The Yzeron valley between Francheville and Craponne

Hello Thabor,
I reported it to Suricate and here is the response I received. I didn't mention it on Visorando because of the little "dig" aimed at Visorando!
Dear Sentinel,
"Thank you for your report to Suricate.
The path on the right bank of the Yzeron is indeed unmarked because it passes through private property. It is therefore not secured by the Metropolis or the municipality, as it is the responsibility of the private owners, hence its abandoned and accident-prone state.
On the other hand, the path on the left bank is normally well marked with PDMIPR signs and then goes up to Francheville Bel Air (unfortunately by road, as the forest paths leading up are on private property that is not covered by an agreement...)
However, it is not possible to continue along the left bank of the Yzeron to the Bocage meadow.
Visorando, although practical, does not take into account the reality of the trails on the ground or whether they are marked or private...
You can find maps of the marked trails in the metropolitan area (over 1,000 km of paths) on Grandlyon.com or datagrandlyon.com, or in paper form at town halls or the Lyon Tourist Office
Best regards, have a nice day!
That was the reply I received!

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Date of your route : Sep 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

I am the author of this hike.
I am commenting on it myself because I redid it in early September 2025, and here is the update.
Since 6 July, signs have been put up to warn of pollution in the Yzeron that may affect pets.
Let's hope these signs will soon be redundant, as they have been displaying this warning for two months now.
As for the path on the right bank after the Got mill, I did indeed see the "private property" sign, so that's a no-go. I also saw the landslide a little further on: impressive! Thanks to Elizabeth for her observations.
The path on the right bank after the Got mill is now a thing of the past!
All we can do now is wait for the pollution alert to be lifted so that this walk can once again be enjoyed in peace.
Thank you all for your vigilance and observations.

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Hello. I have updated the information, thanks to Elizabeth for these very precise details.

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Hello Elizabeth
Thank you for your comment.
- annotated description.
- author notified.

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

•Today, we retraced the hike we had enjoyed early in the morning on 19 June 2024, a scorching hot day. We arrived at 6.20 a.m.
•Unfortunately, from the Got mill, between points 2 and 3, the trail is closed due to severe erosion along the banks of the Yzeron (see my photo). We therefore took the trail on the other side of the Yzeron (unmarked), but it ends after 700 metres. We therefore had to turn back and take the route marked in purple on the 1:25,000 IGN map (the Open Street Map is of no help at all!).
•Furthermore, this hike is dangerous for dogs. Not only are they prohibited from 1 April to 15 September because they damage the Sensitive Natural Area, but the water also contains cyanobacteria. Furthermore, on 4 July, an act of vandalism polluted the Yzeron by blocking a siphon in the sewage system, causing significant mortality among aquatic fauna.
•We didn't meet anyone at all. It was cool and pleasant. We finished our hike with the temperature at only 22°C. We weren't able to do the hike as described.

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Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant, gentle route along the water's edge, surrounded by greenery and birds singing in the forest. However, be aware that recent storms have weakened some of the banks of the Yzeron and caused trees to fall. There is one particularly difficult section, but this is no problem for people with suitable footwear.
Do it in the morning between 11 a.m. and 2.30 p.m., so it takes about 3½ hours at a leisurely pace with a short break.
There weren't many people around, but it was Sunday lunchtime, so it's not a typical time of day.

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Date of your route : Sep 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike. Easy with no major difficulties. Its appeal lies in the fact that it is close to Lyon (for those living in Lyon) and therefore easily accessible and doable in half a day.

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I'm delighted to have been able to show you this area, which I was surprised to discover so close to Lyon.
I'm allergic to tarmac, so believe me, if you can find me a route that avoids it, I'll change my itinerary!
It reminds me of a couple who welcomed Sylvain Tesson to Lake Baikal ("Dans les forêts de Sibérie"). The woman said she couldn't live in the city anymore because the asphalt hurt her feet too much!
Thanks for the comment.

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Date of your route : Aug 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pretty hike in the section that is a round trip (in the woods along the Yzeron). The loop section, which sometimes offers interesting views, is a little less attractive...; it crosses housing estates... and there is more tarmac. But overall, we really enjoyed discovering this area, which we didn't realise was so close to home.

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@ zab2m: Glad you liked it, it was the shady side that appealed to me right away.
@ Elizabeth: thank you for your detailed comment, I hope it will convince any reluctant visitors. Thank you for the parking details, my initial instructions were not very practical. Now we know what to do. The sign at Moulin du Got (not Gault) is obviously a surprise to me, because the route indicated on Visirando is the one I generated while walking, and I didn't correct it before posting the hike. I hope there won't be any problems.
In any case, this comment is really constructive.
Congratulations on your hike being selected for July 2024, we look forward to many more!

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hike done in beautiful weather: cool shade along the Yzeron River.
Completed in 3 hours, including breaks.
A fond memory

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

• Excellent summer hike for residents of Lyon (and even for those who are not lucky enough to live there!), when you need to start early to avoid walking in 30°C heat. The hike started at 6.45 a.m. and finished at 9.45 a.m. (it was already 25°C).
o The start is very close to Lyon (20 minutes from my house).
o The hike is almost entirely in the shade, and this morning at 6.45am it was delightfully cool, while on the banks of the Saône it was already humid.
o There is little elevation gain (which was excellent for my fragile knees at the moment).
• While the Yzeron was dry last year, today it was babbling and chirping, offering us ever-changing landscapes where the light played through the foliage to make the cool water and pebbles sparkle.
• For the starting point: on the GPS, enter "chemin de Chalon". It will tell you that it is a road that is not passable, but it is the location of the chemin de Cachenoix that indicates the starting point of the hike.
• Parking: my companion didn't want to park just anywhere, so we found a "real" parking spot a little further away, at the intersection of Chemin de Cachenoix and Chemin des Hermières: there are a few spots near the bottle bank.
• At point 2: Moulin du Gault, we came across a "Private Property" sign. We nevertheless continued along the path indicated by Thabor, otherwise we would have had to make a detour. However, strangely enough, on the way back, in the other direction, at point 3, there was no "Private Property" sign. Go figure!
• Thanks to Thabor for this little gem of a summer hike!

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Date of your route : Apr 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely, fairly easy walk. Very muddy at the end of this particularly wet winter.

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