Valency via the Col de La Croix du Ban

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

A pleasant two-hour walk with the children, including a 3-year-old. There were a few technical sections where I had to hold the younger ones' hands. The first part is really pretty in the woods. We were able to collect lots of chestnuts. The second part was less interesting, with lots of forest paths that had been dug up by tractors. There were lots of alternative paths running parallel, but with GPS there was little chance of getting lost.

Machine-translated

Apart from a stroll to aid digestion, I don't see the point of this hike, which offers no views and largely crosses a logging site (bulldozers, logs, churned-up soil)

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jan 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful short hike, without any major difficulties.
There are quite a few trailheads, so a GPS device is recommended.
Very beautiful passages through the woods, especially as the trees were covered with frost.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk through the woods. Very enjoyable in autumn. We couldn't find the car park in Valency, so we had to park in Larny and walk to Jeu de Quilles. We continued on to Grande Combe and Bois Charnay, then headed for the Col de la Croix du Ban. Many of the paths are not very well signposted. We got lost on the way back from the pass and ended up going back via Jeu de Quilles.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

In April, the route was superb. Most of it is through woodland
One section is less interesting just after the pass, as the route goes along a rather dull stony track. It's not very long, though.

Machine-translated

Thank you for your comment.

I would like to point out again that this hike offers excellent views of the hillsides, the Pilat massif and even the Alps in good weather. All you need to do is take a few steps to the side before reaching the pass.
As mentioned in my description, about 500 metres before reaching the pass, you will find a small path on your left. Follow it for about 100 metres and you will see some climbing rocks (between points 2 and 3). Please note: they are not visible from the path as they are below the path in the forest and there are no signs. On the IGN map, they are marked with small stars to the left of the inscription "Roche Berthaud".

Parking is not too much of a problem during the week. Otherwise, you can also start directly from the Croix du Ban, where it is easier to park, or use public transport as suggested by a hiker (line 147, Craponne-Pollionnay - Valency stop)

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk, easily done with two young children. Be careful if it has rained recently as it can be quite muddy and slippery in places. The advantage is that for children it's a stream party!
The route is almost entirely through woods, with few views, so it's a bit disappointing in that respect. I had no trouble finding my way with a GPS app on my phone, but even with just a map or a printout of the PDF available on this website, it's easy to follow as the route is straightforward.
The only downside is parking. Don't turn into the cul-de-sac where the path starts, as you can't park there, and there are very few parking spaces at the bottom. If possible, I would recommend taking public transport from Lyon, as there is a bus stop next to the start of the route.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

thanks to the author

Machine-translated

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

A pleasant walk for the family (two adults and a 10-year-old child), which we will definitely do again in other seasons.
There are many junctions, but in most cases you just need to stay on the path you are naturally following.

One downside is the small car park (3 or 5 spaces), which is mentioned in the description but poorly marked on the map. Be careful if you haven't taken the time to read the description and are following Waze to find parking. You'll end up in a dead end.

Machine-translated

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

A pleasant little circuit with two advantages:
- It is easily and quickly accessible from the Lyon metropolitan area;
- It is almost entirely covered, which is appreciated during heat waves.
It is true, as other hikers have noted, that there are many opportunities to get lost
but this is due to the multitude of adjacent paths, which are often difficult to untangle, and not to any imprecision
of the description, which is as clear as possible

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Do not use in bad weather

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

On Sunday 29 August, there weren't many people around, except on the GRP section. It was a pleasant surprise for a trail so close to Lyon.
The author did a remarkable job describing each fork in the road. He provides a wealth of detail rarely found in other hikes on the site.
That said, the Visorando app was indispensable to me, as I took two wrong turns before getting back on the right path.
I didn't manage to follow the map and description, but that's not the author's fault. Other people will no doubt do much better than me, which is great! But I prefer to warn people about the complexity of this route, even though it's quite short.
This area is criss-crossed with forest paths and trails, so it's difficult for anyone to describe every fork in the road, as there are simply too many.
The route is entirely in the woods, so it's pleasant in warm weather.
There are very few viewpoints.
There is only space for three cars at the starting point.
Thank you for this enjoyable route for the whole family.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed with three children aged 6, 6 and 9
Not very busy
Varied and very pleasant wooded scenery
Main paths eroded but with alternatives
Despite the short route, a map and compass are useful due to the numerous forest path junctions

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

It is essential to follow this hike using the app available on smartphones to avoid getting lost in certain places. In addition, once you reach point 5, there is a much more passable path 100 metres further on the right than the one suggested.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice walk, but the path, especially in the second part, is very rugged and the explanations are not always sufficient given the many paths that cross each other. However, we didn't get lost... few views because of the many trees, mountain bikers and two motocross bikes...

Machine-translated