The Chassezac Gorges upstream from La Garde Guérin

de fr

A challenging hike around La Garde Guérin. The route takes in the Chassezac Gorges and the Cévennes railway line. It passes close to the Albespeyres tunnel, which is over 1,500 metres long. Return via the Régordane path and La Garde Guérin golf course.

Details

n°22076133
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.57 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 223 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 216 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 893 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 735 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

In the Chassezac Gorges
The Chassezac
La Garde Guérin
The Albespeyres tunnel

Description of the walk

The starting point is at the Gorges du Chassezac car park.

(S/E) Take the old road, now converted into a greenway, towards Albespeyres.

(1) Leave the road by taking the path on the right that leads into the beech forest. Descend to the Chassezac riverbed via the path, which has a few steep sections.

(2) Cross the Chassezac and climb back up towards the hamlet of Le Roure via a path that crosses a chestnut forest.

(3) Near Le Roure, when you reach the tarmac road, turn left and, after a few dozen metres on the road, take the path on the left which runs alongside it for a short while.

(4) Continue along the gently sloping path and enjoy the view of the opposite slope, La Soufflerie, named after the old ventilation plant located just at the northern entrance to the Albespeyres tunnel.

(5) Leave Chemin de Prévenchères on your right and use the stone bridge to cross the Chassezac again. Follow the path and take a small tunnel to pass under the Cévennes railway line.

(6) At the junction with the tarmac road leading to La Soufflerie, turn right and head up towards the hamlet of Albespeyres. At the next junction, turn left onto the road. A little further on, leave the Voie Verte on your left and continue on the road on your right, which climbs slightly.

(7) When you reach the tunnel's ventilation shaft, take the Chemin de la Régordane (GR® 700) on the left. Walk along the Garde Guérin golf course and follow the path to the gorge car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 856 m - Chassezac Gorges car park
  2. 1 : km 0.9 - alt. 855 m - Path junction
  3. 2 : km 1.79 - alt. 735 m - Fording the - Chassezac (rivière)
  4. 3 : km 2.44 - alt. 867 m - Hameau du Roure
  5. 4 : km 3.44 - alt. 828 m - Panorama
  6. 5 : km 3.8 - alt. 804 m - Stone bridge - Underground passage
  7. 6 : km 4.01 - alt. 810 m - Road access
  8. 7 : km 4.84 - alt. 857 m - Régordane junction
  9. S/E : km 6.57 - alt. 856 m - Chassezac Gorges car park

Notes

The descent to the Chassezac in the first part of the route includes some steep sections.
The climb up the opposite slope is steep, but the rest of the route is easy.
The route is well marked and has intuitive natural landmarks.

Worth a visit

- Dip in the river (in summer) and picnic on the banks of the Chassezac.

- For railway enthusiasts, take a detour to La Soufflerie to admire the imposing entrance to the legendary Albespeyres tunnel, one of the longest on the Cévennes line with a constant gradient of 2.5%. La Soufflerie was used to blow fresh air into the smoky tunnel in the days of steam locomotives.

- The fortified village of La Garde Guérin is nearby.

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.

Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Pierre2629
Pierre2629

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant, well-shaded route.
Short descent to the river, very uneven terrain, avoid on rainy days.
It is best to be reasonably fit to cross the river from rock to rock.
Otherwise, a very beautiful spot for swimming.

Machine-translated

brayman
brayman

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This is a hike not to be missed, but take the safety advice seriously, as the descent would be difficult on wet ground.
When you reach the Chassezac, the crossing point is not obvious, as the markings have been erased except opposite, about fifteen metres upstream on a tree trunk.
No longer very adept at leaping like goats, we crossed safely by taking off our shoes.
After climbing back up through the forest, the path is particularly pleasant and well worth the effort.

Machine-translated

Levandularge
Levandularge

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb, fairly easy hike (apart from two or three slightly steep sections on the descent to the river, which you have to cross by stepping over rocks) offering a variety of beautiful landscapes. We spent the night in our motorhome at the car park so we could set off in the morning (watch out for the rocks at the entrance). Don't forget to visit the typical little village of La Garde-Guérin just next door.

Machine-translated

gepeto07
gepeto07

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Crossing the Chassezac at point 2 is only possible during low water levels. As soon as there is a little water, it is difficult to jump from rock to rock due to the distance between them, and you will have to turn back.
The arrival at point 2 is steep and very slippery when wet.

Machine-translated

KrisKriss
KrisKriss
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike that is not too long – there is a slight incline after point 2, but it is not very long and is easy to manage – please note that the route is slightly off near the hamlet of Roure, you need to take the road for a few metres (go through the barrier) to find the path diagonally to the left (another parallel path runs slightly below but you can quickly see that it is not maintained) and be careful not to continue straight on the greenway at the crossroads before point 7 as it is tarmac and you can continue on it without realising if you are not paying attention. Bring your swimsuits, as you can swim at point 2, which is very pleasant! Otherwise, aim for the yellow mark on the other side of the river and you can cross without getting wet by jumping on the large rocks opposite the mark. Swimming is not permitted at point 5 due to the risk of EDF releases... We encountered numerous canyoning groups before point 2, but after that we were all alone.
Consider stopping at La Garde Guérin after the walk. It's a beautiful hamlet and the climb up the tower (best done without a heavy rucksack if possible) is epic.

Machine-translated

mipauvert
mipauvert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that is easy to follow. It's a shame we didn't bring our swimming gear, because the first crossing of the Chassezac is idyllic!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Belvédère and balconies of the Chassezac

Visorando member
↔5.89 km ↗+68 m ↘-68 m ◔1h 55 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Prévenchères (Lozère)
A short, very easy hike that can be done with the family. The first 500 m section follows the Chassezac viewpoint route with magnificent views of the gorges and the Roure plateau opposite. On a clear day, you can see Mont Ventoux. The second part follows part of the greenway, created on the abandoned route of the old RN106. On the way back, it passes through fields and hamlets to return to the starting point, with beautiful views of the village of La Garde Guérin, which is well worth a visit.

Walking From La Garde-Guérin to Lake Villefort

Visorando member
De la Garde-Guérin vers le Lac de Villefort
↔12.91 km ↗+358 m ↘-358 m ◔4h 45 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Prévenchères (Lozère)
Loop starting from La Garde-Guérin towards Lac de Villefort, crossing a wooded area then climbing back up to the medieval village via the Voie Régordane after skirting the northern end of the lake. 03/01/2024: Route modified between 1 and 3.

Walking La Garde-Guérin loop

Visorando member
Boucle de la Garde-Guérin
↔8.81 km ↗+583 m ↘-583 m ◔4h 10 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Prévenchères (Lozère)
A beautiful loop from the wonderful 12th-century village of La Garde-Guérin to the Cévennes plateau. Pass through the Chassezac, where you can take a dip if you wish.

Walking La Garde-Guérin - Les Gorges du Chassezac - Fangeas - Le Mont

Visorando member
La Garde-Guérin - Les Gorges du Chassezac - Fangeas - Le Mont
↔7.47 km ↗+385 m ↘-383 m ◔3h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Prévenchères (Lozère)
Descent into the Chassezac Gorges from La Garde-Guérin, a magnificent fortified village.

Walking From La Garde-Guérin to the Chassezac Gorges - return via the Roure plateau

Visorando member
De la Garde-Guérin aux gorges du Chassezac - retour via le plateau du Roure
↔10.71 km ↗+549 m ↘-550 m ◔4h 40 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Prévenchères (Lozère)
From the medieval village of La Garde-Guérin, there is a steep descent into the Chassezac gorges, then a climb up to the opposite plateau and finally back to the village via the hamlet of Albespeyres.

Walking Tour of Lake Villefort

Visorando member
Tour du Lac de Villefort
↔7.27 km ↗+153 m ↘-161 m ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Villefort (Lozère) (Lozère)
A stone's throw from the Gorges du Chassezac, this is an interesting short hike with the option of swimming at the end.

Walking The Goulet Forest from Prévenchères

Visorando member
↔16.55 km ↗+388 m ↘-385 m ◔5h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Prévenchères (Lozère)
Hike north of Prévenchères with a reasonable elevation gain. The weak point of the hike is, of course, the start on tarmac, but it allows you to warm up with the Chassezac on your left. After that, it's just paths and trails between mountain pastures and forest.

Walking The Paillère Valley

Visorando member
La vallée de la Paillère
↔20.76 km ↗+787 m ↘-784 m ◔8h 10 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Villefort (Lozère) (Lozère)
This is a long walk up the Paillère valley through the woods before fording the river. The climb back up to the Col de Rabusat ridge is easy, and the return via the GR® offers beautiful views of the Paillère valley to the west and the Cèze valley to the east.Use of the app is highly recommended.

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.