Hike as a journey

The Grandes Traversées du Vercors (GTV)

GTVs are permanent way-marked routes between Grenoble and Die, around the Vercors massiif, through foothills and plateaux. The routes rate as No. 2 in the top 10 hikes in France, according to Lonely Planet.

• On foot: the « Tour du Vercors » (350 kms) and a variant, the « Traversée du Vercors », takes you over the Vercors Hauts Plateaux (60 km). As regards the Diois part, the route begins at the Vallon de Combeau and heads for Châtillon-en-Diois, via the Cirque d’Archiane. After that there are two options: the classic route via the GR 95 to Die via Valcroissant abbey and the wild route across the Réserve Naturelle des Hauts Plateaux du Vercors via the GR91, finishing at Corrençon-en-Vercors.
• By mountain bike: 7 stages over 4 days with two options: crossing the Hauts Plateaux or via the ‘Chemins du Soleil’ to Châtillon-en-Diois and Lus-la-Croix-Haute.
• On horse back:  3 days on the plateau starting at the Col de Rousset.

GLÉNAT guide : ‘Grande Traversée du Vercors à pied’ (390 km)

More about the GTVs

The chemins de Grandes Randonnées (GR)

The Topos-Guides by the Fédération Françaises de la Randonnée Pédestre : 

• Tour et Traversées du Vercors du Diois au Baronnies (GR® 9, GR® 91, GR® 93, GR® 95, GR® 429, 50 days duration)
• The Diois on foot, ‘aux sources de la Drôme’ 40 ‘Promenades & Randonnées’ and GRP ‘Tour du Pays de la Roanne)’

More about the "Mon GR" site

Sur les Pas des Huguenots

On foot or on horseback, this international trail retraces the exile of the Protestants of the Dauphiné following the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The trail is one of the longest in Europe, 1400 kms long, between Poët-Laval in the Drôme and Bad Karlshafen due north of Hesse in Germany. The Diois stretch of the trail is way marked between Rimon-et-Savel and Nonières.

• Topo FFRP (guide): ‘Sur le Pas des Huguenots’, from Drôme Provençale to Geneva (over 20 days hiking)

More about the Huguenots trail

The ‘Chemins du Soleil’ on a mountain bike

The Pays Diois sits at the national trail crossroads of the ‘Chemins du Soleil’ which cross the Pré-Alpes on the Valence/Gap-Sisteron and Grenoble/Nice itineraries. In the spring you can get into the saddle and ride an associated event, the ‘Raid VTT’, on international standard routes.

• Topo VTopo (guide) : ‘VTT Itinérance Chemins du Soleil Valence/Gap/Sisteron’

More on the ‘Chemins du Soleil’

The Drôme on horseback

22 sections of riding trails in the Pays Diois and the ‘Tour de la vallée de la Roanne et de l’Oule à cheval’ (7 days to discover the Diois Provençal between Saint-Benoît and Pennes-le-Sec.

More about the Drôme on horseback

See also