Tour and ascent of Mont d'Alambre

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Starting from the charming village of Les Estables, this hike takes you on a tour and ascent of Mont d'Alambre (a ski resort in winter), with a 360° view of the surrounding peaks and a magnificent view of Mont Mézenc, the highest point in the region.

Details

n°1392000
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.08 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 377 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 376 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,691 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,338 m
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Photos

Summit of Mont d'Alambre
Mont d'Alambre
Summit of Mont d'Alambre
Stone cross on the GR40

Description of the walk

Departure from the village square (large car park), located along the D36.

(S/E) From the square, head up towards the post office, then turn right to join the Croix de Boutière road.

(1) After the ski shop, take the path on the left and cross a field with football goals. Pass in front of the lodge du Mezenc and reach a fork near the start of the ski lifts.

(2) Take the path on the left, walk alongside the ski lifts, then veer off to the right.

(3) At the crossroads, turn right. At the first fork, go left and at the second fork, also go left to reach the cross-country ski centre.

(4) Above the car park, follow the D274 road towards Croix de Peccata, taking the path running parallel to it on the left-hand side.

(5) At the Croix de Peccata, take the path on the left, turn left again immediately and enter the forest. Cross a forest path, then cross a clearing and continue along the path.

(6) At the stone cross, turn left and follow theGR®40.

(7) At the first crossroads, leave theGR®40and turn right at the ski slopes. Then take the left-hand track and climb towards the summit of Mont d'Alambre a little further west until you reach a small building topped with an antenna.

(8) Descend along the wooden barriers and, at the fork in the tracks, take the left-hand track to rejoin theGR®40.

(7) Follow it to the left.

(6) Pass by the stone cross again and continue straight ahead on theGR®40.

(9) At the first intersection, leave the GR® and follow a path to the left (signposted "Tour du mont d'Alambre"). Join the Ronde de l'Alambre forest path.

(10) Follow it to the left. Go around the mountain to the west, staying at roughly the same level or descending slightly.

(11) At the fork, continue right on the wide path and descend more steeply. At Raffet, turn left (east). At the junction with the tarmac road (elevation 1432), first turn left then right to reach a crossroads taken on the way out.

(3) Descend via the same path as on the outward journey to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,338 m - Place du village des Estables
  2. 1 : km 0.15 - alt. 1,346 m - Stony path
  3. 2 : km 0.39 - alt. 1,369 m - Fourche - Departure point for the ski lifts
  4. 3 : km 0.8 - alt. 1,421 m - Crossroads of the loop
  5. 4 : km 1.73 - alt. 1,510 m - Cross-country skiing centre
  6. 5 : km 2.62 - alt. 1,568 m - Croix de Peccata. Close to the source of the - Lignon du Velay (rivière)
  7. 6 : km 4.33 - alt. 1,581 m - Croix de la Plonge
  8. 7 : km 4.63 - alt. 1,572 m - Arrival at the ski slopes
  9. 8 : km 5.36 - alt. 1,691 m - Mont d'Alambre
  10. 9 : km 6.77 - alt. 1,551 m - Intersection
  11. 10 : km 7.54 - alt. 1,489 m - Tour d'Alambre forest path
  12. 11 : km 8.74 - alt. 1,490 m - Fork
  13. S/E : km 11.08 - alt. 1,338 m - Place du village des Estables

Notes

Avoid in strong winds to enjoy the very clear view from the summit.
A wooden table just below the summit can be useful for a lunch break.

Worth a visit

Beautiful panoramic views at the Péccat cross and at the summit of Mont d'Alambre with a 360° view and a view of Mont Mezenc.

 Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

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

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Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 19 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
THAMOS
THAMOS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk. For those who wish, climbing Mount Alambre is optional... from the summit (antenna), you cannot see Les Estables; you have to descend a little on the scree. For those who do the whole loop, it is very pleasant and there is very little elevation gain!

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Visiorandonneur 79
Visiorandonneur 79

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike in foggy weather, which meant that the view from the top of Mount Alambre was obscured... A shame, because it was a beautiful hike.

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Mirapepsi
Mirapepsi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Very nice dog walk! 🐶😉
⚠️ The trail markings for this hike are designed for summer!
We did it in beautiful snow, by the way ☀️, but we used some cross-country and downhill ski trails, which sometimes forced us to turn back
The cross-country ski trails and snowshoe trails are very good, and the users didn't say anything to me.
It was just impossible to climb Mount Alambre, and I didn't take the risk of going up a downhill ski slope!
⚠️ The chalet at the start of the cross-country ski trails lets me through on Mondays and Wednesdays, but there's a new fee.
So bring your wallet if you want to continue 😉

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Gwendal43
Gwendal43

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with a superb 360° view from the summit of Mount Alambre.

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le dd
le dd

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 30, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike with no technical difficulties, half of which is through woods.
A magnificent 360° view from the summit, especially of the Alps.
Thanks to the author

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ardechom
ardechom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike. Thank you to the author.

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BENISTANT
BENISTANT

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

stunning 360° view from the top of Mount Alambre. It was very windy, but that didn't matter—we were blown away by the autumn colours on the trees, which were absolutely beautiful. I recommend visiting in autumn.

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Guy de St Martin
Guy de St Martin

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We contented ourselves with walking around Mount Alambre. It was a pleasant stroll on a beautiful September afternoon, picking mushrooms (bolet bai).

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jirpam
jirpam
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk despite the clouds and a little rain, but that didn't stop us from enjoying the superb panoramic view at the summit. The position numbers on the map are too large and get in the way of seeing where you are. There is no indication of the turn-off to the summit (and the description "at the start of the ski slopes" is not sufficient).

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Michel lacroix
Michel lacroix

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with magnificent views. We even combined this hike with the ascent of Mount Mézenc.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to the author

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Michellewlo
Michellewlo

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, mainly through forest.
There was still snow on the mountain and a lot of fog at the summit, so we couldn't see anything. But that was to be expected, as the weather wasn't great.
Note: we "missed" the turn-off for the climb because "there are no signs at the start of the climb via the ski slopes!". We turned back (when we realised we were going downhill) to find the path again (easy with a GPS, but probably less obvious without one).

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randoloire42
randoloire42

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the numbers on the map make it difficult to see where you are.

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Véronique G2.
Véronique G2.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike with stunning views from the summit and a very pleasant walk through the forest on the way back, where we even found some porcini mushrooms:
We often go hiking thanks to Visorando and are rarely disappointed

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legendarme
legendarme

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The only point of interest on this hike is climbing the mountain to enjoy the 360° view, especially of Mont Mézenc.
However, there are no signs at the start of the climb via the ski slopes!
What a shame!

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Kélig07
Kélig07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, easy hike starting from Les Estables.
To start the hike, after crossing the football pitch, take the gravel path on the right. There is now a four-season tobogganing complex, which you should walk alongside, keeping it on your left.
When you reach the cross-country ski centre, rather than following the road along the grassy edge, I prefer to take a track that branches off to the left through the woods and joins a track that you take to the left not far from the Péccata cross. This option avoids crossing paths with crowds of walkers setting off to "climb" Mt Mézenc.
The climb to the top of Mont d'Alambre is well worth the detour. It's just a shame that the end is under the ski lift pylons. There is a beautiful 360° panorama of the Ardèche and Haute Loire mountains. The plateau is splendid... thanks to the work of the local farmers. We are in the "fin gras du Mézenc" appellation area.

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