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Hard Hiking Trails in France

2,201 routes in France qualify, ranked below by how much walkers rate them. They average 44.4 km and 1,059 m (3,474 ft) of ascent, with the longest running to 588 km.

That is 14 percent of the 15,466 routes we map in France. They run noticeably longer than average for the area, 44.4 km against 11.7 km, so budget more daylight than a typical outing here. The climbing is steeper too: 1,059 m (3,474 ft) on average versus 286 m (938 ft) across the wider area.

Hard routes mean sustained ascent, long descents and a real need to watch the clock and the forecast. These lean toward the demanding end, so plan for a full day and check the forecast before you commit.

Trails

Expert

Sentier de Grande Randonnée 98

Parc national des Calanques (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
62.4 km
/ 38.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,373 m
Typical duration
16 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Waymarked route
Expert

GR 55 La Vanoise

Vanoise National Park · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Distance
56.1 km
/ 34.8 mi
Elevation gain
1,233 m
Typical duration
14 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GR R1

Parc national de La Réunion (cœur) · Réunion

Distance
58.0 km
/ 36.1 mi
Elevation gain
1,276 m
Typical duration
15 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GR R2

Parc national de La Réunion (cœur) · Réunion

Distance
144 km
/ 89.3 mi
Elevation gain
3,163 m
Typical duration
38 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

GR R3

Parc national de La Réunion (cœur) · Réunion

Distance
41.3 km
/ 25.7 mi
Elevation gain
909 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

La Trace des Alizés

Guadeloupe National Park · Guadeloupe

Distance
83.8 km
/ 52.1 mi
Elevation gain
4,400 m
Typical duration
26 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour de l'Oisans et Écrins

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Distance
192 km
/ 119 mi
Elevation gain
4,224 m
Typical duration
51 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour du Mont Aigoual

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
83.0 km
/ 51.6 mi
Elevation gain
1,825 m
Typical duration
22 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Tour du Parc National des Écrins

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Distance
373 km
/ 232 mi
Elevation gain
8,211 m
Typical duration
100 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

SPHC, variante étape 05

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
29.3 km
/ 18.2 mi
Elevation gain
399 m
Typical duration
7 hr 8 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

SPHC, étape 05

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
20.2 km
/ 12.5 mi
Elevation gain
739 m
Typical duration
5 hr 28 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

SPHC, étape 06

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
15.4 km
/ 9.6 mi
Elevation gain
754 m
Typical duration
4 hr 21 min
  • Waymarked route
Hard

SPHC, étape 07

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
17.8 km
/ 11.0 mi
Elevation gain
474 m
Typical duration
4 hr 30 min
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Les Sagnoles - Villefort

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
38.7 km
/ 24.1 mi
Elevation gain
852 m
Typical duration
10 hr
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Hard

Chemin de Stevenson - Part 6

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
19.5 km
/ 12.1 mi
Elevation gain
430 m
Typical duration
4 hr 51 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Tour de l'Ubaye (variante)

Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
25.7 km
/ 16.0 mi
Elevation gain
566 m
Typical duration
6 hr 32 min
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Les lacs de Crupillouse

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
16.4 km
/ 10.2 mi
Elevation gain
1,351 m
Typical duration
5 hr 28 min
  • Waterfall
  • Lake
  • Forest
Expert

Pas des Ladres - Massif de l'Authion

Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
37.3 km
/ 23.2 mi
Elevation gain
820 m
Typical duration
9 hr 40 min
  • Mountain
Hard

Via Alpina Blue D53

Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
20.5 km
/ 12.7 mi
Elevation gain
450 m
Typical duration
5 hr 6 min
Hard

Via Alpina Blue D54

Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
20.0 km
/ 12.4 mi
Elevation gain
440 m
Typical duration
4 hr 59 min
Hard

Via Alpina Blue D56

Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
19.3 km
/ 12.0 mi
Elevation gain
1,261 m
Typical duration
6 hr 2 min
Hard

Via Alpina Red R123

Vanoise National Park · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes

Distance
20.5 km
/ 12.7 mi
Elevation gain
451 m
Typical duration
5 hr 7 min
Hard

Via Alpina Red R128

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
19.8 km
/ 12.3 mi
Elevation gain
436 m
Typical duration
4 hr 55 min
Hard

Le Pont du Tarn

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
18.6 km
/ 11.6 mi
Elevation gain
716 m
Typical duration
5 hr 4 min
  • Lake
  • Mountain
  • Forest
Expert

Tour du Chaillol

Parc national des Écrins (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
97.0 km
/ 60.2 mi
Elevation gain
2,133 m
Typical duration
25 hr
  • Mountain
  • Waymarked route
  • Long-distance path
Hard

Col de Salèse - Pas des Ladres

Parc national du Mercantour (cœur) · Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

Distance
15.9 km
/ 9.9 mi
Elevation gain
351 m
Typical duration
3 hr 53 min
  • Long-distance path
Expert

Northern Route (Basque Country)

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · France

Distance
230 km
/ 143 mi
Elevation gain
5,050 m
Typical duration
61 hr
  • Coastal
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
Expert

Camino Francés - 01

Nouvelle-Aquitaine · France

Distance
163 km
/ 101 mi
Elevation gain
3,593 m
Typical duration
43 hr
  • Mountain
  • Pilgrimage route
  • Waymarked route
Expert

Le versant nord de l'Aigoual

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
35.9 km
/ 22.3 mi
Elevation gain
1,239 m
Typical duration
9 hr 58 min
  • Mountain
  • Forest
  • Panoramic viewpoint
Hard

Les 4000 marches

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
23.6 km
/ 14.7 mi
Elevation gain
1,388 m
Typical duration
7 hr 16 min
  • Forest
  • Panoramic viewpoint
  • Waymarked route
Hard

CSG 07 : Mas de Val - Meyrueis

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
17.2 km
/ 10.7 mi
Elevation gain
378 m
Typical duration
4 hr 13 min
Hard

CSG 08 : Meyrueis - L'Espérou

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
21.9 km
/ 13.6 mi
Elevation gain
482 m
Typical duration
5 hr 30 min
Hard

HRP Variante 11.1

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Distance
17.3 km
/ 10.7 mi
Elevation gain
380 m
Typical duration
4 hr 14 min
Hard

HRP Étape 10

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Nouvelle-Aquitaine

Distance
16.1 km
/ 10.0 mi
Elevation gain
353 m
Typical duration
3 hr 54 min
Hard

HRP Étape 13

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
18.4 km
/ 11.4 mi
Elevation gain
405 m
Typical duration
4 hr 33 min
Hard

HRP Étape 15

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
17.3 km
/ 10.7 mi
Elevation gain
380 m
Typical duration
4 hr 14 min
Hard

HRP Étape 16

Parc national des Pyrénées (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
19.0 km
/ 11.8 mi
Elevation gain
419 m
Typical duration
4 hr 43 min
Hard

UV 04 : Barjac - Lanuéjols

Parc national des Cévennes (cœur) · Occitania

Distance
31.5 km
/ 19.6 mi
Elevation gain
694 m
Typical duration
8 hr 6 min

The shortlist, side by side

The ten highest scoring routes on this page, so you can compare effort before opening any of them.

Distance, ascent, walking time and difficulty for the top routes
RouteDistanceAscentTimeDifficultyBest season
Sentier de Grande Randonnée 98Parc national des Calanques (cœur)62.4 km1,373 m16 hrExpertApril to October
GR 55 La VanoiseVanoise National Park56.1 km1,233 m14 hrExpertApril to October
GR R1Parc national de La Réunion (cœur)58.0 km1,276 m15 hrExpertApril to October
GR R2Parc national de La Réunion (cœur)144 km3,163 m38 hrExpertApril to October
GR R3Parc national de La Réunion (cœur)41.3 km909 m10 hrExpertApril to October
La Trace des AlizésGuadeloupe National Park83.8 km4,400 m26 hrExpertApril to October
Tour de l'Oisans et ÉcrinsParc national des Écrins (cœur)192 km4,224 m51 hrExpertApril to October
Tour du Mont AigoualParc national des Cévennes (cœur)83.0 km1,825 m22 hrExpertApril to October
Tour du Parc National des ÉcrinsParc national des Écrins (cœur)373 km8,211 m100 hrExpertApril to October
SPHC, variante étape 05Parc national des Cévennes (cœur)29.3 km399 m7 hr 8 minHardApril to October

If you only have time for one, start with Sentier de Grande Randonnée 98, GR 55 La Vanoise, GR R1. Those are the routes people come back to. Every route on this page links through to a full guide with the map, elevation profile, seasonal advice and what to bring.

Frequently asked questions

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