Auverne plateau from Vailhés

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At the edge of Lake Salagou, there are beautiful views of the lake, first between the red cliffs and the blue waters of the lake, then from the balcony at the edge of the Auverne plateau.

Details

n°32559638
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.34 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 148 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 149 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 273 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 139 m
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park of the Salagou water sports centre in Vailhès.

(S/E) From the car park, turn right towards the lake, passing the water sports centre reception. After the gate, walk along the campsite, cross a ravine and join a track.

(1) Continue straight ahead on the path that follows the riverbank to the Ruisseau de la Baume.

(2) Turn north and join a crossroads of tracks.

(3) Cross and take the DFCI track opposite (barrier). Stay on the main track, ignoring the tracks on the right and left, and continue along the edge of the plateau until you reach a junction with another track.

(4) Turn left down the track that winds towards the hamlet of Les Vailhés.

(5) Cross the road and take the cement track opposite. Cross the hamlet, go through a barrier and follow the track downhill to the fork you came from.

(1) Turn right and follow the same route as on the way there to return to the water sports centre car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 142 m - Car park at the Salagou water sports centre in Vailhès - Salagou (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.53 - alt. 141 m - Crossroads of the loop
  3. 2 : km 4.15 - alt. 147 m - Fork
  4. 3 : km 4.61 - alt. 230 m - Crossroads
  5. 4 : km 7.41 - alt. 267 m - Trail junction
  6. 5 : km 8.31 - alt. 181 m - Cement track
  7. S/E : km 9.34 - alt. 142 m - Car park at the Salagou water sports centre in Vailhès

Notes

Between points (3) and (4), the Auverne plateau is a pastoral area: do not enter the pastures and do not let dogs roam freely.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 27 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
jeanine terral
jeanine terral

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike. View of Lake Salagou.

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JPThales
JPThales

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A route that is not very busy in October. Beautiful scenery; we completed this route with a visit to Celles.

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GERARD MARYSE
GERARD MARYSE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, varied walk that allows you to enjoy Lake Salagou in its different environments: red earth and Mediterranean vegetation on its shores, wooded surroundings near the ridge. Best done outside the peak summer season.

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jln
jln

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike in a beautiful setting, peaceful in early October. A short tricky section halfway through, with a steep climb over large rocks. The return journey offers a beautiful view of the lake.

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le Gaulois d'Oc
le Gaulois d'Oc

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk along the lake to kilometre 4, followed by an 80-metre climb that is a little steep and tricky in places.
Good turnout and beautiful weather on 7 September 2025.
Picnic just before the climb.
I highly recommend it.

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nathy1
nathy1

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb, colourful place with all these rocks, earth and red sand.

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Edipie
Edipie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Nothing to report

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maita6d
maita6d

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done in the morning in the direction indicated in mid-August. Surprisingly, there weren't too many people at this beautiful site. It was magnificent
Maybe try it in the other direction so you can swim in the lake on the way back during the hottest part of the day. If you want to find a quiet spot, there are plenty along the way.

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zoupira
zoupira

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done in August 2025, in intense heat, but between 4:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. Very few people encountered once past the water sports centre. Superb photogenic colours along the lake. The direction of the hike is perfect for the afternoon, as the sun behind you allows you to see these colours at their best. The climb up to the plateau is really steep. (It would also be difficult to do it in the opposite direction). If you are too tired or in a hurry, you can also go down the road, but the path from 3 to 4 is pleasant. Quiet hamlet. Everything is very photogenic. And you can cool off at the water sports centre bar at the end of the walk.

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veroarn
veroarn

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Generous sunshine and a refreshing breeze. At the start of the hike, there were lots of people with dogs off the leash despite the rules... The climb is becoming increasingly eroded... Otherwise, there were flowers everywhere and a concert of birdsong accompanied us on the plateau. Still the same magnificent view... It's the perfect time of year!

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Noëlle Muller
Noëlle Muller

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We met several couples. There were 47 of us hiking on Wednesday and everything went well. The scenery was magnificent and the sun was shining. We stopped for lunch after the fairly technical climb, then the rest of the route was pretty easy. It's a hike we really enjoy and have done several times.

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georgevelyne@gmail ;com
georgevelyne@gmail ;com

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that allowed us to discover some stunning landscapes. The view of Lake Salagou is magnificent. For this hike, you have two options:

  • 1. Follow the route indicated by Visorando, which, just after point 2, has a nice climb of about 500 m that takes you to point 3.
  • 2. At point 1, turn left to reach the village of Vailhès and follow the wide track that climbs gently uphill. This will take you directly to point 3 without having to tackle the steep climb described above. This alternative route saves you 1 km compared to the Visorando route.

Whichever route you choose, you may encounter goats between points 3 and 4.
Many thanks to the author of this great walk.

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Mija
Mija

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An ideal day for this hike in open terrain (no shade), superb views, and a trail that is not very busy at this time of year.

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ChristianQ
ChristianQ

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great varied hike... with a nice climb...

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pmx38
pmx38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful hike that allows you to enjoy the stunning surroundings, lake, wildlife, flora, ancient ruins and charming hamlet. The last part is more physically demanding and was completed under the hot early September sun, which forced us to drink every last drop of water from our bottles. Doing the loop in reverse would be a good idea.

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