The GR 70 from Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès in the tourist office's twelve stages, village to village over the Velay, the Gévaudan, Mont Lozère and the Cévennes, on the way Robert Louis Stevenson walked with his donkey in 1878.
Best season: May to October. The association gives May to October as the best period, since the path climbs to 1,700 m; most places to stay open from Easter to All Saints' Day (1 November). From mid-October to mid-April fog and snow can make it hard, the FFRandonnée's Haute-Loire guide says, and in winter the waymarks, sometimes the paths themselves, disappear under the snow: winter walking is for walkers who know the area, with bookings made at least 8 days ahead. Before you go
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Twelve stages, each ending in a village with places to stay, and ten more villages on the way for shorter days. Some stages have only one or two small places, the association says: book ahead, and start on a weekday if you can. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: From the church of the Collège in Le Puy to Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille, where Stevenson set out with Modestine: 19 km, the tourist office says. This stage and the last were added so the GR starts and ends at a station.
Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille Town or village
Where Stevenson set out with Modestine in 1878. A village with a communal gîte d'étape, hotels, rooms and a camp site; Âne Azimut hires donkeys here.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 8 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 2: Through the Velay to Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas: 24 km. Goudet, on the way, has no grocery or bakery.
Le Bouchet-Saint-Nicolas Town or village
A small village with gîtes d'étape, rooms with table d'hôtes and a municipal camp site. Book ahead: the association says some stages have only one or two small places.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 6 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 3: To Pradelles, a hilltop village: 21 km.
Pradelles Town or village
A hilltop village with a hotel, gîtes and rooms. Langogne, a little further on at the start of the next stage, has a station on the Nîmes to Clermont-Ferrand line.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 6 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 4: Into Lozère through Langogne, which has a station, then on to Cheylard-l'Évêque: 22 km. Cheylard has no grocery or bakery and few beds: book it first.
Cheylard-l'Évêque Town or village
A tiny village with no shop or bakery, the association says: one gîte in the village (the Refuge du Moure) and rooms at Laubarnes, 1.2 km off the GR. Book well ahead and carry food for the day.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 1 place to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 5: By Luc, its castle ruins and the Régordane route, and the abbey of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, to La Bastide-Puylaurent: 27 km. The abbey's walkers' gîte is run by Cistercian sisters; in 2026 it was open 22 April to 3 October, closed on Tuesdays, and booked by email only.
La Bastide-Puylaurent Town or village
A village on the railway, with hotels, rooms and a camp site. The abbey of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, before the village, has a walkers' gîte run by Cistercian sisters: in 2026 it was open 22 April to 3 October, closed on Tuesdays, and booked by email only.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 6: Past the source of the Allier at the Moure de la Gardille and the source of the Lot on the Montagne du Goulet to Le Bleymard: 29 km. The route was changed at five points in 2025, all waymarked: after La Bastide station, on the descent to Chabalier, at Chasseradès station, at L'Estampe (private land: close the gates) and on the climb to the Goulet, away from the D120. The 2023 topoguide is out of date here.
Le Bleymard Town or village
A village at the foot of Mont Lozère with gîtes d'étape and rooms. The next stage crosses the highest point of the GR, 1,699 m.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 7: Over Mont Lozère, the highest point of the GR at 1,699 m (the Pic de Finiels), to Le Pont-de-Montvert: 19 km. Bivouac is banned on the Finiels section, the national park says.
Le Pont-de-Montvert Town or village
A village on the Tarn in the Cévennes National Park, with gîtes d'étape, an inn and a municipal camp site.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 7 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 8: Over several passes and by the collegiate church at Bédouès to Florac: 29 km.
Florac Town or village
Florac Trois Rivières, the park's headquarters town, with hotels, hostels and camp sites, and liO bus 251 towards Alès.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 11 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 9: Up the Mimente to Saint-Julien-d'Arpaon, then along the old Alès to Florac railway through the Mimente gorges to the old Cassagnas station, where the night is: 19 km to the village by the tourist office's count.
Cassagnas Town or village
The night is at the old Cassagnas station on the GR, where the Espace Stevenson has dormitories and rooms, dinner and breakfast (it publishes no dates or prices: ask when you book). The village itself is above the line; liO bus 251 stops at the N106 crossroads.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 4 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 10: Over the Col de la Pierre Plantée and by Saint-Germain-de-Calberte to Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française: 24 km.
Saint-Étienne-Vallée-Française Town or village
A village with rooms, a gîte, a village of gîtes with camping, a bakery and a shop; there are more gîtes d'étape nearby.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 3 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 11: By the Col Saint-Pierre to Saint-Jean-du-Gard, where Stevenson's journey ended: 13 km. Since 2021 the GR leaves the old riverside path, damaged by the floods of 2020, and comes down by Arbousse; a variant for donkeys goes by the old bridge. Wild camping is forbidden here.
Saint-Jean-du-Gard Town or village
Where Stevenson's journey ended. A small town with hotels, gîtes and camp sites. Alès'Y buses 72 and 81 run to Alès, but not on Sundays or public holidays; the steam train runs to Anduze in season.
OpenStreetMap lists at least 9 places to stay within about 1300 m; TrailSplits has not checked which are open.
See the area on OpenStreetMapStage 12: The last stage, to Alès: 23 km. The line here ends in the town, about 1.5 km on foot before the station.
Longest day: day 8, 7 h 57.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are our estimate from distance and climb: no time is published for these stages. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Loading the forecast for low point (132 m) and high point (1,698 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (132 m) and the highest point (1,698 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Mixed | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/12 | 0/12 | 3/12 | 9/12 | 12/12 | 12/12 | 8/12 | 8/12 | 12/12 | 11/12 | 5/12 | 0/12 |
| High point, day / night | 0°/-5° | 1°/-5° | 4°/-3° | 6°/-1° | 11°/2° | 15°/6° | 18°/8° | 18°/9° | 14°/6° | 9°/3° | 4°/-1° | 1°/-4° |
| Low point, day / night | 11°/3° | 12°/3° | 16°/6° | 18°/8° | 22°/12° | 27°/15° | 29°/17° | 29°/17° | 24°/14° | 20°/11° | 14°/6° | 11°/3° |
| Rain, mm | 131 | 91 | 97 | 142 | 133 | 86 | 53 | 69 | 121 | 227 | 232 | 142 |
| Snow at high point | Likely | Likely | Possible | Possible | – | – | – | – | – | – | Possible | Possible |
| Daylight | 9 h 12 | 10 h 26 | 11 h 50 | 13 h 25 | 14 h 44 | 15 h 30 | 15 h 13 | 14 h 05 | 12 h 35 | 11 h 05 | 9 h 40 | 8 h 53 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
The association takes no bookings: contact each place directly. It advises booking ahead because some stages have only one or two small places, and most places welcome walkers from 4 pm. Cheylard-l'Évêque, the old Cassagnas station and, in its season, the abbey of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges have the fewest beds. Most places close for part of the winter.
The association lists six places that hire pack donkeys along the way. A donkey carries about 40 kg, the association says, at walking pace: plan shorter days, as the 13-day plan here does, and a short first day after the lesson. Âne Azimut in Le Monastier, open 15 April to 15 October, prices the whole way to Saint-Jean-du-Gard (12 to 13 days) at €830 for one donkey, €704 in its low season (May, June and September), with the donkey's board at each night extra (€2 to €8). Hosts that take donkeys have a paddock near the gîte.
The association: hiring a donkeySeveral services carry bags between the stages, each in its own season. In 2026 LOTIX runs from 18 April to 2 November, Le Puy to Saint-Jean-du-Gard (€10 a bag a stage, at least two bags); La Malle Postale to 18 October; Axel Transport, which the association lists as open all year, from €8 a bag, booked 48 hours ahead; Transbagages from €7.50 a bag a stage (15 kg). The association lists them all.
The association: luggage and taxisWater points can be far apart: carry enough for the day. Goudet, Luc, Cheylard-l'Évêque, Mirandol, Le Bonnetès, Les Alpiers, Finiels, Mijavols and Cocurès have no grocery or bakery, the association says.
The association: food on the wayIn the core of the Cévennes National Park, bivouac is allowed only within 50 m of a GR, one night, from 19:00 to 09:00, in a light tent or none, and never on the Finiels section of Mont Lozère. No fires. In summer the Gard prefecture can close massifs when the fire risk is high: check its daily map.
Cévennes National Park: the rulesCheck Météo-France for the points along the route before each day: the GR runs from about 130 m to 1,699 m. In an emergency call 112.
The association: when to goGetting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Le Puy-en-Velay is about 1h20 by train from Saint-Étienne (for the TGV), 2h20 from Lyon and 2h10 from Clermont-Ferrand, with a train every half hour to hour on average, the tourist office says.
Le Puy-en-Velay tourist office: getting thereLangogne, at the start of stage 4, and La Bastide-Puylaurent, at the end of stage 5, are stations on the line from Nîmes to Clermont-Ferrand; La Bastide also has trains towards Mende. They make the two halves of the GR walkable on their own.
The association: access and transportliO line 251 runs from Mende by Florac and the Cassagnas crossroads to Alès; between Alès and Florac its timetable shows it Monday to Saturday from 15 April to 31 October and on Tuesdays and Thursdays in winter, never on public holidays. From Saint-Jean-du-Gard, Alès'Y lines 72 and 81 run to Alès, but not on Sundays or public holidays, and liO line 112 to Nîmes; the steam train runs to Anduze in season.
The association: buses and trainsThe GR ends in Alès, with about twenty trains a day to Nîmes, about 40 minutes.
Alès tourist office: the Alès to Nîmes lineTake your trip with you
Prepare each stage while you still have a connection: the GR crosses empty country on the Gévaudan plateaus and Mont Lozère.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
Route & sources
The tourist office gives 272 km in twelve stages from Le Puy-en-Velay to Alès; Stevenson walked 220 km in twelve days from Le Monastier-sur-Gazeille to Saint-Jean-du-Gard, and the first and last stages were added so the GR begins and ends at a station. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap: the eighteen relations of the GR 70 superroute (223039), walked from Le Puy with the links to Le Puy and Alès and the 2021 route into Saint-Jean-du-Gard, from the planet of 28 September 2026: 267 km, cut at the twelve stage villages; at three places where the relations leave the waymarked GR (the descents to Goudet and to Finiels, and a loop south-west of Langogne) it follows the GR as the département's and the tourist office's route files draw it, matched onto OpenStreetMap. The night at Cassagnas is at the old station on the GR, below the village. The route was changed near La Bastide-Puylaurent and Chasseradès in 2025 and above Saint-Jean-du-Gard in 2021: follow the waymarks where they differ from older guides.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 30 September 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Le Puy-en-Velay tourist office: the GR 70Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation