Saint-Paul-en-Jarez walks

An easy hike (reasonable distance and elevation gain) offering views of the northern slope of the Pilat Regional Nature Park, the hillsides of Jarez and the Monts du Lyonnais. Alternating meadows and groves, with a few sections on very quiet roads.

This hike around Crêt de Montieux offers beautiful views of Mont Pilat, the Couzon dam and the Col de Pavezin.

A short walk to do with children (but not with a pushchair!). The start is quite steep for little ones, but the rest is fairly easy.

A pleasant circular walk starting from Farnay. Fully marked in white and yellow as Farnay 3 route. Two other walks start from behind the town hall and are signposted. This is the longest, but it is possible to shorten it by 3 km.

Short circular or long circular above Saint-Chamond. A pleasant walk or bike ride for the whole family. This path is quite busy, especially on Sunday mornings when the weather is good. Be careful if there is snow, as there may be snowdrifts near the Col de Trente Sous.

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

Hike in the Pilat Massif with views of the Rhône Valley.

Discover Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez and its Chartreuse in the Pilat region, starting from the dam on the Couzon.

Walk to the Roches de Marlin and return along the Lac du Couzon. On the way, you can visit the former Chartreuse de Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez.

Walk in the Pilat, 6 km from Rive de Gier, around the beautiful Lake Barrage du Couzon.

This is a beautiful hike that allows you to see different landscapes: lake, forest, path and, finally, the river bed as you pass over a pretty aqueduct. This hike is a shorter variation in the opposite direction to the hike I found on this website, called 'Around the Couzon Dam'.

A beautiful hike through orchards and forests in the hills above Rive de Gier. The very hilly area offers beautiful panoramic views. Chagnon and Saint-Romain-en-Jarez are interesting for those who love old buildings.

This hike takes us to Les Roches de Marlin, which is somewhat overgrown with broom and other vegetation, and the beautiful flower-filled village of Longes. Don't forget to enjoy the beautiful views of the Gier valley and the crosses at almost every crossroads.

A long route along the panoramic ridges of Mont Pilat.

An easy route to discover the Crêt de Baronnette and the Celtic site of the Château de Bélize, in the Pilat Regional Nature Park. A half-day walk, perfect before or after lunch.

On the heights of Saint-Martin-la-Plaine, a lovely walk through the fields. The last part takes you past a zoo where you can see a few animals (ostriches, wolves, goats).

This circuit starts in Valfleury, a charming village nestled at the bottom of a valley, and mainly follows ridges offering numerous views towards Saint-Chamond, Saint-Étienne, Pilat and, further afield, Forez and Auvergne. Don't miss a visit to Valfleury church.

A very varied hike in the Loire, alternating between open landscapes with meadows, valleys, deciduous forests and numerous apple and cherry orchards. The walk also allows you to discover a curious underground aqueduct. In good weather, you can enjoy a breathtaking view of Mont Blanc and the entire Alpine range. This hike can be enjoyed in all seasons, but it must be magnificent in spring when the fruit trees are in bloom.

Long hike in the Pilat massif. Ideal for beautiful days in May. This hike has two main attractions. It allows you to discover the Cascade du Gier waterfall before entering a completely different world and discovering all the ridges of the Pilat. The advantage is that there are several points where it is possible to shorten this beautiful hike. Please note: the first part through the woods is not well marked and it is easy to take the wrong path.

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.

Most of this hike takes place in beech forests. It is perfect on sunny or windy days. It overlooks the village of Pavezin.

More than fourteen crosses to discover on this hike around Pavezin.

In the footsteps of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Doctor Odouard, a circular eight between the Cols de Pavezin and Doizieu. The first part leads to the Croix de Montvieux via the ruins of the Château de Bélize and the Crêts des Quatregrains, with a beautiful view of the Pîlât mountains. The second part goes to the Collet de Doizieux via pleasant forest tracks and views of Pélusin and the Rhône valley. The return route passes through the Neufond woods with two beautiful screes and the Baronnette trails.

Hike through the forest from one pass to another via Mont Ministre, alternating between panoramic views of the Pilat massif and the Rhône valley. Along the way, there are a few remarkable sites: Grotte des Fées (Fairy Cave) and the Old Chapel. There are places to eat at both passes, or you can stop for a picnic at Col de Grenouze. Take care on the descent from the forest track to the Vieille Chapelle: it is a narrow, fairly steep path that can be slippery in wet weather.

A short hike in the Pilat Massif with plenty of shade. The route is not too difficult and offers beautiful views of the Rhône Valley, the Vercors and the Alps, weather permitting, as well as the Monts du Lyonnais in some places and the Gier Valley.

Straddling the Loire and Rhône rivers, near Rive de Gier, Saint-Joseph and Saint-Maurice-sur-Dargoire, this is a very pleasant walk along the river.

Most of the hike is in the woods, which is very pleasant in summer. From La Valla-en-Gier, a pretty village that has retained its authentic character, take a small road and then a footpath to reach the Ruisseau du Ban stream, nestled at the bottom of a bucolic valley. The path runs alongside this stream for almost 3 km before climbing up to the Bessat plateau. TheGR®®42 trailtakes you to Le Bessat, a tourist village with low, squat houses reminiscent of the nearby Massif Central. The return journey is a descent through the woods.

This hike is primarily along clear paths with views over le Pilat and Sainte-Catherine. An easy trek with some slight up and downhill slopes. Be careful, as non-stone tracks can get muddy in the rainy season.

A very beautiful hike that allows you to discover some very interesting places, especially the beautiful village of Sainte-Croix-en-Jarez, with magnificent views along the entire route.

A wild walk, often along the Bozançon, with the option to visit special sites (Roman aqueduct).

The route passes through different areas in the countryside around Saint-Christo-en-Jarez (wetlands, forest and meadows). Along the way, themed information boards provide details about the local wildlife. On a clear day, two-thirds of the way along the route, you will be treated to a magnificent view of the Alps.

A circuit primarily on small paved and sunny roads.

The hike combines the Odouard and Jean-Jacques Rousseau trails, starting from Chuyer. The first part, to the south-east, on the Odouard trail, offers beautiful views of the Rhône valley. At the Col de Grenouze, the small loop takes you up to Mont Monnet: orientation table, beautiful view in good weather over the valley, the Vercors and the Alps (Mont Blanc). Forest paths then follow the Jean-Jacques Rousseau trail to the Col de Pavezin, and return via the Odouard trail.

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.

Enjoy the atmosphere of northern Ardèche with this exceptional hike in the heart of Pilat. Pass through the main ridges of Pilat to discover breathtaking views and small steep paths.

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 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.

Long snowshoe hike on the Pilat ridges with little elevation gain. Can be done on foot in the right season. If there are no tracks, GPS or an app can help in addition to the map.

An easy hike along the ridges of Pilat linking three major summits, via trails through forests and moors. Along the way we discover magnificent views of the Alps, the Massif Central and the Rhône Valley.

This is a lovely hike for exploring the Pilat ridges, with superb panoramic views of the entire Alpine range. The route takes you through a variety of landscapes, from scree slopes to coniferous forests and heathland covered with heather and broom. In season, you can pick wild raspberries and blueberries. This route offers a return via a less frequented path through a deciduous forest.

At the start and end of the route, this circuit follows the Tacot, a local railway line that connected the two sides of the Pilat Massif, the Loire and the Rhône, until 1930. Magnificent views of the Pilat Massif, but above all of the Rhône Valley and the Alps, with Mont Blanc visible on the left when the sky is clear. Most of the circuit is in the forest.

This walk starts in Pelussin (in the heart of Pilat) and offers a gentle climb (just under 600m) to keep you in shape, rising steadily throughout. You will arrive at the Dentillon hut, with its arboretum and orientation table. You can then continue on to the 3 dents, which takes an additional 45 minutes and 250m of elevation gain.

This easy walk allows you to stroll around the beautiful village of Pélussin before heading into the wooded valley of the Scie stream. It partly follows the Priel trail (Pelussin 1, yellow/white markings).

Walk around the Bozançon valley (and even the Bozançon rivers) with remains of Roman aqueducts, water mills, old railway tracks and old gold mines. At Les Piles, you can continue up the Bozançon to the viaduct and return to Jurieux via the old railway line (an extra 2 hours).

This varied circuit runs through the upper catchment area of the Grand and Petit Bozançon rivers, taking you along the banks of streams, up hillsides through orchards and, at times, offering unobstructed views of the Pilat mountain range.

This is a beautiful, easy walk along both sides of the Bozançon River, where this section of the valley is a succession of ancient terraces structured by low stone walls. A taste of Provence.. Old description, see reviews if you are not using the app

This circular hike in the Monts du Lyonnais between the Rhône and Loire rivers takes place in a little-visited and rather secret area around the Bezançon valleys and its tributaries, including the Grand Bezançon and Petit Bezançon, passing through a few isolated hamlets. It allows you to discover three arches, remnants of the Roman aqueduct of the Gier, and a high bridge pier of a railway line, intended to connect Rive-de-Gier to Mornant, whose construction was halted by the war of 1914. This route can be shortened to 23 km with an 800 m elevation gain by taking a shortcut (see practical information).