Mezenc Massif | Office de tourisme du Haut-Lignon – Découvrez des activités pleine nature et des hébergements insolites pour vos vacances en Haute-Loire.

Leaving from Tence or Le Chambon-sur-Lignon

It takes about 35 minutes by car to reach the Mezenc parking lot at Croix de Peccata.

Follow the D500 in the direction of Mazet-Saint-Voy
Fay-sur-Lignon
Chaudeyrolles (a stopover is a must!)
Arriving at the Mezenc parking lot at the Croix de Peccata, we set off for the ascent to the summit!

Climbing the highest mountain from Haute-Loire and Ardèche

Through the forest, the path is wide and pleasantly open. In front of us, the majestic cross indicating the summit. The slope becomes steeper, our breath shortens, but what a view! Wide open spaces reveal themselves before our astonished eyes, a feeling of unparalleled freedom! You’re now at 1,753 m. Continue along the ridge to the orientation table, where you’ll enjoy a magnificent view of the Boutières cirques, the Gerbier de Jonc and, if the weather’s clear, the Alps, from Mont Blanc to Ventoux!

Departure point: Mézenc parking lot at Croix de Peccata.

Duration: 2h round trip

Difference in altitude: +237m

A stopover in Chaudeyrolles is a must!

Tour of Mont Signon

Starting from Chaudeyrolles, the PR52 hiking trail takes you around Mont Signon.

Departure point: parking lot under the Chaudeyrolles church

Duration: 1 hour

Difference in altitude: +237m

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"The singing stone

Lauze and phonolith were quarried here from the Middle Ages until the 20th century. Each farmer had his own lot. With a crowbar or a sledgehammer, he detached large prisms from the cliffs of volcanic rock. Using a chisel and sledgehammer, he cut these blocks of phonolite into slabs 2 to 3 cm thick. The lauzeur installed the lauzes on the roofs using wooden pegs.

A little hunger!

On the way back, we stop off at Serge’s Auberge du Mézenc and discover the Maison du Fin Gras PDO.

Fin Gras du Mézenc is a beef from cattle and heifers fed on grass in summer and hay in winter on the Mézenc-Gerbier Plateau. This PDO is closely linked to the ancestral know-how of mountain breeders, and is also a driving force behind local development and the upkeep of the massif’s landscapes.

Narces de Chaudeyrolles

The walk ends on the sentier des narces, the wetlands below Chaudeyrolles. The peat bog in the volcano’s crater also provided the local population with heating when wood was in short supply. This organic matter is formed by the accumulation of vegetation over a very long period in a water-saturated environment, making it an excellent fuel.

The flora of the Mézenc, an exceptional terroir!

You can’t help but marvel at the exceptional richness of the Mezenc’s many protected species. In the peaty areas, you’ll find the round-leaved sundew, the superb carnation, the drosera or the Siberian ligularia, a rare glacial relic! Meadows and rocky moors are home to wild pansies, violets, wild thyme, daffodils, gentians, arnica (which soothes bruises), martagon lilies and many willowherbs.

Take one of the summer botanical tours offered by the tourist office.

Wildlife on the Mezenc plateau

Numerous bird species can be observed on the massif. The Mezenc is the first major rampart west of the Alps. It is a wintering point or migratory springboard for mountain species coming from the Alpine regions. Red kites, peregrine falcons, harriers, crossbills…

The groundhog

The marmot, introduced to the Mezenc some 40 years ago, is well and truly at home here! Numerous scree slopes or “hutches” allow it to live in peace and quiet in its natural habitat. Come at dawn or in the evening, you can hear them whistling! It happily cohabits with ermine, weasel, wild hare, badger, fox, roe deer and wild boar.

Don’t miss the tours offered by the Mézenc Loire Sauvage and Haut Lignon tourist offices, with their Nature Hiking Guide!