Les Vastres walks

Discover the Gouffre de la Monette and its waterfall via the marsh route. This is a mysterious place to be enjoyed in peace and quiet, so choose a time when it is not too busy.

A pleasant walk through the forest, undergrowth and meadows, with the pretty, round crater lake of Saint-Front, the highest in the Haute Loire, as your destination. Views of Mont Mézenc and the Monts du Velay, and you will be on the edge of the summit of Les Roches, an ancient volcano which is a climbing site on its southern slope.The name of thePR® trail that we follow most often is "Entre pins et fayards" (Between pines and beech trees), which is very apt. We added the tour of Lake Saint-Front, as it was too tempting to resist.

This figure-of-eight route, which mainly follows forest tracks, offers beautiful views of the Lignon’s white water.

In July, the scent of freshly cut hay will accompany you throughout this walk, which takes you through dense coniferous or beech forests at times, whilst at other times offering superb views of the Velay mountains.

This is an easy hike that will take you around Mazet-Saint-Voy, passing by two beautiful trout rivers, the Lignon and the Ligne. The terrain is varied but gentle, alternating between meadows and woods. Beautiful views of Mont Mézenc are the icing on the cake of this hike.

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

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.

This tour of Mont Mézenc allows you to admire the landscape stretching far in all directions: the Massif Central, the Ardèche, the Alps, the Pilat Massif... It is possible to climb Mont Mézenc during the circuit. The hike offers the best possible view of the beautiful Boutières cirque. The circuit also includes a return trip through the village of Chaudeyrolles and a tour of Mont Signon.

This route offers a beautiful sample of the landscapes of the high Ardèche valleys that radiate towards Le Cheylard. The environments are very varied: broom heaths on the southern slopes, forests of chestnut, conifer and beech trees depending on the orientation, and grassy meadows on the ridges. There are numerous signs of volcanic activity, such as the Rocher de Soutron and the Échamps maar.

This hike offers a beautiful introduction to the Boutières region, with its rugged terrain, rivers, diverse landscapes and views. It alternates between moorland, meadows and forests of beech and coniferous trees, ending on the Dolce Via, which allows you to pick up the pace after the numerous ascents and descents.

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!

At the summit of the ancient volcanoes between Pic du Lizieux and the Meygal Massif. A breath of fresh air in the vast Meygal Forest Massif.

A short hike, accessible to children in all seasons, to discover a 360° panorama from the summit of Pic du Lizieux (1388m): the Lignon valley to the north, the Monts du Vivarais to the east, Mont Mezenc to the south, Meygal to the west and, beyond, the Pilat Massif, Mont Blanc, etc. .

This peaceful route starting from Saint-Front allows you to enjoy the contrast between the steep-sided valleys of La Gagne, the Machabert stream and the tributary of the Aubépin on one side, and the gently sloping Mézenc plateau with its sweeping views on the other.

Short, easy route around the drystone shelter, with a beautiful view of the Gouleyou, an ancient lava plug, and a visit to the Chier de Borée site, an arrangement of raised and engraved stones, which is a contemporary work of art.

Walk along paths or small roads offering numerous viewpoints over the steep-sided Azette valley at the start of the route, then over the less wild Saliouse valley, with a beautiful view of the Cirque des Boutières at the end of the route.

This hike starts off gently at the bottom of the valley, following an old railway line. It then climbs up to a rocky outcrop where the ruins of Rochebonne Castle stand proudly. And as if the ruins of this castle weren't enough, all the great peaks of the Ardèche (Mézenc, Gerbier des Joncs) are visible throughout the hike.

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

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

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.

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.

A variation on the climb up Lizieux that takes you to Mounier, a little-known peak overlooking Freycenet and the menhir above Monbuzat-La Chieze.

A route exploring little-used paths and points of interest, an alternative to the marked trails.

A route offering the chance to explore the Roche de Carle, a little-visited rock formation situated above the Auze at the headwaters of the river. Starts from Araules, returns via the Testavoyre.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The route follows the Via Gebennensis (GR®65-GR®430) to near Les Araules. Next, discover the Pic du Lizieux and its orientation table, which offers a 360° panorama. The hike continues along the Bonas discovery trail, then joins Arnissac to pass through Pic Testavoyre and ends with the forest road to Chalet Raffy.

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.