Across the Massif Central by mountain-bike

Description

The trail has a total length of 1,390 km stretching from the Morvan to the Mediterranean! It crosses a wide palette of scenery, geology and heritage that you can discover at your own rhythm by mountain-bike or electrically assisted mountain-bike, with friends or family. You will cross breath-taking scenery, from the granite uplands of the Mont Lozère to the majestic forests of the Aigoual massif via the vast limestone plateau of the Causse Méjean, which is cut through by the spectacular Tarn and Jonte gorges ! Discover the fauna and flora of these mountain ranges and meet the men and women who live there. Only the section of the trail which crosses the territory of the Cévennes National Park is described here, from Bagnols-les-Bains to Le Vigan. The suggested route can be covered in five stages: 1 - Bagnols-les-Bains/Pont-de-Montvert-Sud-Mont-Lozère, 2 - Pont-de-Montvert-Sud-Mont-Lozère/Sainte-Enimie: (1) on electrically assisted MTB, take the road towards Grizac, (2) at the activity centre, cross the Tarn and head to Sainte-Enimie on the road, 3 - Sainte-Enimie/L’Hom: (3) for a technical section on the way to St-Chély du Tarn, you can climb to the Col de Coperlac pass from Sainte-Enimie on the RD 986 road, 4 - L’Hom/l’Espérou, 5 - l’Espérou/Le Vigan. You can find the whole route on the website: www.la-gtmc.com

Difficulty

Official rating: difficult, by Parc national des Cévennes.

Before you go

• Make sure your equipment is appropriate for several days of hiking as well as the day’s weather conditions. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Take enough water, wear sturdy shoes and put on a hat. Please close all gates and barriers behind you. Slow down in farms and hamlets. Be careful around livestock.

Getting there

Start: Bagnols-les-Bains, Mont Lozère et Goulet (48).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Cévennes, Licence Ouverte 1.0, Licence Ouverte 1.0 (Etalab) (destination.cevennes-parcnational.fr/trek/41480-Grande-Traversee-du-Massif-Central-a-VTT). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 5,771 m, Parc national des Cévennes