Saint-Laurent-de-Vaux - Haute Bruyère

This fairly easy circuit from Saint-Laurent-de-Vaux will take you on a pleasant trail mainly in the forest. If the weather is clear, the view from the Plat Saint-Romain plateau offers a panoramic view of the Alps.

Details

173338
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.56 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 335 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 335 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 607 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 419 m

Photos

Description of the walk

The town hall car park at the entrance to the village on the left coming from Vaugneray.

(S) Back at the church, leave the car park down the street that goes up on the right.

(1) Approximately 250 metres before the bend in the road, take the trail on the left at the foot of a big house. Continue on this path which climbs gently near the forest and the Bois de Taconan.

(2) When you arrive in a valley in the forest in the middle of which flows the Goutte Lais stream, take the path down to your left along the stream. Follow this path through the woods to cross a dirt road

(3) Take this road to the right to pass above a large farm in Chatanay.

(4) Just past the farm, a small path leads to the right. Follow it.

(5) Shortly after arriving in the fields, the path crosses a dirt road. Turn right on this road leading to a small road that takes you left to the viewpoint.

(6) A very steep trail descends to the left of the table. Take it. It leads you to the farm of Haute Bruyère. Turn right here and return to the road.

(7) Take the road uphill to the right. Ignore the first path which starts on the left and around the next bend, veer onto the trail on the left of the road. Follow this path up above orchards before beginning to run alongside a forest.

(8) At the crossroads at the exit of the forest, take the first path up on the right. Continue to and cut across a small road that you take on your right. The road leads you to a crossroads on the plateau.

(9) Take the road in front of you that leads to the farm of Plat Saint-Romain. Walk along this farm ignoring all other trails.

Reach the farm, take the path that leads off opposite you in the turn. Immediately after this, take the small trail on the left that takes you to point (1) and go down the street to find your car in the car park (F).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 419 m - Town Hall car park
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 436 m - Carrefour de la boucle - Yzeron (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.59 - alt. 532 m - Creux de la combe
  4. 3 : km 2.46 - alt. 465 m - Carriageway
  5. 4 : km 2.88 - alt. 447 m - Big farm
  6. 5 : km 3.19 - alt. 487 m - To the right in the fields
  7. 6 : km 3.73 - alt. 527 m - Orientation table
  8. 7 : km 4.21 - alt. 458 m - La Haute Bruyère
  9. 8 : km 5.86 - alt. 517 m - Crossroads at the forest exit
  10. 9 : km 6.96 - alt. 601 m - Rating 601
  11. S/E : km 8.56 - alt. 419 m - Town Hall car park

Notes

Parking: you can leave your car in the car park outside the town hall. If it is full you can park before the bend a little higher up.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 31 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
ASSG
ASSG

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 02, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

No issues

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ponsi
ponsi
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk that I go on regularly with my dog. It’s perfect, with very few roads and hardly any tarmac.

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User 3130901

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with no difficulties. Not much tarmac.

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annie-balades
annie-balades

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route.
We shortened it by going directly from the Piragoy viewpoint (point 6) to point 2 and then back to the starting point.
But even shortened, this route offers magnificent views and very beautiful paths.

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AgnèsDess73
AgnèsDess73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant walk with very little tarmac and a small difference in altitude, but done without any difficulty in 2 hours 15 minutes without hurrying.
Lovely views and very few people (it was a Monday 😉 )

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baboutravel
baboutravel

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Lovely route! invigorating with climbs and descents! very little tarmac. lovely views. a perfect walk for us! thank you!
not very busy on 25 december

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Thabor
Thabor

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

On 3 November, we narrowly avoided the fog and were able to see a bit of Lyon and nearby Vaugneray.
The terrain was fairly damp, but nothing more, which is normal at this time of year.
The walk was pleasant, with several gentle ascents and descents.
Mountains of mushrooms and chestnuts! A must for enthusiasts.
It takes 3 hours to complete, not including breaks.
3 bikes and one hiker crossed paths.
There were 6 of us, and all the participants were happy!

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liliane.clarens
liliane.clarens

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant, varied walk with a panoramic view of the Lyon conurbation, the Monts-Lyonnais and the Pilat Massif.
Nice woodland crossing with chestnut trees, hazelnut trees, oak trees, trees with unusual shapes and lots of ferns.
Many hikers crossed in connection with the Telethon.
Thanks to the author for this nature trail close to the town.

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lesgreffieres
lesgreffieres
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 05, 2022
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 with few tarmac roads. Beautiful panoramic views at this time of year.
Best done in spring when the buds are coming into bloom, or even in summer as much of the route is wooded.
This walk is classified as medium, probably because of the difference in altitude and/or the presence of stony paths. I would recommend the use of poles and good footwear, especially after a period of rain.
In the description I would have mentioned the different markings (yellow and red at the start of the route, yellow then white and blue before the orientation table) and the signs along the way.
All in all, a very pleasant walk that can be completed in less than 2 hours.

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Patrixdemex
Patrixdemex

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice walk. Nothing to complain about.
However, the "medium" difficulty rating does not seem appropriate. The route has no change in altitude, is less than 10 km long and has no technical difficulties, so the classification is "easy".
A hike to be recommended.

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annie_12
annie_12

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was a lovely walk on an autumn Sunday, and all the participants were delighted!

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VALERIELYON
VALERIELYON

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The hike was very enjoyable, but it was a shame that the view was average due to the overcast conditions.

Note on the times given:

The time given for the "Saint-Laurent de Vaux - La Haute Bruyère" hike was 3 hours 30 minutes, but we did it in 2 hours 10 minutes, including the 10-minute break at the orientation table.

For the hike to Savigny, the time given was also greatly overestimated.
These overestimates are unfortunate because, for longer routes, we can assume that if the time indicated is very high, this may discourage hikers, whereas a more accurate time would motivate those who hesitate.

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Briancon1
Briancon1

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A short walk, with beautiful views, not too much tarmac, lots of hikers trying their hand at reading maps and other instruments, which is a pleasure.

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Sofree
Sofree

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Well-described walk, which exceptionally allowed me to do it without making a mistake and in its entirety.
Thank you, very nice

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Caroline73
Caroline73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely ride on a fairly easy route, mainly through undergrowth. On the other hand, it's a route used by motocross bikes, quad bikes and mountain bikes, so it's quite busy and even noisy at times ...
We got lost on the last signpost, not seeing the road that turned into a track to get back to St Laurent de Vaux.

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