Circular walk around the Serre de Banassac

A hike with no particular difficulties, on good unpaved paths. You’ll pass through chestnut and pine forests and be treated to some splendid panoramic views. Here and there, traces of past activities remind the hiker that this mountain, now uninhabited, was once a refuge for many people.

Details

n°22693572

Creation:
05 Jun 2022

Last update:
11 Jun 2022

Last review:
16 Jun 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 5.17 mi
Average duration: 3h 00
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 758 ft
Descent: - 738 ft
Highest point: 1,388 ft
Lowest point: 699 ft

Country: France
Areas: Cévennes, Massif central
City: Les Mages (30960)
Start/End: N 44.239817° / E 4.169563°
IGN map(s): Ref. 2840OT
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Description of the walk

The walk starts in the hamlet of Larnac in the commune of Les Mages. From the D904, take the road between a second-hand shop and a derelict site and park in the car park at the entrance to the hamlet on the right.

(S/E) Follow the tarmac road (westwards) which crosses the hamlet heading south-west.

(1) At the T-junction, turn right. After about fifty metres, at a Fork in the road, take the right-hand branch, then turn left onto the road. Shortly afterwards, the path continues off-road. Follow it slightly downhill to the bottom of the valley and then climb up the other side to the hamlet of Les Pastrous.

(2) Take a sharp right-hand bend onto the Travers de Couze forest track, which crosses the Rouvergue State Forest, and follow it gently uphill for just over 2 km. Look back from time to time to admire the lovely panoramic view of the Pays de Cèze.

(3) At the Croix de Couze signpost, turn right onto the (unpaved) Route des Banassac, towards Saint-Ambroix and Château du Montalet. Follow the ridge through a pine forest which, unfortunately, suffered severe damage from violent storms in 2021, and continue to the Mas Neuf plateau.

(4) At the signpost, continue towards Saint-Ambroix along a good path that winds through woods of old chestnut trees. Through the occasional clearings in the forest, you can catch glimpses of the Château de Montalet from time to time.

(5) At the Mas Loubet signpost, take the time to stroll amongst the ruins of this former hamlet, which has probably been uninhabited since the interwar period, then turn right onto the only unmarked path (passing by the Yellow Cross). It climbs slightly at first, then veers left and descends to the D904, which you should follow carefully to the right for about 100 m.

(6) Just before a small bridge, turn right onto the Chemin des Taillades. Then follow the mountain bike signposts and take a path that runs alongside a private property on your left. This path turns into a track and leads across the fields back to the hamlet of Larnac (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 781 ft - Car park, Larnac hamlet
1 : mi 0.15 - alt. 817 ft - T-junction
2 : mi 0.55 - alt. 823 ft - The hamlet of Les Pastrous
3 : mi 2.13 - alt. 1,237 ft - Croix de Couze (marker)
4 : mi 2.56 - alt. 1,273 ft - Mas Neuf Plateau (signpost)
5 : mi 3.22 - alt. 1,339 ft - Mas Loubet (marker)
6 : mi 4.62 - alt. 702 ft - Chemin des Taillades
S/E : mi 5.17 - alt. 781 ft - Car park, Larnac hamlet

Notes

Best avoided in summer during hot weather, unless you set off very early in the morning.
Much of the walk is not signposted, but the paths are so clearly marked that it is impossible to go wrong.
There is no water along the route, so it is advisable to take plenty with you.

Worth a visit

From the signpost at Mas Loubet (5), it is possible to continue on to Château du Montalet and then retrace your steps, but you should allow for an extra hour and a half’s walk.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5

Route interest
3.8 / 5

drindrin30

16 Jun 2026 at 16:11 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 12, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

80 per cent of the route is very interesting, apart from the section on the very busy, fast-moving road from Saint-Ambroix, which is very dangerous for a group (a strip no more than 1 metre wide!!!!) , whereas there’s a very pleasant single track further up (quite close to the road), under the trees and, above all, which avoids having to ride on the road itself.
I think it would be a good idea to replace the existing route with the one we took.
We’re happy to provide you with a GPS track to make this hike – which is full of interesting spots – safer.
On our way back, we met some walkers who, indeed, found the section along the road to be very dangerous.
Please contact us at: (!)!:

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mazaleigue

03 Nov 2025 at 10:15 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, lots of large rocks but a pleasant route and beautiful autumn colours.

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Klodeko

02 Apr 2024 at 10:32 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I did this with my two dogs, walking in the opposite direction and heading up to the Serre de Banassac, following the red dotted line on OpenStreetMap, along a path that eventually fades away but is still just about visible. Descent along the ridge.
Overall, this circular loop is of average interest.

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lenouh974

12 Dec 2022 at 20:38 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A nice, easy post-meal stroll with no real difficulty, offering a few lovely views. We didn’t come across a soul! A tad monotonous for my taste, but the spot where the climb to the cross ends is a lovely spot where lots of other paths branch off, particularly for mountain biking. We’ve made a note of it for next time.