Sorbiers (Loire) walks

Family-friendly walk in the hills of Saint-Héand among the horses and cows.

Beautiful route along the ridges around the village of Fontanès. Free parking in the castle grounds.

A circuit primarily on small paved and sunny roads.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

A long route along the panoramic ridges of Mont Pilat.

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.

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'.

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.

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

A lovely walk with some beautiful views of the Gier valley. Our canine friends will find little shade, no paved roads, no river for water, but in season there is a tap at the Saint-Apollinaire chapel.

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 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.

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.

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

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).

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

A lovely hike in the Pilat hills offering 360° views of Pilat, the Alps, the Monts du Lyonnais and the Monts du Forez.