Croix de Gratassac

Description

A hike with some tricky steep bits but with rewards at the top: striking panoramic views over Mont Lozère, the lake and the town of Villefort. Gratassac is the only point overlooking Villefort with a 360° view. It has an exceptional panorama of the lake, Castanet, La Garde Guérin, La Chapelle Saint Loup and the Mont Lozère massif. Signposts will guide you all along this route. In the description below, the signposted place names and/or directions are given in bold italics between quotation marks : From “Villefort” walk to : - “Av. de la Gare”, - “Rond Point du Lac”, - “Pisciculture”, and then uphill to : - “CROIX DE GRATASSAC”, continue to : - “Col de l'Arjala”, - “L'Adrec”, - “L'Affenadou”, - "Gare de Villefort", - “Les Hauts des Sédaries”. - Take the “Chemin des Fangouses”, then go back down again to “Pl. de l'Ormeau”. This hike is taken from the guidebook Mont Lozère - Pays des sources de la Margeride au lac de Villefort en Cévennes published by the Pôle de pleine nature du Mont Lozère.

Difficulty

Official rating: difficult, by Parc national des Cévennes.

Before you go

• Make sure your equipment is appropriate for 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 any gates and barriers behind you.

Getting there

Start: Villefort - Place du Bosquet, Villefort (48).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Cévennes, Licence Ouverte 1.0, Licence Ouverte 1.0 (Etalab) (destination.cevennes-parcnational.fr/trek/95016-Croix-de-Gratassac). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 442 m, Parc national des Cévennes