Petit tour de Granges à Heyriat

de fr

Je vous propose un petit parcours permettant de rejoindre Heyriat à partir de Granges situé pas très loin des bords de l'Ain.

Details

n°4509175
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.04 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 339 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 335 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 670 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 333 m
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Photos

Vernon
Heyriat
Saint Antoine Chapel

Description of the walk

Update by the author on 15/07/2025: the route has been revised between points (2) and (5) following reports that it had become rather difficult to navigate in the Fontaine de l'Échelle area (fallen trees and brambles). Messages received from a number of people along these lines prompted me to make this change.

The new route heads towards Reissart, then goes up the bottom of Combe Brisson, and is ultimately simpler. At most, I noticed two fallen trees just before the point (3), but they can be avoided. The description has been revised in the area, and points (3) and (4) have been moved.

The old route has been saved for reference and can be viewed via the following link: https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-79161938/

Park in front of the Chapelle Saint-Antoine in Granges.

(S/E) Head towards the road (RD91) and continue along it on the right for about 150 m.

(1) At thefirst intersection, take the road on the right towards Heyriat.

(2) After a short climb, continue straight ahead at thefirst fork: follow the path, then walk along the bed of a small stream for a few metres (depending on the season), then turn left and walk up the bottom of a valley.

(3) At an intersection, follow the path on the right uphill (note that the path opposite leads to the same place higher up, but the route is a little less convenient).

(4) At an intersection, turn left: the route continues uphill before descending (ignore the forks in the road). After passing the castle grounds, enter the small village of Heyriat.

(5) Take the road on the left at the intersection and keep left at the first fork.
After passing through the industrial estate, the route continues along a carriageway.

(6) At thefirst fork, continue left (no sign) until the next junction.

(7) Continue left towards Granges, heading downhill.

(8) Pass a few ruined buildings in the hamlet of Vernon, where two steles are visible. Continue downhill until you reach the RD91 road.

(9) Keep left and follow the road.

(1) Continue straight ahead to return to the starting point at the Chapelle Saint-Antoine (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 336 m - Chapelle Saint-Antoine (Granges)
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 333 m - Crossroads of the loop. Barns. View of the - Ain (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 0.65 - alt. 374 m - Fork to the right
  4. 3 : km 1.13 - alt. 478 m - Combe Brisson
  5. 4 : km 1.46 - alt. 563 m - Trail intersection
  6. 5 : km 3.11 - alt. 638 m - Heyriat
  7. 6 : km 4.08 - alt. 642 m - Le Groseillier
  8. 7 : km 5.31 - alt. 615 m - Les Génevrières
  9. 8 : km 5.98 - alt. 515 m - Ruins of Vernon
  10. 9 : km 7.14 - alt. 335 m - Junction with the RD91 road
  11. S/E : km 8.04 - alt. 336 m - Chapelle Saint-Antoine (Granges)

Notes

Good walking shoes are recommended.

Nature does not appreciate your rubbish. Please take it with you!

The route is fairly easy overall. At most, there is a small climb after point (3) and the route is moderately difficult to follow in this area.

The route is generally in good condition:

From (S/E) to (1): difficulty Green
No difficulty on a road environment.
Signpost. No markings

From (1) to (2): Green difficulty
Progress on a good path.
No signposts

From (2) to (3): Blue difficulty
A few steep slopes are encountered at times on a fairly visible route (with some other alternative routes available).
Yellow markings are sparse

From (3) to (4): difficulty Blue
Follow an ascending path without difficulty. This section is unmarked on a clearly visible route (the other route is marked).
Unmarked section (note that the route shown by IGN is incorrect in this section).

From (4) to (5): difficulty Blue
Follow a track suitable for vehicles without encountering any problems.
Yellow markings are sparse.

From (5) to (7): Green difficulty
After a short stretch on the road, the route continues on a good path.
Signposts + yellow markings

From (7) to (9): the route is on a good path with a few slightly tricky slopes at times.
Signposts + yellow markings

From (9) to (S/E): difficulty: green
The route follows an easy road (but you must remain alert to traffic).
Unmarked section

Worth a visit

  • Chapelle Saint-Antoine de Granges: former parish church of the village of Granges, it wasfirst mentioned in the 14th century. It was then restored in 1787 and in 1932. For more information, click here. Restoration work is currently underway: click here for more details.
  • Heyriat Castle: linked to the Duchy of Savoy, it wasfirst mentioned around 1300 in connection with the Bussy family. It was almost completely destroyed in 1944. For more information, click here
  • Vernon Farm: on 15 April 1944, German soldiers killed six members of the Jouvray family and set fire to the buildings. Only Georges Jouvray, aged 25, managed to escape, wounded, and reach Granches. For more information, read the article in Le Progrès here.

Reviews and comments

3.5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
3.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5
Route interest
3.3 / 5
zbh0170
zbh0170

Hello,

I am following up on our previous exchange: the route has just been modified from the point (2). This should be easier than the previous version.

Kind regards.

Machine-translated

Bernie 974
Bernie 974

I can't wait to discover this new route.
My wife and I often walk in this area, so we'll be back, don't worry. Thank you for your quick response.

Machine-translated

zbh0170
zbh0170

Hello,

Thank you for your feedback and I'm sorry to hear about your disappointment.

The route to the points (4) is indeed not very "comfortable" due to the fallen trees: I noticed this on 1 November and other people have also reported it. The significant growth of vegetation, as can currently be seen, has certainly not helped on this section, which appears to be little used.
I remain pessimistic that the situation will improve in the future and I will think about changing the route from Granges to Heyriat (I have a few ideas).

Best regards

Machine-translated

Bernie 974
Bernie 974
• Edited:

Overall rating : 2.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Very disappointing route. Poorly marked points 3 and 4, non-existent. Fallen trees have completely destroyed the main path, forcing us to fight our way through nettles and brambles, which was uncomfortable in shorts.
Dangerous in some places, the 3 hour 20 minute estimate is no longer accurate after this trip.

Machine-translated

René01
René01
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We did this hike four years ago to the day.
Nothing has changed. It's still just as difficult to find your way between points 3 and 4. We even got lost immediately after point 4, but we were able to find the trail again thanks to our GPS, which is essential in these sections.
There are a lot of fallen trees, which doesn't make progress any easier, and very few views of the Ain valley due to the vegetation.
The section to point 5 is still as long and steep as ever, but overall this hike is relatively pleasant and the descent is not difficult.
However, it should only be done in the prescribed direction.

Machine-translated

hristina
hristina
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The hike was very pleasant, but the problem lies between points 3 and 4. Due to storms, many trees have fallen, and to follow the path, we had to climb over fallen trees to continue on our way. (Therefore, I do not recommend this hike for children.) At one point, we had to climb over a fallen tree to follow the yellow trail. There is also a lot of vegetation in this area. Otherwise, once you get past this area, the hike is very pleasant.

Machine-translated

biLLy355
biLLy355

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello
Hike with a good climb towards Heyriat but blocked by tree trunks in two places.

Machine-translated

zbh0170
zbh0170
• Edited:

Hello JulesRando,

Thank you for your feedback.

It's been a while since I've had the opportunity to do the route, and I wanted to do it again before responding.

I noticed that the trail had been improved on the climb up to the Fontaine de l'Échelle: a few wooden steps have been added, which makes it much easier to walk on.

Once at the Fontaine de l'Échelle, the trees blocking access were still there, which doesn't help with orientation.

Are you referring to the viewpoint from the Roche de Miaila (north-west of the Ruines de Vernon)? From this spot, there is a beautiful view of the Ain Valley (but more towards Conflans), but access is moderately difficult: on an unmarked path, the box trees, already badly affected by the moth, have been hit by the heat and are bending over, blocking access in places.

Best regards

Machine-translated

JulesRando
JulesRando

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Hello,

Thank you for the tour idea, which in itself is a great idea and an appealing itinerary. However, we were very disappointed by how little we found to see on the first half of the tour.

The climb is very steep (admittedly normal when coming from below), but there is little to enjoy in terms of space and scenery. In fact, the first point of interest is the Vernon farm with its tragic history. There is also a magnificent viewpoint above Thoirette, 400 metres above the gorges, but it is not included in this tour.

If we were to do it again, we would start from Granges in the opposite direction and climb up to the viewpoint before turning back. That said, I don't feel like I wasted my day. The physical effort is worth it and the contact with the wild nature is so good. Oops! I almost forgot the raspberry and blackberry patch a few hundred metres after Heyriat... mmm!

Finally, part of the climb is quite tricky due to the many trees that have fallen recently, I suppose, and which make the tracks very difficult to follow.

Machine-translated

zbh0170
zbh0170

Hello Mu&Jp-du-Jura,

Thank you for your feedback.
The IGN map does not always correspond to reality after Heyriat.
I recommend following the route in the direction indicated, given the few steep slopes encountered (and because it is easier to climb).

Best regards.

Machine-translated

René01
René01

Good evening,
Hence the importance of hiking in the direction specified by the route author...

Machine-translated

Mu&Jp-du-Jura
Mu&Jp-du-Jura

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Hike completed yesterday, 10/04/2021, in the opposite direction.
The yellow PR markings are excellent up to Heyriat, but very difficult to see and somewhat confusing on the descent to Granges, which caused us to hesitate a lot.
In addition, the IGN topographical map (checked on Géoportail) is not accurate: the trail is not marked as a PR trail
A short section is very steep and almost on a ledge in the cliff, making it very dangerous in wet weather.

Machine-translated

René01
René01

Hello,

After Heyriat, the return for this hike is via point 5, Heyriat being point number 4.
So I don't understand why point 3 is mentioned on the return leg, unless you took the route in the opposite direction to the description.
For me, it was actually between points 3 and 4 that I had the most difficulty finding my bearings, but in the direction of the route.
On this section, a GPS is practically essential.

Best regards.

Machine-translated

zbh0170
zbh0170

Good evening,

I understand the problem you encountered: there is indeed a signpost in Grange, but then there is nothing else. The same applies to the start of the trail at the point (3), especially since the IGN map is slightly inaccurate: if you compare the position with a GPS, it looks like the trail starts just before the turning area, when in fact you need to continue along the road for about 50 metres (which is why I couldn't find the trailhead straight away the first time).
The description does indeed need to be improved; I plan to do so in the next few days.

Thank you.

Best regards

Machine-translated

jper
jper

Hello,

That's correct.

Best regards.

JMP

Machine-translated

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