Tour of the Chamoise Plateau

Park on Avenue du Camping in Nantua, near a sports complex (parking available) just past the level crossing.

(S/E) Continue along the street to the end: take the path on the left (towards Roche d’Au-Dela) then carry on straight ahead along a track suitable for vehicles, climbing gently for about 500m.
You will reach a junction where four paths meet.

(1) Take the forest track straight ahead, which climbs uphill (at the signpost for Circular Trail Départ), and follow it for about 800m (yellow markings).

(2) At a bend in the track, leave it by heading straight on (at the start of a trail = La Côte Force): follow the steeply ascending path to rejoin the forest track a little further up. Continue along its left-hand side.

(3) Quite soon, leave the forest track again, heading towards the transmitter at a hairpin bend (the second one you come to). Follow the path as it climbs to rejoin the forest track a little further up at another hairpin bend (the third one you come to), where you should take another ascending path.
You’ll cross the forest track a little further up at another hairpin bend (the fourth) and continue along another path.
A little further up, you rejoin the forest track: follow it to the left.

(4) We arrive at an unnamed pass: from here, you can take a short detour to the left (a round trip) to reach the Vierge des Monts d’Ain (15 mins) and enjoy a beautiful view.
Continue to the right towards the Monts d'Ain (yellow markings).

(5) Once you reach the plateau, turn right towards the Monts d'Ain to reach the summit, which is very close by.

(6) The summit of the Monts d'Ain is the highest point of the route (1,127m): from here, enjoy the beautiful views (over Lake Nantua, and even Mont Blanc if the sky is clear).
Retrace your steps back to the previous crossroads.

(5) Do not follow the sign for Saint-Martin-du-Fresne on the right; instead, go straight on to reach a lovely meadow.
A little further on, the yellow-marked trail heads towards the forest. Follow the path, keeping a close eye on the yellow markings. At one point, you’ll need to pay attention and turn left as indicated by the markings. You’ll come to a fork in the path.

(7) Turn left towards the viewpoint (2 mins). Retrace your steps and continue left at the fork.
The path continues down a gentle slope to a farm at a place called La Lachère

(8) Take the small tarmac road (leaving the yellow-marked section shortly afterwards).
At a crossroads, go straight on along Chemin du Champs Carré (the road on the right is called Impasse de la Vierge). You will see the houses of the hamlet known as Les Pélissiers opposite. Walk through this hamlet, cross Impasse de la Ferrière and reach the junction with Chemin de l’Ancienne École.

(9) Turn right onto Chemin de la Mine (a short climb): the road passes through the buildings of the hamlet of La Mine and then descends slightly. Keep left, then turn right at the junction with Chemin de la Greye. Continue to the junction in the hamlet of La Craie.

(10) Leave the road and take a good track on the right which climbs slightly. Ignore the tracks you come across on the right. The path heads north and leads to the Grange de l'Ours.

(11) Continue straight on to reach, a little further down, the beautiful viewpoint known as Les Doigts du Diable.
Be careful here: the access point is only partially visible as the signpost has disappeared. The path then descends gently to rejoin the outbound route further down.

(1) Turn left to return to the starting point via the outward route (S/E)..

Good walking boots are recommended. In wet weather, walking poles are also recommended.

View the starting point.

Nature hates your rubbish. Take it away with you!

The route is generally satisfactory:
From (S/E to 2) yellow markings that are not very visible (and few signposts),
From (2 to 4) no markings, but the path is clearly visible,
From (4 to 8) yellow markings (clearly visible after the (5)),
From (8 to 9): no markings except at the start; finding your way should not be a problem.
From (9 to S/E): no markings until the Chemin de la Greye junction (no problems with direction-finding), then a yellow-marked route until the return.

Alternatives:

(2) As an alternative route, you can follow the longer forest track, which has gentler gradients, to reach the (4) further up.

(4) At the unnamed pass, you can visit the Vierge des Monts d’Ain as a round trip (estimated time to reach it = 15 mins): a beautiful viewpoint.

(8) At La Lachère, I suggest you complete almost the entire circuit of the Chamoise plateau, which offers varied landscapes (mostly through woodland).

Lake Nantua.

The Memorial to the Deportees of the Ain

Nearby: La Roche d'Au Delà. A walk I highly recommend.