Les Estables walks

This second stage leads from the Hauts Plateaux du Mézenc to the Loire Valley. It takes you through the Mézenc National Forest and the Breysse woods, a mixture of beech and coniferous trees.The route more or less follows theGR®®40trail, avoiding wide tracks and small roads where possible.

Climb Mont Mézenc from the village of Les Estables and climb Chaulet, with superb 360° panoramic views from the summits of both mountains.

Starting from Les Estables, Mont Mézenc, La Croix des Boutières and back via Mont d’Alambre. The descent from Mont d’Alambre is partly via a ski run, so avoid this route when the ski area is open. A very pleasant and varied hike. The ascent of Mont Mézenc is very well signposted and not very steep; the two summits of the mountain offer fabulous views over the Ardèche, the Haute-Loire and much more; this part of the route is quite busy. From Mont d’Alambre, things get slightly tougher. The climb is steeper but not excessively so, and not very long. The descent from the summit back to the path is steeper as we took a ski run; it is far from dangerous, as you are walking on grass. The rest of the return journey is flat with a slight downhill gradient.

Beautiful scenery around Rechausseyre and Rocher Tourte with lovely views of Mont Mézenc and Mont d'Alambre and very pleasant forest trails from the village of Les Estables.

Starting from the charming village of Les Estables, this hike takes you on a tour and ascent of Mont d'Alambre (a ski resort in winter), with a 360° view of the surrounding peaks and a magnificent view of Mont Mézenc, the highest point in the region.

With snowshoes on your feet, explore the landscapes of the forest undergrowth, frozen solid by the cold, and the vast expanses of the Mézenc plateau, reshaped for winter by the snow, the ‘burle’ (the local name for the north wind that blows in winter) and the frost.

This is a gentle hike that leads to the summit of Rocher Tourte before circling around it. The summit, which is easy to climb and offers a beautiful panorama, is nevertheless very quiet with a wild moorland atmosphere; it is also a biological reserve. Throughout the circuit, except for the sections in the forest, the view is splendid.

The hike starts at the forest house car park and climbs through the powder snow of Mont Mézenc. From the summit, your efforts are rewarded with a magnificent view of the village of Les Estables below and Mont Alambre. And even the Alps, if the weather is clear.

Discover Mont Mézenc and its two peaks and take a detour to admire the Cirque des Boutières.

Climb Mont Mézenc from the Croix de Peccata - car park.

A long hike across the plateaus, south of Les Estables, amongst the knolls and near Mont Gerbier de Jonc.

A very easy climb to reach the highest point of the Ardèche and Haute-Loire, offering sublime panoramic views.

Circular starting from the Croix de Boutières, passing by the peaks of Mont Mézenc and the strange machine called the Ventographe des Boutières.

This is a short circular loop in the Mezenc National Forest, from La Roche Pointue to Le Ventographe, passing by the peat bogs. Le Ventographe is a quirky object created by a DIY artist, placed on a ridge; it is the centre for transmitting messages to the wind, which are received further down by another equally quirky work of art!

Between Gerbier de Jonc and Chartreuse de Bonnefoy, the Ardèche plateau offers numerous stone-slab knolls. This circuit between Aigue Nègre and Veyradeyre passes by four of them and at the top of three. In order, these are Séponet (tower), Montfol (summit), Lauzière (summit) and Taupernas (summit). From each of them, there is a beautiful 360° view of Mont Mézenc to the north, the Tanargue massif to the south, Gerbier and Areilladou to the east, and Haute-Loire to the west.

The knoll of Sara is accompanied by a lower peak, but of identical shape. From there, it is customary to refer to the “big Sara” and the “little Sara”. This route takes you up both peaks and involves sections off the beaten track. The ascent of the ‘Little Sara’ takes you through particularly wild terrain, and both peaks offer unique panoramic views of the Upper Ardèche, Mont Mézenc and the Gerbier de Jonc. The GPX track is essential for this route.

Located between Mont Gerbier de Jonc and Mont Mézenc, the Suc de Sara rises to 1,521 metres. The ascent via the south face and then the east ridge leads to the summit, which offers a 360° panoramic view of the surrounding knolls and valleys as far as the Vercors, Mont Ventoux and the Alps. During the ascent of the south face, the crossing of the scree slopes offers beautiful landscapes.

The ascent of the Suc de la Lauzière (1,582 m) in the snow offers a superb 360° panorama of the Mezenc and the Estables, the Gerbier de Jonc, and all the surrounding knolls. This route is a shortened version of the ‘Quatre Sucs’ hike, designed to let you enjoy the magnificent snow-covered landscapes.

This walk around Mont Mézenc offers stunning views stretching far and wide in all directions: the Massif Central, the Ardèche, the Alps, the Pilat Massif… It is possible to climb Mont Mézenc during the route. The route offers the best possible view of the stunning Cirque des Boutières. The route also includes a walk through the village of Chaudeyrolles on the way back, as well as a loop around Mont Signon.

This geological trail allows you to discover an ancient small volcano, Mont Signon, which became a peat bog, then an ancient maar, or marshy crater, home to several peatlands. Numerous information panels from the Geopark help you understand these different volcanic formations.

Enjoy a beautiful hike on Mont Signon and its old singing slate quarry. Beautiful panoramic views of the Monts de Haute Loire.