Rocher du Grand Sangle loop starting from Chaley

The route starts in Chaley near a bridge crossing the Albarine River and a lake (there is a car park).

(S/E) Cross the bridge and head towards the village, following Rue du Centre on your left.

(1) When you reach the town hall, continue right into a narrow street (Impasse de la Gorge), passing a wash house, then continue on an uphill path.

(2) At an intersection, cross a path (corresponding to the former layout of the "Train Fantôme" railway line) and continue along the path until you reach a small cave visible on the right about 20 metres from the path (this cave is not very deep).

(3) From this point, there are some minor difficulties on a section marking the entrance to Combe Suzaire and for a short while afterwards. Follow the path northwards, over rough terrain. Further up, you will come to a spring (marked on the IGN map). Continue to the right at an intersection, then follow a meadow on your right.

(4) At a clearly marked intersection, follow the carriageway to the right uphill, ignoring a right turn at a hairpin bend. Then keep to the right.

(5) At the intersection, follow the path to the right towards Prés Roux, then, a little further on, begin a short descent.

(6) At the bottom of the valley, you will come to another path: continue uphill, following the various signposts.

(7) At the top of the climb, turn right at an intersection. Be careful, as there are some difficulties at this point on a route not shown on IGN and OSM maps ; for more details, see the Practical Information section. Quite quickly, continue left on a poorly marked path and then, further on, continue on a trail that is moderately visible in places (be careful of your direction), staying more or less close to the edge of the plateau.

(8) After a while, you will come to a long crevasse (be careful), which you should go around on the left, then continue on to a viewpoint not far away with a beautiful view of the valley (be careful at the edge of the cliff). Continue along a path with average visibility (be careful of your bearings), then you will reach another viewpoint. A little further on, follow a very slight left turn.

(9) The path disappears for the last few metres near the Gouffre Caché (marked on the IGN map but not seen on site... it seems to live up to its name). Follow the pink markings to turn right twice, then continue on a wide, clearly visible path.

(10) Shortly afterwards, you will come to a viewpoint offering a beautiful panorama of the valley. Be careful of cliffs and crevasses in this area (take care). Retrace your steps, staying on the path and ignoring the path you took to get there on your left.

(11) At the intersection, continue along the path on the left and, not far ahead, follow a path on the right.

(12) You will reach the statue of the Virgin Mary of Lacoux, with beautiful views towards Lacoux and Hauteville. Continue along the route until you reach a path, which you follow for a few metres. You will come to a crossroads (there is a memorial stone here).

(13) Continue almost straight ahead towards La Bertinière. At the^first intersection on the right, follow a path downhill to the road, then follow it to the right. Continue left at the^first crossroads. You will soon reach another crossroads.

(14) Keep right and then, fairly quickly, turn left (passing a goat farm). A little further on, ignore the two intersections on the left and join a road (RD53).

(15) Continue straight ahead on the path and, fairly quickly, keep right at the^first intersection you come to: continue until you rejoin the RD53.

(16) Follow this road to the left, downhill, until you reach the^second hairpin bend.

(17) Continue along the road for a few metres, then turn right onto a path. Further down, you will reach a crossroads.

(18) Continue straight ahead towards Moulin de Charabotte.

(19) Shortly after crossing a bridge, keep right on the path (nice area).

(20) At the bridge, continue straight ahead on the path overlooking the river.

(21) After a short while, keep right at the^first intersection, cross a bridge and head towards a lake (another pretty area). After crossing a bridge on the left (the^{second one} you come to), you will find the car park (S/E).

The starting point can be viewed on Google Maps: click here

Good hiking boots and walking sticks are recommended.

Please take your rubbish with you; nature cannot digest it.

The route originally included a passage through the Combe de Vaux de Bœuf. This option was not chosen due to the difficulties encountered in this area:

• fairly steep slopes in a scree with potential exposure to rock falls,
• numerous fallen trees

Below is a difficulty rating for each section (the route is not uniform):
- green: fairly easy going with no significant elevation changes or difficulties.
- blue: steeper slopes and/or elevation changes on a well-marked route.
- orange: route presenting some technical difficulties and/or poor route conditions (markings or visibility of the path)

From (S/E) to (1): green difficulty
Follow a small road leading to the village of Chaley.
Unmarked area.

From (1) to (3): Blue difficulty
Follow a trail with a few steep slopes and no terrain-related difficulties.
Yellow signposts.

From (3) to (4): difficulty: Blue
The route becomes less easy after passing a small cave: after a short crossing of a scree slope, the path becomes chaotic, requiring the use of your hands at one point. After crossing the stream bed (which was dry when I passed through) and a short climb, the route is then fairly easy.
Yellow markings.

From (4) to (5): difficulty: green
Follow a carriageway with no difficulties.
Signposts at intersections.

From (5) to (7): difficulty: blue
The path is fairly easy to follow.
Signposts at intersections.

From (7) to (8): difficulty level: orange
Please note that the route is not very well frequented until point (10), where it is not always easy to find your way. The route is not marked on IGN or OSM maps (which is why I have rated it as orange)
Initially, you follow a path with vegetation that varies depending on the season (the route was also completed in March but with a different assessment); you may come across a small area marked by brambles, which can be avoided by keeping to the right (noted during my last visit). The route then continues along a track running at a short distance from the edge of the plateau. Be careful of a small cliff at the^first viewpoint.

From (8) to (9): difficulty: orange
Be careful of a relatively deep crevasse and the cliff at the edge of the viewpoint. Continue along a route that is still moderately visible at times and bear slightly left after another small viewpoint.

From (9) to (10): difficulty level orange
On the final section, the trail disappears for a short distance. Head left, following a few pink markers to reach the Rocher du Grand Sangle viewpoint shortly afterwards.
Unmarked section.

From (10) to (11): difficulty: blue
Be careful of cliffs and crevasses near the viewpoint. The rest of the route is easy to follow.
Some old yellow markings + signposts at intersections.

From (11) to (13): difficulty: Blue
A road suitable for vehicles is followed for a good hundred metres, then the route continues on a path with a series of small ascents and descents.
Signposts at intersections.

From (13) to (14): difficulty: blue
Follow a road for the^first part of the route, then continue on a downhill trail. Further down, the route follows a small road.
Signposts at intersections.

From (14) to (15): difficulty: Blue
Follow a short section of road before taking a path on the left with no significant difficulties.
Signposts at intersections.

From (12) to (16): difficulty: Blue
Follow a path with some steep slopes at the start; overall, the difficulty is fairly minimal.
Signposts at intersections.

From (16) to (17): Green difficulty
A quiet road is followed without difficulty.
Unmarked area.

From (17) to (18): Blue difficulty
Follow a trail with minimal difficulties.
Area not marked.

From (18) to (19): Green difficulty
Follow a small road without encountering any difficulties.
Area not marked.

From (19) to (20): Green difficulty
A path is followed without difficulty
Area not marked.

From (20) to (21): difficulty: blue
After the bridge, the route follows a path on a slightly steep but very secure section, then becomes fairly straightforward.
Unmarked section.

From (21) to (S/E): Green difficulty
This section is fairly easy
Area not marked.

• Rocher du Grand Sangle.
• Gouffre Caché: after some research, this seems to be incorrectly located by IGN and would appear to correspond to the long crevasse encountered a little earlier. Access is not easy without equipment (in fact, this is another activity related to caving). For more information, click here.
• Vierge de Lacoux: for more information, read the article by clicking here
• Stèle des Prés Roux: for more information, click here.
• The "Ghost Train" line. For more information, click here to access an old article from the Journal du Bugey. See also the book "Les Tramways de l'Ain" published by Éditions du Cabri.
• The Moulin de la Charabotte: in ancient times, there were three mills in this area. They were replaced around 1872-1873 by a textile factory that operated until 1902