Mont-Dore Trails (by Plum)

D Departure: leave the road, pass the gate and climb up the old mining track to the east. It veers to the right and climbs into the "stone". Pass a second hairpin on the left to reach a platform.

1 Saddle (GPS: 665 663 – 7 537 861; alt. 268m): continue to follow, towards the south-west, the main track (the route shows the wounds inflicted by an unscrupulous mining industry). It climbs by making many zigzags in the mineral chaos of the old mine (avoid some secondary tracks).
Follow the markings to stay on the course. At an altitude of 566m, it reaches a characteristic shoulder which allows a view of the surroundings. It makes a turn to the right to circumvent a characteristic movement of ground that was spared by the bulldozers (the horizontal track runs towards the antennas).

2 Intersection (GPS: 664 561 – 7 537 045; alt. 596m): leave the track to take a path that cuts the red earth in the side of the hill (be careful, slippery ground and difficult orientation in foggy weather). Carefully follow the route. First parallel to the track, it then climbs a buttress in zigzags to circumvent a small hillock (alt. 700m). Go down (southwards) towards a small saddle of calcined red earth. Climb a few steps cut into the slippery ground.

3 Intersection (GPS: 663 982 – 7 536 941; alt. 733 m): turn right towards the summit (the path that goes in front descends towards the Vallon Doré). You’ll come to an intersection.

4 Intersection (GPS: 663 885 – 7 536 930; alt. 743m): continue on the plateau westward towards the summit visible in clear weather.

5 Summit (GPS: 664 509 – 7 537 070; alt. 772 m): the return is by the same route or by the Mont-Dore track (via the south-east ridge) in the direction of Vallon Dore.

© Text by Jean Francis Clair

FFrandonnée® grading
* Effort: IBP 65 Not very high (orange)
* Technical difficulty: Not very difficult (orange)
* Risk: Not very high (orange)
* Overall grading: Not very difficult (orange)

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