On the banks of the Ardèche from Les Crottes

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful and accessible hike, it's a safe bet that there are no longer any traces of the landslide!
Be sure to follow the instructions rather than the GPS beacon, which led us down the wrong path twice... I would strongly advise you to follow the yellow markers, especially at the first fork and during the slight climb above the water, where we were obsessed with the GPS beacon and continued despite two crosses... 😅
On the way there or back, visit the war memorial commemorating a Nazi massacre that took place in the hamlet of Les Crottes.
Finally, for those who know how to hike and are equipped with proper footwear, this hike is fairly easy.

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Date of your route : Jul 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fairly technical route. The climb up to the plateau is quite physically demanding, with some sections that are difficult to negotiate, particularly the first railing where the stone is slippery. The ladders remain accessible even if you have to slip under the vegetation.
The Visorando trail (red) is not always reliable. At the start, take the small path to the right of the sign showing the animals in the reserve, even though the trail seems to head off to the left.
To get back up, follow the route on the map (brown dotted line) to find the path.
Otherwise, keep your bearings using the white and yellow markings, especially at the end of the section in the gorges.
There are some magnificent landscapes to see, so don't hesitate to look up regularly!
Don't forget to stop on your way back at the monument commemorating the murder of the hamlet's inhabitants by the Nazis.
Thank you to those who developed and secured the route!

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Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the route to the river is very well signposted, but after that it becomes unclear. It is difficult to find the path, which is overgrown with ragweed and not maintained. The passage to the ladder is restricted as it is blocked by trees

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

Very difficult hike on challenging and rugged trails.
Several rockfalls along the route.
Good footwear essential.

Attractive route in beautiful surroundings

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Date of your route : Jul 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike to enjoy the Ardèche Gorges! A must-do!

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Hello, the Ardèche Gorges Management Association and the municipality of Labastide-de-Virac have carried out restoration work on the path at the landslide site. The hike is now open again.

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Date of your route : May 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Absolutely splendid and very fun. Everything is secure, and if you feel like you're in trouble, it means you're off the route, which can happen even with the app and GPS for a few moments. The rockfall is not a problem to cross. Allow more time than indicated in the guidebook.

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Date of your route : Feb 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty loop trail starting from the hamlet of Les Crotte. Before setting off, take a look at the war memorial in the hamlet. All the inhabitants were shot in retaliation by an SS company in 1944. It's very sad... but this place helps us remember!
About the route: it starts with a 40-minute descent towards the gorges... you'll need a map as there are no real signposts... it may seem long... but once you get there, it's majestic! The water is quite fast-flowing at this time of year... be careful, as EDF may release water, causing a sudden rise in the water level... there will be no one around to rescue you..
Do not go onto the sandbanks.
The route continues along the banks, with some aerial passages where you need to hold on to bars embedded in the rock. Some passages are very slippery due to water seeping out of the rock. There is green moss and nowhere to hold on to. If you fall, you will land directly in the water
Please note that we sometimes had trouble finding the path... there are yellow and white markers to help you find your way..
Take into account the heavy flooding in recent months: piles and tangles of vegetation and branches make progress difficult and obscure the route... allow a good hour or more for this section along the gorges..
This whole section is impressive and wild...
we had trouble finding the path back up... it's in a bend... we knew it was there... but there were no signs... no more yellow and white markings..
There are some ruins of houses at this point... between the ruins there is a stone staircase... you have to take this to start the climb... the path winds through the forest... no difficulty... but no more markings. After 45 minutes, you arrive at a plateau. Here there are the remains of a lift that must have served the ruins by the river..
The path continues without any problems until you reach the hamlet of Les Crotte..

In summary, this is a fairly easy route with a few tricky sections and no path in places along the riverbank due to recent flooding. It is not suitable for young children or dogs
The route map was very useful when we felt a little lost..
The site is truly splendid, majestic and wild!

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Hello Kare
Warning in the message dated 25 June 2024 at 10:59 from OT Gorges Ardèche.
Warning in the introduction with an update to the introduction on 25 June 2024 by Visorando.

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Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike😍 with the marathon through the gorges as a backdrop.
I'll do it again when the weather's nice so I can go swimming.
The landslides weren't too bad.
However, we hadn't thought about the damage caused by the floods... We had trouble finding the path three times: it was buried under branches and tree trunks, as were the markers. Until it's been cleared, allow extra time 😉
The trail didn't always help us (sometimes it was unclear, sometimes it was off the path: at this time of year, the water level prevented us from following it).
Thank you for this route.

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Hello
Thank you for bringing this to our attention

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WARNING!!! This hike is currently impassable due to a major rockfall on the Ardèche riverbank, which occurred on 14/06/2024! Please contact the Vallon-Pont-d'Arc Tourist Office on +33 (0)4 75 54 54 20 or the Syndicat de Gestion des Gorges de l'Ardèche, which manages the trails in the nature reserve, to find out if access is possible again.

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Date of your route : Jun 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We initially set out on the 8 km hike with a climb up to the Cirque de Gaud, but we missed the turning point. So we followed the yellow and white trail to the Guitard ford, following the Ardèche for a long time. It was really beautiful, so we were glad we took a wrong turn, but it ended up being 15 km.
I recommend this walk

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Date of your route : May 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with two negative points for me:
1. at the start, we couldn't find the path down into the gorge, despite the map and the app. We ended up going down a parallel path that was extremely steep and therefore dangerous.
2. We spent over 30 minutes looking for the path back up to the campsite, passing by the ruins of an old restaurant. The path is completely invisible from the beach, and we ended up entering the forest at the cairn. Thank you to the other hikers.
Otherwise, it was a very beautiful hike, made difficult in places by flooding and/or landslides.
Fabulous views all along the way.

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Date of your route : May 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb hike that is not to be missed.
A little extra compared to the description: there is now a much larger car park for around 20 cars 60 metres up the road on the right, just above the small car park.

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