Famous for cyclists, the climb up the Pal starts in the village of Montpezat-sous-Bauzon, the epicentre of the Fontaulière valley. Discover and map this legendary Ardèche route with its impressive vertical drop.

The Pal ascent from Montpezat

To follow it, all you have to do is leave the village on the Route Départementale 536(RD 536) and the hill begins its uninterrupted ascent to the watershed and then the junction with the Route Départementale 110 (RD 110), which runs towards the village of Saint-Cirgues-en-Montagne.

The road, which is of good quality on the way up, particularly for cycling or skating, is pressed up against the granite massif, which is covered alternately by meadows, broom, rockyspurs and then gradually by forest, which becomes more resinous with altitude.

As you drive along, the valley drops away towards the heights of the Ardèche mountains, giving way to an open landscape overlooking the southern Ardèche, the Tanargue and, in the distance, the Rhône valley and Mont Ventoux.

Along the way, around 12 kilometres after the village of Montpezat, at the bridge over the Fontaulière springs, you’ll come across the Vestide du Pal, one of the largest maar craters in Europe.

In a total of 15 kilometres, you’ll climb from 514 metres to 1274 metres altitude, from the edge of the southern climate to the Ardèche mountains, towards the famous Mont-Gerbier-de-Jonc and the Issarlès lake.

• Detailed map of the Pal climb

Itinerary, altitude difference and GPS coordinates, extracted from the mountain area of the Syndicat Mixte de la Montagne Ardéchoise*:

➡ Difficult level, 15 kilometres, 810 metres ascent, 1h30 walk, at your own pace.

The ascent of Le Pal begins at the bottom of the Fontaulière valley, in the village of Montpezat-sous-Bauzon. After passing through the village, the slope steepens and continues all the way to the summit.

On the first half of the pass, the view is clear and you can see the road winding through the cliffs. You are literally clinging to the rocks.

At the crossroads with the D339, you can admire the view. Just after the crossroads with the D160, stay on the pass as you enter the forest and cool off a little. Be careful, the gradients are still steep and there are still 5.5 kilometres of climbing to do.

At kilometre 12 (la Fontaulière), you are at the opening of the crater. Take 5 minutes (on the minor road) to observe it. There are then 2 kilometres of slope before you reach the last 800 metres of flat ground.

➡ To see on site:

• The Vestide du Pal (Europe’s largest crater).
• The juice of the Pal.
• Swimming on the Fontaulière (between Montpezat and le Roux).

➡ Possible activities:

• Skating and classical,
• Endurance strength (arm-leg over the entire collar)
• Time trial possible on the entire pass
• Course suitable for threshold sessions (3×10′ for example).

➡ Fiche du Pal:

You can download the fact sheet in PDF format and the route in KML and GPX format from the Montagne Ardéchoise website*.

The Fontaulière valley

Discover the heritage and the river of the Fontaulière valley with discovery trail #01, from its confluence with the Ardèche to its volcanic source at the Vestide du Pal :

• Discovery tours in the Ardèche
• La Montée du Pal, Ardèche mountains