Saint-Genest-Malifaux walks

A pleasant Sunday walk, very popular and enjoyable in good weather.

Car-free route: depart from Saint-Étienne Bellevue station, accessible by tram from Chateaucreux, and take the L14 regional bus towards Jonzieux. Get off at Planfoy Route du Bourg, paying attention to the timetable, especially on weekdays outside school holidays. It is best to travel in the morning.

Hike on the plateau from the Col de la République between Saint-Genest-Malifaux and Saint-Régis-du-Coin.

a peaceful walk with no difficult sections but not recommended for young children or pushchairs, through forest, alongside ponds and numerous fields in the Pilat Park. Update 20/08/25: photos added and details provided for the fork at point (7) Update 15/07/2025: route modified between points (5) and (7) due to the gradual disappearance of the path on the western edge of the pond.

This easy, short walk through the woods in the heart of the Grand Bois in the Pilat Regional Nature Park is a chance to remember a tragic event from the Second World War, around a small monument that has been somewhat forgotten as it does not appear on any maps. Route updated on 18 July 2020.

A walk at the gateway to the Pilat mountains to discover the Lac du Pas du Riot and two dams built under Napoleon III. This walk is easy, suitable for families and without difficulty. The hardest part is climbing the 52 steps of the dam.

The Gouffre d'Enfer dam is one of the most famous sites in the Rhône-Alpes region and a popular walk in the Saint-Étienne area. It was built in 1860 in the Furan valley, near Rochetaillé, and completed 17 years later by the Pas du Riot dam. We then continue along the dam trail to the Pont de Souvignet. The return journey takes us via Les Palais, Les Sagnes and La Croix de Givet before joining theGR®42to arrive at Le Plateau and Rochetaillé.

Long snowshoe hike on the Pilat ridges. Can also be done on foot if there is no snow.

A pleasant walk for summer days, as it is almost entirely in the shade. A spectacular finale with a unique and magnificent view of the city of Saint-Étienne.

An easy, shaded route with few hills, surrounded by pine trees, with beautiful views of the Gier valley, Saint-Chamond, Pilat and the Furan valley, Guizay and Saint-Etienne. Viewpoints and rest areas are provided along the route.

The Pilat massif on its southern slope with a passage at its highest point, the Crêt de la Perdrix.

A short, varied tour in the Pilat Massif around the Crêt de l'Aireiller, with a 360° view from the Crêt de la Perdrix as the grand finale.

This is a fairly strenuous hike with beautiful views. If you wish, between (1) and (2), you can take a slightly easier route. The waterfall is worth the detour.

An easy walk to enjoy as a family. Very popular in summer, it is worth the detour to admire the panoramic view over the Alps and the summits of Mont Blanc, the Lyonnais mountains and the Giers valley, the Vercors massif and those of northern Vivarais. With a wealth of flowers in spring, you can gather bilberries in August and raspberries in September. Unless you choose to go ski touring or cross-country skiing here in winter.

A short circular walk from La Séauve-sur-Semène, following the Semène river, with a return journey partly through the countryside and partly through ancient forest.

A long route along the panoramic ridges of Mont Pilat.

Beautiful views of the Vocance valleys, the Annonay region, the Pilat massif and, on a clear day, the entire Vercors chain with the Alps in the background. A breath of fresh air in the Taillard forest.

This is a challenging hike with significant elevation gain, but the beautiful panoramas and views of this little-known region are well worth the effort.

A walk to discover beautiful views of the Dorlay valley, an opportunity to explore an old Roman road and an old railway line.