Circular with viewpoints around the Source du Lison

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Starting from Nans-sous-Sainte-Anne, pass by the Old Castle, Sainte-Anne, the Devil's Bridge and the Montmahoux viewpoint

Details

n°54396
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.89 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 653 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 650 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 825 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 363 m
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Description of the walk

Departure from the centre of Nans, car park opposite the dairy.

(S/E) Take the road towards Salins for 100 metres, then continue straight ahead uphill towards La Taillanderie (museum). Take the first left and descend to the car park.

(1) Continue towards the springs, then immediately turn left onto theGR®590towards Sainte-Anne.

(2) After 1 km, leave theGR® and continue right towards Sainte-Anne. Go through a few hairpin bends and you will reach an intersection.

(3) Turn left towards the ruins of the Old Castle of Sainte-Anne and its belvedere.

(4) Retrace your steps back to the intersection.

(3) Continue straight on to the village of Sainte-Anne, then stay on the road (D229) until you reach the Devil's Bridge. You can go down below the bridge on the right via some steps to admire the famous devil carved on the bridge.
Return to the road and continue to the nearby car park.

(5) Follow the path on the left, then the track that takes you to Crouzet-Migette. Cross the village until you reach the D103 road.

(6) Turn left, then right. Follow theGR®590for 4 km until you reach the D15 before Montmahoux. Continue for a few metres and join the small road that climbs up to the viewpoint.

(7) Follow this road to the viewpoint.

(8) Retrace your steps for about 150 metres.

(9) Turn left to descend to Nans, about 3 km away (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 366 m - Car park - Lison (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.55 - alt. 368 m - Car park, on the left, GR590
  3. 2 : km 1.49 - alt. 572 m - On the right, towards Sainte-Anne
  4. 3 : km 2.04 - alt. 673 m - On the left, round trip
  5. 4 : km 2.63 - alt. 691 m - Ruins of the Old Castle of Sainte-Anne
  6. 5 : km 6.34 - alt. 591 m - Pont du Diable
  7. 6 : km 7.61 - alt. 616 m - D103, on the left
  8. 7 : km 11.57 - alt. 745 m - D15, on the left, towards the viewpoint
  9. 8 : km 12.37 - alt. 823 m - Viewpoint
  10. 9 : km 12.57 - alt. 807 m - Path on the left
  11. S/E : km 15.89 - alt. 366 m - Car park

Worth a visit

Source du Lison, Creux Billard and Grotte Sarrasine are all on the same site, with car parking 2 km from Nans.

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 18 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Marmotte39
Marmotte39

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike in winter, so I didn't meet anyone. It was a very interesting walk thanks to the three sites that give it its character. The cave, the spring and the Billard hollow are not far from each other and are very well laid out and worth seeing. Overall, it's a beautiful walk. I didn't go up to the viewpoint, maybe next time. There are some steep climbs and descents, but they're manageable. The signposting on the ground is good!
The Verneau spring is pretty; I visited it on the way back. Nans is a beautiful village worth exploring.

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LONCHAMPT Frédéric
LONCHAMPT Frédéric

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike with superb views

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Claire75
Claire75

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I started this hike from point 3, following on from the hike "the source of the Lison and the old castle viewpoint", which also includes the source of the Lison, the Sarrazine cave and Creux Billard. It's quite long, but the second part is easy.
The history of the Devil's Bridge is amusing.
The section on the GR 590 between points 6 and 7 involves quite a bit of road walking and I can confirm that the path is very muddy.
The view from Montmahoux is superb, and the descent is pleasant.
A really lovely day!
Thank you!

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BRUNO1
BRUNO1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Varied landscapes, beautiful views.
At the start: Car parks in the centre of Nans full (Ascension Thursday). We had to park at car park 1.
The path was very muddy after marker 6 due to forestry machinery and heavy rain in the previous days.
The trail markings between markers 6 and 7 are sometimes insufficient. But no problem if you follow the trail with your phone.

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richardd
richardd

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike in lush green surroundings, with stunning 360° views of Montmahoux and the castle viewpoint, and the little village of St Anne, lost in the middle of nowhere.

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josselin.nicod@sfr.fr
josselin.nicod@sfr.fr

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very enjoyable hike with my 15-year-old daughter. The route is relatively shaded.
The first climb is pleasantly challenging. The road section is pleasant and acceptable, short and not very busy.
On the way back, we turned off towards the source of the Lison to return to the starting point along the Lison, which was a nice option.
I recommend it.

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Tirry
Tirry

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

difficult climb between 1 and 3. We love Montmahoux, but unfortunately it was very, very hot that day. All in all, it was a nice hike with a little refreshment on arrival at the cheese dairy opposite the car park at the start. We recommend it, with ice cream and local beers...

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pon39
pon39

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Steep climbs between 1 and 3, suitable for experienced walkers. The castle ruins at 4 no longer exist except for a sort of low wall that can be made out, and the viewpoint is overgrown with vegetation. The descent to the Devil's Bridge is prohibited (sign).
The reward is at the top of Montmahoux, where the view is superb. A beautiful, challenging hike nonetheless. Well done!

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çamarchevite
çamarchevite

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route, very pleasant except for one section with far too much tarmac for my liking.
I did the walk during the week, so there were very few people around.

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PONT25
PONT25

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in warm, sunny weather. Highly recommended
The route was not very busy as we did it on a weekday.

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lasaugette
lasaugette

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Completed the entire route, very beautiful route
Just note that in Montmahoux, to reach Nans sous Ste Anne, you must follow the yellow and blue markings, not the yellow/red ones

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Angelot jean-Claude
Angelot jean-Claude

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Partially completed route

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Martine134
Martine134

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A route with excellent weather for walking. A challenging climb at the start to reach the castle viewpoint.
A little uncertainty about the route before reaching the Montmahoux viewpoint.
It's a long route, so it's a shame it doesn't come back via the source of the Lison. Needs adapting.

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Paul Dervaux
Paul Dervaux

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello – A very beautiful walk in good weather. Interesting sections such as the Devil's Bridge (especially the stairs down to the stream) and the climb to the Montmahoux antenna.
A superb day in a very pleasant setting.

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belz
belz

Hello, walk taken on Sunday 13 October, in good weather, very nice hike, only slight downside but that's debatable
the return trip to the castle ruins, which are really just a pile of rubble
During our reconnaissance, we could see Mont Blanc and the Grandes Jorasses
but on Sunday we had less visibility, but it was still a beautiful hike!!!!!!!!!!!

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