Saint-Christophe and Les Trois Bornes - Pays de Saillans

From the lively village of Saillans with its narrow streets, arcades and fountains, passing by the turquoise blue pools of Rieussec, climb up to the Saint-Christophe Chapel. It faces the Trois Becs!

Details

2308896
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 14.08 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 468 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 469 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 655 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 258 m

Description of the walk

(S/E) From the Tourist Office, follow signs for Chapelle Saint-Christophe. At the top, take the Chemin de Trélaville on the left (an old sign on the wall of a house indicates "Chemin de Véronne, Eygluy, Cheylard"). Pass the cemetery and follow the D580 on the right for 800 metres.

(1) At the Chemin forestier de Saint-Christophe junction, leave the D580 and take the Chemin forestier de Saint-Christophe on the left.

(2) After the bridge over the Rioussec, the forest road heads north-west, climbing towards the Maison forestière de Roury.

(3) At the crossroads, continue left, pass the forest house and continue along the main road, which climbs steadily. At the junctions, stay on the main road until you reach the Baubruchin pass.

(4) Continue straight ahead until you reach the small pass, near the Saint-Christophe Chapel.
The chapel is 100 metres away on the right.

(5) At the small pass, take the path (GR® 9) furthest to the left. At the fork, turn right and head for the Col de la Tuilerie.

(6) Change sides and arrive at the Serre des Trois-Bornes crossroads, below the summit.

(7) Change slopes, pass at the foot of the summit and cross the Col de Pourcheton. Descend via the path on the hillside.

(8) At Puymorel, leave the GR® and continue towards Saillans. The path crosses a pine forest, runs alongside vineyards (views of the Trois Becs and the Cresta rock) and reaches the Col des Beaux.

(9) Descend via the track on the right. At the T-junction, follow the road to the left. Take the D493 on the left and continue along Grande-Rue to the tourist office (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 269 m - Tourist Office
  2. 1 : km 1.23 - alt. 321 m - Saint-Christophe forest trail
  3. 2 : km 1.59 - alt. 313 m - Bridge over the Rioussec
  4. 3 : km 2.77 - alt. 360 m - Roury Forest House
  5. 4 : km 3.87 - alt. 445 m - Col Baubruchin
  6. 5 : km 6.21 - alt. 553 m - Saint-Christophe Chapel
  7. 6 : km 7.42 - alt. 567 m - Col de la Tuilerie
  8. 7 : km 9.05 - alt. 652 m - Serre des Trois-Bornes
  9. 8 : km 11.02 - alt. 480 m - Puymorel
  10. 9 : km 12.1 - alt. 397 m - Col des Beaux
  11. S/E : km 14.08 - alt. 269 m - Tourist Office

Notes

We strongly recommend that you take the IGN 3137OT map with you. Bring sufficient food and water and wear suitable clothing for walking. Hikers must be self-sufficient, but professional guides are available if needed. Emergency numbers: 18 or 112.

Information from the Coeur de Drôme – Pays de Crest et de Saillans Tourist Office: 04 75 25 11 38 / accueil@coeurdedrome.com / valleedeladrome-tourisme.com

Worth a visit

Views of the Trois Becs and Cresta rock

GEOGRAPHY - The Giant's Circular.
The Rieussec or Riousset Gorges are part of a limestone landscape shaped by water, with pools connected by waterfalls where crystal-clear water flows. These small basins, known as "giants' pots", are circular hollows created by stones caught in a whirlpool, which polish a circle into the rock. These pebbles, expelled during major floods, are easily recognisable downstream due to their spherical shape and polished surface. In sloping watercourses, erosion can progress to the point of piercing the potholes, which then partially empty and give rise to a series of steep waterfalls. These natural pools are popular with swimmers in summer.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
mariecabuzel
mariecabuzel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part of the path is heavily used by hunters' vehicles, and the consequences are visible: mud across the entire width of the path.

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henridany
henridany

Hike 20 September 2025
clear map and directions
no particular difficulties.
however, we didn't meet any other hikers!
very beautiful scenery

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Chantal Dor
Chantal Dor

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike
No particular difficulty
The pleasure of arriving at St Christophe Chapel for a picnic with a view of the 3 peaks

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Daniel Maciocia
Daniel Maciocia

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk. You can have a picnic at the chapel. Seems to be shorter than 14 km, to be confirmed.

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marc 26
marc 26

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk to get back into it.

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Nousky38
Nousky38

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A fairly easy hike, especially on the way there, with a wide forest track.
As a result, the total journey time was shorter than expected.
The site of Saint-Christophe Chapel is interesting.
Not to be done in the heat of the day.

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Luxury
Luxury

Thanks for the advice. Done.

Otherwise, the hike was perfect, despite the fact that there were a lot of forest trails.

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lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★
Luxury
Luxury

Hello,

Managing the favourites list is not very user-friendly. To delete hikes from the list, you have to select each hike and delete them one by one. A quick global or individual selection would make it easier to use the favourites and manage the list. It would also be useful to be able to sort the hikes by download date in the favourites list. Finally, the ability to create folders in the favourites list would allow hikes to be sorted by region or destination.
Thank you for considering these suggestions.
Frédérique

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BRUN Mireille
BRUN Mireille

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Hello
If I had to do it again, I would do the opposite of what is described.
Lots of forest roads, which are a bit tedious, but some beautiful views.
Pretty chapel

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Domi95
Domi95
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike above Saillans.
Very easy to follow.
The climb up to the Saint Christophe Chapel is on a wide track that rises gradually.
This hike, undertaken on a Sunday morning, was relatively busy with mountain bikers, but it went well. You just need to be a little careful and respectful of others, which was the case for them.

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fmarcel
fmarcel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk, without difficulty, over varied terrain with beautiful views.

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BARNAVON
BARNAVON

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Sports route completed in 2 hours 56 minutes. We were familiar with Saint Christophe Chapel. The direct climb up to La Chapelle is a bit monotonous on this wide track. The rest of the route is more interesting, as it follows paths through woods and vineyards. We picked a few mushrooms.

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Broisou
Broisou

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike, but not particularly interesting in terms of scenery. However, it's a great trail route for training, which is what we did.

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luludu07
luludu07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike with superb views of snow-capped mountains, no particular difficulties.
Worth doing again.

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