The Hérault Gorges from Puéchabon

Reach the banks of the Hérault from Puéchabon. There are various routes, but not from this village with its hidden mysteries. The area you will be crossing will surprise the novice. Discover the flora and fauna, which has many surprises in store. Swimming is possible on the Hérault river. Everyone will be enlightened in their own way and will take away memories that may reinforce their choices and visions. Nature offers many surprises for those who are willing to linger.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.32 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 362 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 358 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 338 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 78 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Reach the village of Puéchabon via the D32. When you arrive at the Place de l'Église, take the Chemin du Bois, on the left if you are coming from Aniane, on the right if you are coming from Viols-le-Fort. The car park is a few dozen metres away, on the right-hand side.

(S/E) Follow Chemin du Bols heading north-west (away from the church).

(1) At the four-way crossroads, continue right towards the east on Chemin Farrat and avoid all exits. You will come to a fork in the road.

(2) At the three-way fork, keep left heading northeast, walking along Lac du Bols on your right. Approach a two-way section, keep to the left on theGRP® (marked yellow and red) heading northwest until you reach a two-way section.

(3) Keep right, heading north and north-east. Ignore a path branching off to the right and continue to a two-way junction.

(4) Leave theGRP®, keep left heading north. Gradually climb the mountain ridge from 200 m to 306 m. Cross the summit of Puech de la Galine. Ignore all exits.

(5) At the 306 m mark, at the crossroads, turn right heading east. At the next fork, turn left heading north and walk along the left-hand side of the ruins of Mas des Roses.

(6) At the fork, turn left heading north and north-west. Keep left heading west and south-west. Walk past a cistern on your right, cross the 318-metre mark, and follow a downward curve heading west. Cross the Bois de Fontanilles and reach a junction.

(7) Take the right-hand carriageway, walk past the cisterns and the hamlet of Le Regard on your right, and continue heading north-east on a gradual descent. A series of hairpin bends takes you from an altitude of 290 m to 91 m, crossing several streams while skirting rocky areas.

(8) At the fork, turn left onto the path, then take a descending trail that runs alongside the Hérault. Reach the riverbank.

(9) Retrace your steps and follow the route in reverse to the cistern and the place known as Le Regard.

(7) At the fork, turn right and head west. Cross the western part of the Bois de Fontanilles.

(10) At the fork, keep left and continue heading south-west. Walk along the left-hand side of the Combe de la Saune. At a junction, keep left and continue in the same direction. Join the PR®.

(11) At the two-way crossroads, turn left, follow thePR® (yellow) heading south and cross a stream at the bend.

(12) At a two-way section, elevation 217, keep right, heading south-east. Cross a stream at the bend and reach a crossroads.

(13) At the fork in the road, keep right on thePR® (yellow). Walk along the left-hand side of a property with a building and gardens.

(14) At the two-way section, keep to the right, heading south-east, stay on thePR® andwalk along the left-hand side of the place called Le Brésil. Avoid all exits. Reach a two-way crossroads and keep left.

(1) At the junction with the outward route, head south-east to the starting car park (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 169 m - Parking - Chemin des Bois - Église de l'Immaculée Conception (Puéchabon)
  2. 1 : km 0.2 - alt. 164 m - Crossroads of the southern circular
  3. 2 : km 0.51 - alt. 169 m - Lake Bols
  4. 3 : km 0.69 - alt. 181 m - Fork
  5. 4 : km 1.2 - alt. 203 m - End of the GRP°°®°°
  6. 5 : km 2.14 - alt. 306 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 2.96 - alt. 329 m - Fork after Mas des Roses
  8. 7 : km 4.32 - alt. 286 m - Le Regard - Crossroads of the northern branch
  9. 8 : km 6.83 - alt. 93 m - Intersection
  10. 9 : km 7.22 - alt. 79 m - Edge of the - Hérault (fleuve)
  11. 10 : km 10.68 - alt. 278 m - Fork
  12. 11 : km 11.22 - alt. 228 m - PR°°®°° junction
  13. 12 : km 11.87 - alt. 217 m - Fork
  14. 13 : km 12.28 - alt. 199 m - Intersection
  15. 14 : km 12.6 - alt. 181 m - Crossroads near the place called Le Brésil
  16. S/E : km 13.32 - alt. 169 m - Parking - Chemin des Bois - Église de l'Immaculée Conception (Puéchabon)

Notes

Important note:
This route takes place along numerous trails and paths, so using GPS or a mobile app will make navigation easier. Put your mobile phone in aeroplane mode when using the Visorando app to save battery power.

There are no water sources along the entire route. Wear good walking shoes that you have already broken in. Foot care is essential. Bring a rucksack with drinks for the route. Light food. Bring swimming gear. Nothing special except to protect yourself from the sun. In hot weather, set off early in the morning.

Worth a visit

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.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
3.8 / 5
User 23549826
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike with a long descent leading to a path with no access to the river, which is very disappointing

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cybervince
cybervince

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very quiet hike (especially as I was there during the week).
The route is interesting, even if the part that actually descends into the gorges is a round trip on the same path. It could also be improved by ending the descent further upstream, where there are likely to be better places for swimming with more easily accessible banks.

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domoliv34
domoliv34

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely surprise, not far from Montpellier, and very quiet in the morning.
The descent to the Hérault is really pleasant. We did this hike in very hot weather, with quite a lot of shade, but you should bring 1 litre of water per person.
The start of the walk is quite complex (!) zigzagging... but thanks to the explanations, we managed it.
Walking time: 3½ hours without pushing yourself
Thanks to the author.

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jeanchap
jeanchap

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A splendid route with views of the Hérault and, above, Mont Saint Baudille, Roc de la Vigne and La Serranne.
One or two difficult sections, climbing up from the riverbank, long but not difficult.
A beautiful hike.

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Rooster11
Rooster11

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A beautiful hike near Montpellier. Its main attractions are the view of the Hérault Gorges and the opportunity to swim. The first and last parts of the hike are not particularly interesting, except for the beautiful panoramic view of the region. The trail is very rocky.
Then, in the middle, there is a return trip to the gorges. There, you can access a small footbridge from which you can swim in very pleasant cool water.
We did this hike in glorious sunshine and didn't meet a soul.

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jeanpaulbel@orange.fr
jeanpaulbel@orange.fr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There are errors in the directions from the village of Puechabon:
- it is the "Chemin du Bols" and not the "Chemin du Bois"
- "Lac du Bols" is actually a pond 20 metres in diameter and is not called "Lac du Bois".
- the "chemin de Farrat" is actually the "chemin Farrat"
at point 4, there is some ambiguity and I followed the GRP instead of the recommended path, which I caught up with later.
Thank you.
Kind regards,
Jean-Paul Bel

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Diddan
Diddan

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did the hike with GPS and followed the Visorando trail.

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caroline34830
caroline34830

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

This route takes us to the banks of the River Hérault.
Hiking on trails, which are not very varied for a solo hiker, but certainly enjoyable in a group.

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Diddan
Diddan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Easy to follow with GPS. Numerous trailheads can be confusing without it.

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Bertrand91
Bertrand91

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely hike, with a refreshing swim at the end.
Thank you for sharing.

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Claude340
Claude340

Thank you for reporting that natural elements were preventing access to the shore from point 9. I will redo this hike and reposition the point for access.

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Guilhem nem
Guilhem nem

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Enjoy a pleasant summer hike by setting off early in the morning to avoid the heat.

The area is pleasant, the scenery is beautiful and the hike is accessible to all levels.

The only downside is that access to the river isn't great at point 9, as nature has taken over and this winter's floods have brought in a lot of wood. We still found a place to swim and rest before tackling the return to point 7 and the big climb.

Thank you, Visio!

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Alain 34680
Alain 34680

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Long descent towards the Hérault, not very accessible for picnics due to lots of tree trunks and branches

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Pascal St Bo
Pascal St Bo

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A bit disappointing as it's mainly track.
Two strong points:
Away from roads, so no noise pollution
Very beautiful views of the Hérault gorges.
The signposting is very poor, but the description is fairly accurate. However, the app was necessary

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pascal34150
pascal34150

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice, easy trail
In an area far from civilisation
The spot by the Hérault river is perfect for a picnic
Be sure to follow the route on the app

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