The summit of Charray Mountain from Veyras

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A nice hike on the easy side, good terrain and mostly in the shade, which is why I chose it as it was 30 degrees that day. The view from the balcony and the ruins are worth seeing, even if there is almost nothing there. On the other hand, it was incredibly crowded, with people walking around, cyclists and lots of dogs, both on leashes and off. I've rarely seen so many people on a hike, which was the thing I liked least about it.

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Date of your route : Oct 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent forest
Interesting with children

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Date of your route : Jan 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The highlight of this hike is the balcony trail, which is very pleasant in dry weather. We couldn't find the trail leading to the priory ruins.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
I did this beautiful hike on Sunday, 22 May 2022 during the day. It was very hot!
The route is shaded in both circular sections of the woods, with wide tracks. Very little tarmac. No markings or almost none. Follow the signs and posts carefully. At point 4, turn left at the sign for "Pas de l'Arénier". The slope between points 4 and 5 is steep, and the path between points 5 and 6 is narrow in places along the side of the valley. Walking sticks seem essential to me (I agree with the guidebook).
A very beautiful hike with a magnificent view of the whole of Privas. For walkers who are reasonably fit. Distance and elevation gain as stated.
Thanks to the author.

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Date of your route : Jan 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike

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Date of your route : Jan 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, beautiful views, a few steep climbs and no vertiginous passages.

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Date of your route : Nov 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done in a group. Very pleasant and accessible to most people, despite a serious push required at the fifth kilometre, after the Col du Renard.

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Date of your route : May 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in mid-May. Not much shade. Some nice views but a little disappointing. Overall, not very wild.

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Date of your route : Jan 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I left from Veyras, which makes the hike a bit longer.
Point 7 of the description is confusing. If you go straight ahead, following the trail (which is what I did), you won't take the right trail. Fortunately, the other trail also ends at the Col du Renard after a change of direction further on. And then the term is poorly chosen: it's not an intersection. It would be better to say 'left at the three-way junction 600 metres ahead'.
Otherwise, it's a nice hike, and there's really nothing aerial about it....

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Hello,

For a 15.3 km hike with a 550 m elevation gain (like this one), regardless of any other considerations, Medium is an appropriate rating. The existence of one or more vertiginous passages may justify changing the rating to Difficult.

The important thing is that the existence of these passages is mentioned, as it is in the introduction!

And we thank in advance those hikers for whom these passages pose no problem for kindly considering that some may feel uncomfortable.

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I posted this hike in 2016, then deleted it due to negative reviews about the car park, then the gate, then the private path (it actually belongs to the Bishopric of Viviers and was rented to hunters who never prevented anyone from passing, by the way), Then a few reviews mentioned the balcony path and its dizzying appearance...
I completely agree with you that there is nothing complicated or vertiginous about this hike, but all this remains subjective... depending on your level of experience... and your sensitivity to vertigo.
So I have put the description back on my page. If I remove the fact that the balcony trail, on the side of a slope, can be vertiginous for some (I have already seen groups panic because one or more of their members did not want to go on the trail), I fear that I will put people (albeit rare) in difficulty.
In conclusion, I am reclassifying this hike as moderate, leaving it up to each individual to assess their own susceptibility to vertigo and how to deal with it.

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Date of your route : Dec 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I know this hiking route very well, with its beautiful scenery.
But the "Difficult" rating is completely unfair, as there is nothing complicated or even dizzying about the balcony trail.
It's a shame, because it may discourage people who are interested, for no good reason at all!

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