Mont Signon and Chaudeyrolles peatlands

When arriving in Chaudeyrolles from the south via the D274, leave your vehicle at the entrance to the village in a small car park on the left of the road, next to three information signs.

(S/E) Continue towards the centre of the village.

(1) Go past the crossroads with the Fin Gras sculpture and continue straight ahead, following^the red and white^{GR®® signs}. Behind the church, go to the right of the war memorial, then turn right and take the street between a restaurant and the Fin Gras Museum, following the GR®® signs^. Just before a house with light green shutters, turn right onto a path, following^{the GR®® signs}, then the^PR®® sign for Mont Signon.

(2) At the four-way intersection, turn left, ignoring all the signs (the^GR®® routes are not up to date on the IGN map), onto a path that becomes paved further on. You will come to another road; follow it to the right for about 300 m.

(3) Turn onto the first path on the right, towards^PR®® Balade de la Douce. Further on, the path passes a small stream, then turns left and continues through the woods until it reaches a crossroads with a signpost for^PR®® Balade de la Douce.

(4) Leave this signpost and turn right. Then ignore a path on the right. At a fire station, at a fork in the path, follow the right-hand path, indicated by a blue cross on a post (and a red mountain bike sign with a line through it).

(5) Ignore a path that descends to the right, then another one just after it. Shortly afterwards, you will see a^GR®® signpost. Continue the gradual climb along the winding path. At a T-junction, at a fire station, leave the^GR®® trail on the left and continue climbing on the right.

(6) Turn left at the hairpin bend and follow a path marked in yellow and GR®^®. Now follow these markings, as well as the^PR®® signs for Mont Signon indicated in places, until otherwise indicated. Ignore a path that climbs up to the right between boulders.
In season, blueberries grow along the trail. When you reach the summit of Mont Signon, and then throughout the route on the lauzière, note several information panels. There are beautiful views of the surrounding area from this summit lauzière.

(7) Descend from the summit of Mont Signon, following the same markings, passing an old cart used to transport slate. At an intersection, leave the yellow and^GR®® markings that branch off to the left and continue straight downhill until you reach a small gravel road.

(8) Turn right, note the information panel about the volcanic mountain further on, ignore the path on the left and continue along the road which bends to the right. It descends towards the village of Chaudeyrolles and ends at the crossroads with the Fin Gras sculpture.

(1) Continue straight ahead for a few metres, then turn left to descend towards the church bell tower (and public toilets). Continue to the left, ignoring the access roads to the car parks on the right. You will come to a fork in the road at an information sign about the peatlands.

(9) Follow the road on the right, which further on turns into a stony path. Note the various types of wetlands on either side, a ditch running alongside the path, and information panels about birds and the Lignon trout. Join a road

(10) Follow it to the left, cross a bridge at a cross and an information sign about Lignon trout, then, at the fork in the road, turn left onto the road that climbs uphill. After the stone house, the tarmac gives way to a path that continues through the woods. In season, there are blueberries along the path.

(11) The path leaves the woods, turns eastwards, passes a stone house on the left and becomes a small road. Note the two information signs about the development of the peatlands and the use of peat.

(12) The road passes over the Salin at an information sign about trout in the Lignon (see option in "Nearby"). Further on, note another information sign about the Chaudron de Chaudeyrolles. Join a road at a cross and a small wooden fountain. Turn left, pass the information sign for the Montagnes du Mézenc, and return to the intersection you passed on the way there.

(9) Retrace your steps along the same route until you reach the crossroads with the Fin Gras sculpture.

Continue straight ahead to reach the car park (S/E).

No difficulties on this route

Discover more hikes in this area with a description or the Visorando app here

Photo album here, including some photos of the Fay-sur-Lignon dyke, which is worth seeing nearby.

Geopark website here

Numerous information panels on the Mont Signon lauzière and around the peatlands.

At the beginning of July, blueberries can be found along the route (mentioned in the description).

(12) Option suggested by a hiker: "At the point (12), we took the path to the right of the grove that leads to the Chantemerlle waterfall, or rather, three waterfalls. It's a short round trip of about 700 to 800 metres, a bit of a workout if you climb up to the third waterfall, but the scenery is worth the detour."