A loop around the Gorges de la Beaume

Shortly before flowing into the Ardèche, the Beaume (or Baume) has carved out meandering gorges in the limestone plateau west of Ruoms. Two routes along paths, paved slanting streets and tracks, but also tarmac, run along one bank of the river and then the other between Labeaume and Ruoms.

Here you will find the typical landscapes and vegetation of karst areas, between abandoned farmland and new developments, and the unspoilt charm of the old village of Labeaume.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.31 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 170 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 172 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 190 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 112 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the village of Labeaume.

(S/E) Turn right down Rue de la Chareyrasse to reach the beach and the bridge over the Beaume.

(1) From the submersible bridge (don't be fooled by its tranquil appearance; the flow is very weak, the floods can be dangerous), admire the cliffs on either side of the river and the village clinging to the left bank, with houses perched on limestone peaks on which partially walled caves (baumes, probably the origin of the name of the village and the river) can be seen.

Cross the bridge and follow a path that heads straight east. At the first crossroads, leave the path on the right and continue straight ahead (signposted Ruoms).
First follow a pretty path under the trees, noting the river banks on your left. Then take a well-preserved paved slanting street, which climbs steadily but gradually deteriorates due to violent Cévennes storms, and finally climbs further up to a small road.

(2) Follow this road on the left. Pass a campsite and a horse riding centre (Chavetourte), after which you will once again catch a glimpse of the cliffs on the opposite bank. The road continues along a wide track, then a path that joins a tarmac road, which you should take on the right for about 100 metres.

Be careful at a junction that is a little complicated due to access to houses. Look out for the signposts. Finally, keep going in the same direction and take the Impasse de la Grotte almost opposite, a steep descent that is initially paved but then becomes a stony path, sometimes with natural steps. Stop at the Ruoms road.

(3) The road is very busy and visibility is poor at this intersection. It is best to cross with caution and stay on the right-hand side towards the bridge over the Beaume, where you will need to stop again to admire the cliffs. Continue to the Peyroche crossroads (the cross has disappeared).

(4) Turn left to cross the hamlet and its many arches. Turn left again at the first crossroads (look carefully after the arches) and keep left again at the next three-way junction (signposted Labeaume), going downhill. On the left is an interesting, well-kept garden with a mixture of olive trees and aloes.

Then take a beautiful path that winds through the forest. On the right, a crack in the rock allows a stream to flow through, on which a wash house has been built. After a climb, join a wider path at Champ Lautier (stay on the Labeaume signs).
Follow the path to the departmental road. As the path is sometimes stony, you may prefer to take the wider, more recent section, which joins the road 50 m higher up.

(5) Follow the D345 on the left for about 300 m until you see a sign for "Le village pour piétons" (pedestrian village). Turn left onto this street, which continues as a beautiful paved slanting street that winds through the old village until you reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 125 m - Village of Labeaume
  2. 1 : km 0.16 - alt. 112 m - Flooded bridge - Beaume (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 0.98 - alt. 182 m - Take the road on the left towards Chavetourte
  4. 3 : km 2.14 - alt. 119 m - Route de Ruoms, on the left
  5. 4 : km 2.57 - alt. 119 m - Hamlet of Peyroche
  6. 5 : km 4.48 - alt. 180 m - Route de Labeaume, on the left
  7. S/E : km 5.31 - alt. 124 m - Village of Labeaume

Notes

The hike is relatively short, and most of the paths are easy, but there are a few steep and stony sections going uphill or downhill. Good hiking boots are essential. Bring food and water.

You can usually follow the yellow and white markers. However, please note that these may correspond to different routes.

The very touristy village of Labeaume (classical music festival in summer) has organised parking, including a large, well-signposted car park just before the village. Please respect the restrictions and spaces reserved for residents. The starting point for the hike was located nearby.

Worth a visit

Take the time, for example after the hike, to wander through the narrow streets, paved slanting streets and vaulted passages of the old village of Labeaume and linger in front of the shop windows of the artisans, which will be open if it is not too out of season.

Coffee and food available in season.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 33 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
User 24881072

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Not bad, but could do with a few more arrows.

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vonvonfan
vonvonfan

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike with lovely views. Impeccable trail

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boninmi
boninmi

It's no big deal, it can happen to anyone when they're distracted or admiring the scenery
My only concern is to be able to clarify the description if necessary, but that doesn't seem to be the case here, since we've done the route ourselves.

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encore1matin
encore1matin

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I'll do the same.
I only had the detailed printout from Visorando for this hike.
Nothing on my phone, no map.
I always work this way, and most of the time it works fine.
I don't know why I missed something in the hamlet of Peyroche!
Afterwards, we extended our hike to 'les jardins suspendus' (the hanging gardens), simply because we still had some energy left in our legs.

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boninmi
boninmi

I posted this hike eight years ago. No one had ever gotten lost...
Three of us did it again today. As it had been a while since we last did it, I downloaded the route onto the Visorando app, just to be on the safe side.
encore1matin, did you have the description, the IGN map, and the GPS from the Visorando app?
It seems to me that the crossroads on the left after point 4 is easy to find, and that there are hiking posts at almost every crossroads.

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encore1matin
encore1matin

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike starting from the lovely medieval village of Labeaume.
(completely flooded by the 1992 floods)
From No. 4, we crossed the hamlet and its many beautiful arches.
And then we got lost...! We couldn't find the way forward and ended up in Ruoms. (What a joke!) We turned back.
We had to walk a long way on tarmac... Grrr!!!
Luckily, we met two hikers who put us back on the right track.
For an initial hike of 5.31 km, with 170 m of elevation gain.
It was very little.
We added the "hanging gardens" when we arrived in Labeaume.
There's nothing to see on the cliff side. The trail is difficult to access. If you're feeling intrepid, go for it.
In total, it was 12 km with 280 m of elevation gain.

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astro64
astro64

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk starting from Labeaume. There are lots of stones on the paths, but that's to be expected: we are in the Ardèche! The temperature was ideal for May (18°C)
The village is well worth a visit.

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Cilie
Cilie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great hike with varied landscapes.

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BM58
BM58

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We did this walk one morning in rather grey and cool weather. It's a typical Ardèche hiking trail, i.e. very rocky! Good shoes are essential, and hiking poles may also be useful. There are some beautiful views at the start (don't forget the viewpoint shortly after the start, but it's not as easy to access as the rest). There's also a beautiful view from the Peyroche bridge. Be careful on the section of road at Peyroche, as it's very busy.
It took us 2 hours and 25 minutes at a leisurely pace, including stops to take photos.
The signposting isn't always clear, but with the app, there's no problem!

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bm.mar13
bm.mar13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Short, easy and pleasant hike, no difficulties

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varec1963
varec1963

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk with a refreshing break halfway along in a pleasant river.
the recommendations are spot on 👍

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Alves Martine
Alves Martine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A little-used route in January for a sunny but very cold day!
You need to make a round trip to the viewpoint above the village. After crossing the bridge (between points 1 and 2), take the road uphill on the right. A magnificent view!

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Cypriella
Cypriella

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this route with a group of hikers, which allowed me to get a feel for it, but then I did it again on my own with my dog to appreciate it more. It's a very easy and enjoyable walk. I really liked the landscape, even if it's not extraordinary, with no spectacular views, but I found it relaxing. I saw a few people, but in December, I think that's normal.

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STEPHANIEPACCOUD
STEPHANIEPACCOUD

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

We were disappointed with this walk because there were very few views of the gorges and the water. It was more like a walk through the scrubland... We only saw two people on the entire route. And it was extremely hot with very little shade...

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Loumès
Loumès

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

short and interesting tour

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