Adventure
La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche
From the Ardèche plateau to the Cévennes: volcanic domes, chestnut terraces, schist ridges and the Païolive woods.
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Where to sleep on La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche
Halta lists 162 places to sleep within 5 km of the route: 138 campsites, 6 bivouac spots, 18 hotels. For each one, the app shows the real detour from your stage — and it is that distance, not the straight line, that decides how a day ends.
- Campsites
- Bivouac spots
- Hotels
Alongside the campsites, mountain huts and bivouac spots drawn from open data, there are the hosts of the Halta community: travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free. You write to them before you come; you do not book a slot.
The 5 stages of La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche
An indicative split, drawn on real roads: distances and elevation come from route calculation, not from an estimate. In the app every stage can be adjusted — stretched, cut short, or pushed back a day.
| # | Stage | Distance | Elevation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saint-Agrève → Le Cheylard | 16 km | 553 m |
| 2 | Le Cheylard → Privas | 42 km | 1 454 m |
| 3 | Privas → Aubenas | 30 km | 1 227 m |
| 4 | Aubenas → Joyeuse | 25 km | 618 m |
| 5 | Joyeuse → Les Vans | 14 km | 306 m |
Frequently asked questions about La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche
How many days does La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche take?
La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche takes about 4 days, split into 5 stages over 127 km — an average of 32 km a day. The split is indicative: stages stretch or shorten depending on your form and the weather.
Where can you sleep on La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche?
Halta lists 162 places to sleep within 5 km of La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche: 138 campsites, 6 bivouac spots, 18 hotels. On top of those are the hosts of the Halta community, travellers who welcome others into their homes, usually for free.
How hard is La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche?
La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche is rated hard, with 4 158 m of cumulative elevation gain over 127 km. Per stage, that works out at roughly 832 m of climbing a day.
Where does La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche go?
La Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche runs from Saint-Agrève to Les Vans, by way of Privas, Aubenas, Joyeuse, across Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is travelled by bike and totals 127 km split into 5 stages.
Figures established on 17 September 2026, from Halta’s own data. How they are calculated.
More routes by bike
Étapes indicatives d'après la Grande Traversée de l’Ardèche à VTT. Tracé reconstitué par routage (ODbL, openrouteservice.org). Halta 2026-07. Places to sleep: OpenStreetMap, refuges.info and DATAtourisme (ODbL). Photo : Wikimedia Commons (CC).