The Ibie Balconies

A walk amid holm oaks along the capricious Ibie river, whose water doesn’t always flow overground.

Technical sheet

153178
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.83 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 367 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 364 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 422 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 85 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: Car park at the entrance of the service road to the new settling basins.

(1) From the car park, take the wide, stony track. Walk 300m down the track until you reach a crossing, just before the buildings for the settling basins.

GR4F: Red and White Waymarks
(2) Take the GR4F trail on the right and follow it for about 2.6 km. The path climbs up to Gras plain, where you have views of the Cirque d'Estre, and then continues back down. At the crossing for Combe Longue, take the path to your left and carry on to the next crossing at Bois du Roi.

Yellow and White Waymarks
(3) Leave the GR4F trail and take the path that climbs up to your left.

(4) At the following crossing on the plateau, take the path on your right towards Caverne du Pont d'Arc and follow it as far as the crossing at Serre de la Desferre.

(5) Take the path on the left towards Vallon-Pont-D'arc and follow the stony path as it winds down the hillside.

(6) You will come out onto a track. Turn right and take the leftmost of the two paths ahead of you. Go along the D4 road for 250m, then take the path off to the left, and you will come to a fork.

(7) Take the right-hand path, which takes you down to the bottom of the valley. Cut across the D4 road and follow the path, which then joins the road again below. Follow the road round to the right, cross the bridge, and take the turning to the left on the other side of the bridge.

(8) At the sign for "Pont sur l’Ibie" follow the path on the left down to the riverbed and walk along the river bank for 800m. The path then begins to climb again and ends in a fork. Take the left-hand path, which then joins the GR4F trail at a small submersible bridge.

GR4F: Red and White Waymarks
(9) Turn left, cross the bridge, and join the stony path that you took on your way.
(2) Turn right to go back to the car park where you started

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 91 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.28 - alt. 91 m - GR 4F
  3. 2 : km 2.92 - alt. 280 m - Le Bois du Roi
  4. 3 : km 3.54 - alt. 329 m - Le Charbonnier
  5. 4 : km 5.37 - alt. 421 m - La Serre de la Desferre
  6. 5 : km 6.59 - alt. 299 m - La Barthe
  7. 6 : km 7.32 - alt. 250 m - L'Aygue Blanche
  8. 7 : km 8.68 - alt. 103 m - The bridge over the - Ibie (rivière) - Affluent de L'Ardèche
  9. S/E : km 10.83 - alt. 91 m - Departure car park

Practical information

A walk that is mainly in the shade.

In the nearby area

Views over the Cirque d'Estre (Pont d'Arc).

 Always stay careful and alert while following a route. Visorando and the author of this walk cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident during this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5
Based on 71 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.5 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
Eric Pa
Eric Pa

Overall rating : 2.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Busy trail : No

Uninteresting route.
Big climb from the start, then the climb lasts 5km, half the course, with only one viewpoint.
Then a 5km descent, a real leg-breaker because of the unstable stones and the risk of slipping.
For the picnic, you have to look for a good spot, but I only found one.
Crossing the bridge was dangerous. Fortunately, arriving on the banks of the ibie made the whole walk worthwhile.
I wouldn't recommend it. There are much better things to do here or nearby.
Overall score: 1 for the ibie.

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Chataing
Chataing
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Busy trail : No

The paths are beautiful and well signposted, but of very little interest, 1 viewpoint in 11km and then that's it...
River visible briefly at the end.
I wouldn't recommend it.

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bernard coulomb
bernard coulomb

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

A forest trail with several viewpoints.
To finish along a river with translucent green and blue waters.
No problem with GPS

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Aurelia26
Aurelia26

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Busy trail : No

Very nice route for the first hour. And the last half hour. Not much to see in the middle. You walk on wide paths and even tarmac roads. You cross the main road twice and walk along the road for 200 metres, which can be a bit dangerous.

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yrené
yrené

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : May 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

nice route

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69Eric38
69Eric38

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : May 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

Most of the route is shaded. Some lovely viewpoints. The return along the Ibie is nice.
No major difficulties.

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Val34
Val34

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

Lovely hike with lovely viewpoints, and various opportunities to diverge to other viewpoints if you wish (indicated by signposts), in which case you leave the hike. Nice return along the Ibie.
It took us less time than indicated, even though we had a picnic during the walk. Some forest sections, good if it's hot.

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Perry Stephane
Perry Stephane

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : Yes

Lovely hike, 90% in the shade, it was given as a 4h10 hike, but we did it in 3 h, very nice gradient at the start, otherwise no difficulty, personally I would have rated it easy.
In any case, it's a great walk to do.

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JacquesWaller
JacquesWaller

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Busy trail : No

At point 2 turn left 180 degrees, signposted GR and white and yellow, and leave the GR further on.
After point 6, follow the white and yellow signs, which are nicer.
On the whole, a lot of rocky tracks under the holm oaks, not very interesting.
At the start, the cirque d'Estre, but you have to look out for the viewpoints that you can see.
but you have to look for viewpoints that you can't get from the GR
The ibie was in full water with beautiful pools and magnificent basins.
All in all, mixed impression To do once

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Eliane Couprie
Eliane Couprie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A great loop to do in the off-season.
Done on 12 April. Temperatures of 25°C! The beautiful sections of path in the shade were a haven of happiness. Beautiful views at various points along the way, thanks to the vegetation, which was still coming into its own.
Stony on the whole. Except on the last section along the banks of the Ibie. The dogs made the most of the river, which flowed abundantly and forcefully to refresh themselves after the first 8 km of the walk.
From start to finish, there was plenty to see and enjoy.
The gradient was a little demanding in the first part, but in the end, the loop was completed without any length and without too much soreness the next day!
Crossing the bridge is a bit tricky, especially with dogs as there are a lot of passing cars.

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htellier
htellier

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of walk : Apr 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

At point 2, you don't leave the GR (slight error with the return journey) but you do have to turn left. You leave the GR at point 3.
The views of the cirque and the arch are good if you follow the tracks to the right - a bit sporty but worth it.
It's springtime and the Ibie is full of flowers, green and blue.
Preferably done in spring, not during the summer months.

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Luga26
Luga26

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Jan 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A circuit through the woods with some lovely views through the trees

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dourlande
dourlande

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

Pleasant walk, often in the shade (useful in midsummer)

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Randorando26
Randorando26

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Mar 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Busy trail : No

(Very) few points of view, disappointed overall, I came, I saw, I won't be coming back.

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Rachel30
Rachel30

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Busy trail : No

hike without interest no point of sights except at the beginning the circus of estre, ibie is completely with dry moreover. I does not advise has it

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