The Canal de la Cime loop

This little balcony path, lined with larch and cherry trees, runs alongside the Canal de la Cime until it reaches Les Combes. A pleasant, refreshing hike at the gateway to the Partias reserve, evoking ancestral irrigation methods.

Park at the Puy-Chalvin parking lot, then head for the top of the village.

At the last house (the one with the sundial) on the left of the road, take the communal path which rises steeply for about 50 m to join the Combes trail.

An EDF transformer and a directional sign ("Notre-Dame-des-Neiges") indicate access to the Canal de la Cime. Climb this steep, sustained track for around 500 metres and a hundred metres or so of ascent.

At the fork in the road, take the left-hand track, the start of which is marked by a sign. The path then continues flat along the water, overhanging the track leading to the Chalets des Combes. Continue over the hamlet until you reach the junction with the Combes stream.

Descend following the Combes road for 500m to a barrier. Turn right onto the track that follows the Combes stream to a small bridge. Ignore the bridge and continue straight ahead on the mountainside track to rejoin the start trail.