The roof of the Rhône: Mont Saint-Rigaud

Hello, I don’t understand why you’re mentioning Saint Cyr / Chatoux, as the hike in question starts at the Col de Crie near Monsol, and there are other details in your message that don’t add up.

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Date of your route : Apr 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part of the walk is very pleasant, with magnificent views; the second part, which involves a long stretch along a forest track, is less interesting. Overall, it’s a fairly enjoyable walk, though it would be better if the route were altered from the hamlet of St Cyr/Chatoux.

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Date of your route : Mar 24, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, mainly through woodland, with a few views of the Beaujolais hills; an easy, well-marked route if you follow the existing SR1/SR2 signposts. Exceptional 360° views from the summit of Mont St Rigaud as the trees have not yet put on their leaves. However, there are a few tricky sections on some paths due to forestry work, and the descent is very stony on the path after the spring.

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Date of your route : Feb 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with stunning views and no particular difficulties. We didn't encounter many people. The first half of the climb was in fog with the sun peeking through, which made for some beautiful photos taken in the pine forest. The elevation gain is fairly easy and the view from the top of Mount Rigaud, with the sun coming out, is magnificent. Note the beautiful wooden tower with its double helix staircase. The paths are fairly passable, with mud on some sections, but nothing unusual for this time of year.
We'll be back this summer.
Thank you for introducing us to this place.

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Thank you for this beautiful hike in lovely weather. The scenery, even in the woods, was stunning. Very little tarmac, which was much appreciated. The elevation gain was less difficult than expected because it was very well distributed. And I found it very interesting to go around the other mountains rather than just climbing up and down Mount St Rigaud. There were seven of us hikers and we were all delighted. Thank you for all your hard work. For your information, we hiked with the Visio Rando GPS and had no difficulty following the route. We'll be back in the spring. 😊
PS: the paths were fairly passable, with mud in places but always with the option to go around it. After all, it is winter and we are in the forest.

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Date of your route : Dec 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk in cold weather. The mud on the paths has turned to ice (slippery conditions guaranteed...), but the sun reappears during the ascent, giving the landscape a "magical" quality with frost on the trees and persistent mist in the valley. A complete change of scenery guaranteed.
The previous comments are very relevant, but it should be noted that at this time of year, the forest paths and tracks are very clear. There is little tarmac and the paths are wide. Nevertheless, given the abundance of paths in the forest, GPS is an undeniable advantage!
Thank you to the author.

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

Thank you for this beautiful hike in lovely weather. The scenery, even in the woods, was stunning. Very little tarmac, which was much appreciated. The elevation gain was ultimately less difficult than expected because it was very well distributed. And I found it very interesting to go around the other mountains rather than just climbing up and down Mount St Rigaud. There were seven of us hikers and we were all delighted. Thank you for all your hard work. For your information, we hiked with the Visio Rando GPS and had no difficulty following the route. We'll be back in the spring. 😊
PS: the paths were fairly passable, with mud in places but always with the option to go around it. After all, it is winter and we are in the forest.

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

Thank you for this beautiful hike in lovely weather. The scenery, even in the woods, was stunning. Very little tarmac, which was much appreciated. The elevation gain was less difficult than expected because it was very well distributed. And I found it very interesting to go around the other mountains rather than just climbing up and down Mount St Rigaud. There were seven of us hikers and we were all delighted. Thank you for all your hard work. For your information, we hiked with the Visio Rando GPS and had no difficulty following the route. We'll be back in the spring. 😊
PS: the paths were fairly passable, with mud in places but always with the option to go around it. After all, it is winter and we are in the forest.

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Date of your route : Mar 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

path cleared by the foresters. We did it before the felling

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fine hike on 21 February, 3.5 hours including a break, but the weather was cloudy and rather mild. At this time of year, you have to expect to tread on a few muddy stretches, but nothing catastrophic. There are some very fine views with a fairly easy gradient and several points of interest, including the "orgy" point at the summit with its beautiful wooden tower and double helix staircase.
This route is undoubtedly much more popular in fine weather and on weekends.
We really enjoyed it and will certainly do it again sometime.
I would recommend
Thanks to the author 👍

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Date of your route : Nov 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route was completed in bitterly cold weather. There were 18 of us and everyone enjoyed it, apart from the cold, but there was just one drawback: the lumberjacks tore up the paths on the north-eastern part of the route, so you sometimes had to leave the GPS route for a short while. Beautiful panoramas, even if they are rarefied by the density of the forests. We preferred to do the loop anti-clockwise to walk as much as possible before lunch. As I use a GPS, I don't dwell too much on the description, but I did rate it very highly.

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great walk, mainly in the shade, which is very pleasant at this time of year. The paths are very pleasant, wide and pastoral. It's a lovely loop. Completed in 4 hours, with a picnic break at Mont Rigaud.

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Date of your route : Jul 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk through undergrowth. Follow the explanations carefully. Stony paths alternate with dirt tracks.

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Great walk, mainly in the shade, which is nice on hot days. I took the opportunity to pick a few mushrooms. No major difficulties, and not too many Douglas fir trees. A short break at Mont Rigaud for a picnic. The walk took 4h30.

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Date of your route : Jan 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk under the 1st snowfall in 2024! It's a very pretty route, which I'm more familiar with in autumn. Unfortunately, as the sky was very overcast, we weren't able to enjoy the lovely view from Mont Rigaud, but it was a lot of fun all the same.

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