, where there is a table and some benches.
The road continues downhill until it rejoins the tarmac and the start of the Sentier des Géants.

(3) From there, the descent follows the reverse route of the outward journey: three hairpin bends, then a path to the right which joins the entrance to the abbey; follow this along the right-hand side to return to the car park (S/E).

Make sure you bring water and wear sturdy, gripped footwear, as the path is sometimes narrow and steep. The route is suitable for young children, but they should be reminded to take care.

The abbey church is open to visitors outside service times. Its unadorned interior provides a setting for several works by Arcabas.