Loop trail around the Jargoy plateau

Steep hike offering superb views of the Jargoy plateau and the village of Oncieu.

Details

2797
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 17.52 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 739 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 739 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 964 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 312 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the large square after the Albarine bridge in Argis.
(S/E) Go up between the post office and the school. Follow the sign for the Tour du Bugey country trail.

(1) Turn right. At the top of the hill, at the fork, take the path that climbs left above a meadow. After the hairpin bend, cross a blue-marked trail and climb up to the right. After a steep climb, you will arrive at a clearing.

(2) Take the first path on the left (blue markings) that enters the forest. This path crosses the forest and also comes out in a clearing. Follow the clearing on the left until you reach the television transmitter.

(3) Cross the RD102 and take the gravel path opposite. The path climbs up to the Jargoy sign, turn left and follow the meadow on your left until you reach a stone monument. Then head towards a "post" in the middle of the meadow. Follow the path that enters the forest on the left. Follow the wide gravel path through the forest. At the next signpost for the commune of Evosges, turn right and follow the path to the Croix du Plan.

(4) Turn left, cross the RD102 and descend towards Evosges, following the signposts. In the village, at the flower-covered fountain (built in 1905).

(5) Turn right onto the square, then take the road on the left to the church. Follow the lake to the car park. Return to the RD102 and follow it to the Col d'Evosges. Follow the road on the left.

(6) After the hairpin bend on the right, take the first path on the left. Be careful, a few metres after the picnic table, take the path on your right to descend to Oncieu.

(7) Go around the village on the right and follow the signposted route towards Argis. The path is easy to follow. You will come to the houses of La Douay further down.

(8) Continue to the first houses in Argis. At the end of the vineyard path, take the Chemin d'Ecartary on the left (yellow signpost). Climb uphill, keeping the church and cemetery on your right. At the last bend, above Argis, take the path opposite which leads to the first crossroads.

(1) Turn right and follow the same path you took on the way there to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 312 m - Main square in Argis - Albarine (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.21 - alt. 331 m - Crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 1.95 - alt. 585 m - Clairière
  4. 3 : km 3.74 - alt. 828 m - Antenna
  5. 4 : km 7.46 - alt. 838 m - Croix du Plan
  6. 5 : km 8.24 - alt. 756 m - Evosges
  7. 6 : km 9.64 - alt. 757 m - Col d'Évosges (758m)
  8. 7 : km 12.89 - alt. 455 m - Oncieu
  9. 8 : km 16.05 - alt. 371 m - La Douay
  10. S/E : km 17.52 - alt. 312 m - Main square in Argis

Notes

Picnic area at Lake Evosges, a good distance away for lunch.
Steep hike.
Bibliography: Sentiers bugistes by Yves Ray (editin Caline Sentiers).

Worth a visit

Viewpoint at Signal de Jargoy: over Le Chanay and Tenay
12th-century church in Evosges.
View of Oncieu at the Croix d'Evosges (15 minutes off the trail).
The village of Oncieu is unique in that it is built in a circle around a field.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 41 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
catc73
catc73

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A long climb in the morning, rewarded by beautiful views and a ride through pretty villages (Evosges and Oncieux) with a picnic on tables by the Oncieux pond

Machine-translated

Fernand1254
Fernand1254

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed this tour. You feel like you're in the middle of nature. The landscapes are superb, and the villages of Evosges and Oncieu are definitely worth a visit.
I appreciated being able to follow the route with my smartphone, as it would have been difficult without it.

Machine-translated

dwogsi
dwogsi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start is steep but well shaded by trees.
The plateau is very pleasant.
The end is a little less pleasant, with lots of sections on the road and very exposed to the sun.
I followed the route on my GPS, so had no trouble finding my way.
A good hike.

Machine-translated

GOURMELON RONAN
GOURMELON RONAN

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 21, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't come across many hikers, even though this route is absolutely beautiful. The Jargoy plateau is magnificent, and the village of Oncieu is very interesting.
A hike to recommend!

Machine-translated

jeanlouispe
jeanlouispe

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route, mostly shaded and with some stunning views

Machine-translated

FaceSud
FaceSud

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, varied landscape, beautiful views
It's a shame that the description is so vague, especially at the start between points 1 and 2
The easiest way to get to Mollet (point 1) is to take the path that climbs directly from the bottom (marked in yellow, not blue) rather than the small road on the right (Chemin de la Lombardière)

Machine-translated

Mth01
Mth01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike via the Bois des Rioudes, so it only took us five hours and, apart from the climb at the start, there were no difficulties. We used the IGN map with a subscription. It's a shame that the end of the route is on tarmac... Otherwise, it's a really enjoyable hike with some beautiful views. We only met three other hikers. We'll definitely do this route again. Thank you!

Machine-translated

swat
swat

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike done solely with a map. Challenging hike on the first part. It's a shame that the 3.7 km return trip is on asphalt. We took 5 hours including breaks.

Machine-translated

spidercochon
spidercochon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I'm following up on my comment left on 10 June 2018. This time I had a GPS, so here's the starting point that many people can't find: there's a fork in the road, with yellow signs indicating to turn left and a yellow cross on the right. Contrary to what you might expect, take the right-hand road; don't turn left, as that's the climbing trail. Further on, be careful, we made a mistake twice, but luckily we had GPS. The correct routes are not always easy to see, as the signs are often small and close to the ground.
Description OK

Machine-translated

chelouche helene
chelouche helene

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

hello
we're glad we climbed Evosge this morning
of course, the lake is dry, but the village of Oncieu is interesting, especially when you know its history. The village of Oncieu used to be located in the valley, but following the plague, it was razed to the ground. The lord of the manor gave the land to rebuild the village, but on condition that the houses did not face the castle, according to the village innkeeper.
our only regret was the tarmac descent on the little-used road, which was a bit too tarmacked, which was a shame
helenedolo

Machine-translated

-Clara-
-Clara-

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful and varied landscapes (forest, plateau, villages, etc.).
The first part of the hike is very steep, but doable as the elevation gain is concentrated at the beginning.
The walk through the villages is welcome and very pleasant.
We ate at the Buinand pond, but it was dry when we passed through in August 2020

As for the description, more details would have been welcome, but with the GPS map (Visorando app) there were no problems. Our advice would be to use the GPS map rather than the description for this route and to check your position regularly, as we almost got lost several times without the app.

Machine-translated

Patrixdemex
Patrixdemex

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike. However, the return trip from Oncieu to Argis is unpleasantly paved. Note the two inns in Evosges and Oncieu. Don't hesitate to climb up to the Evosges cross, clearly visible between Evosges and Oncieu. The view is worth the effort.

Machine-translated

monile
monile

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with a fairly steep climb at the beginning...
The views are magnificent, and we have no regrets about deciding to change region. We were used to the vineyards of the Beaujolais region.
The last part has a bit of tarmac but is very quiet with no cars, which is great.
Thanks to Visorando for the GPS app, which, as usual, was very useful and we couldn't have done without it.

Machine-translated

Jfmottet
Jfmottet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Please note that between points 1 and 2, the guidebook indicates to take a steep path marked in blue on the right. In fact, we did not see the markings and the path is difficult to see, so please be careful in this area.

Machine-translated

Gepeto.lyon
Gepeto.lyon

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk in the countryside in the midst of spring, but it's a shame that the Evosges pond, a popular picnic spot, is currently dry. The descent from Oncieu to Argis on a small paved path can seem a bit long in the sun

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

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.