In the depths of the Guiers Vif

The start is in the hamlet of Le Châtelard in the commune of Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers, at the junction between the departmental road and Chemin de la Caserne. (There are several places to park in the hamlet).

(S/E) From the junction, leave the Chemin de la Caserne on your left and take the unpaved track on your right. Follow the track as it runs alongside the hamlet of Le Châtelard, then keep left as you leave the hamlet. Continue along this track to the end (the track ends in a dead end)

(1) At the end of the track, look out for a faint path on the right, heading downstream, and take it. The path runs between a small lake on the right and a cliff on the left. The path tends to become overgrown in this section, but you can easily find it again by following the cliff on the left (at the top) until you reach the river.

(2) When you reach the river, follow it downstream (Gorges de l’Échaillon).

Once you’ve entered the Gorges de l’Échaillon, it’s no longer possible to turn back until you reach the exit of the gorges (at Pont Saint-Martin)

The entrance to the gorges is via a narrowing of the river where you have to swim across (that gets you straight into the swing of things!). The route then follows the river, with sections where you have to navigate between the rocks, either on foot through the water or by swimming (three short stretches). The crossing of the gorge takes about 2½ hours. At the end of the gorge, pass under two bridges (an ancient Roman bridge and a more recent one). It is after the second bridge that you must leave the riverbed to reach the right bank.

(3) From the right bank, follow a small path uphill to a track and turn right. Follow the track to the road and turn right. Follow the road and cross one of the two bridges to reach the opposite bank. Just after the bridge, look out for a path leading uphill, marked in yellow, and follow the sign for “Le Châtelard”.

(4) Follow the yellow-marked path, keeping “Le Châtelard” as your destination.

(5) At a small clearing, take the path on the left that goes uphill (path marked in yellow) and not the one straight ahead that goes downhill. Once the path joins a road, turn left (Route des Combes), follow the road to the end and take the path at the end of the hamlet.

(6) Follow the path and take the first path on the right. Continue along the path marked in yellow (the path is somewhat overgrown but remains passable) until you reach the hamlet of Le Châtelard and the starting point (S/E)

A water-based hike, mostly in the water, with a few short stretches where you’ll need to swim.

There are no particular difficulties, but you must ensure that the river is at normal levels; do not venture out in the event of flooding, the risk of severe thunderstorms or during periods of snowmelt! Once you’ve entered the Gorges, it is not possible to leave them until the end of the hike.

Please note that the Guiers is cold, even in summer; those who feel the cold may wish to wear a wetsuit.

Bring a waterproof pouch if you want to take your mobile phones, cameras, etc. with you. It is not possible to avoid the sections where you have to swim.

The Visorando estimate suggests a hike of around 2 hours. In reality, progress through the water is slower than on land: allow 30 minutes to reach the Guiers, 2 to 2½ hours to make the descent along the Guiers, and around 50 minutes to walk back up to Le Châtelard.

It is possible to do just the descent by arranging for a car to be waiting at the end of the route to take you back up to Le Châtelard.