Walking tours
Sports activities (including hiking) are an increasingly important part of the Lozère tourist industry. Exercising in the fresh air is another way to enjoy the wide open spaces and wild nature of Lozère. While most of these activities can be practised independently, calling on the services of specialized guides and instructors, or local service providers, brings undeniable added value: safety in the practice of the activity, but also an exchange of knowledge about the natural environment, regional culture, heritage, society...
Nearly 2,000 km of trails are signposted throughout the department, this only for the GR network; to this must be added a multitude of short hiking trails. The most popular are of course the GR6, which crosses the Causses and Aubrac, and the GR7, which comes from the Massif Central and heads for the Pyrenees via Mont Aigoual, the Causse du Larzac and the Haut Languedoc. The network is particularly dense and well signposted in areas where local authorities have focused on outdoor leisure activities, notably within the Cévennes National Park. Two "mythical" routes cross the département: the Camino de Santiago de Compostela, which runs through La Margeride and Aubrac, and the Camino de Stevenson, which criss-crosses the eastern part of the département, from Langogne to the Cévennes. Less well known are the Regordane, which links Le Puy-en-Velay to Saint-Gilles (Gard) and passes through Langogne and Villefort on a thousand-year-old path, and the Chemin de Saint-Guilhem, from Nasbinals to Saint-Guilhem-le-Désert (Hérault), which crosses Aubrac, the Causses and Gorges du Tarn, with a magical stretch between Saint-Rome-de-Dolan and Le Rozier.
Orienteering is very much in vogue, and Lozère offers ideal terrain. Six orienteering areas have been set up in the département, and a number of clubs are involved. For more information, contact the departmental orienteering committee on 04 66 65 39 79.
Another way of walking, Nordic walking puts less strain on knee joints by using poles in wide movements similar to cross-country skiing. In Grèzes, Patrick Lafond runs the association, which offers regular outings, as well as a festival, the Nordique du Gévaudan, held each year in a different location, with races of different levels, conferences and equipment stands.
Geocaching, a sport for geeks, also exists in Lozère. There are no fewer than 318 caches, many of them in the Gorges du Tarn, and more than 10 at Mas-de-la-Barque, a new nature resort that is taking advantage of the opportunity to offer a geocaching interpretation trail. Grab your GPS!
There are also associations throughout the department offering themed hikes: gourmet hikes, nature hikes with naturalists, cani-rando with sled dogs... Find out more at your local tourist office.
On horseback and donkey
In some cases, markings are shared with footpaths. Horseback riding is a fast-growing activity. Numerous professionals offer guided tours, from half-day to multi-day excursions. The association des cavaliers randonneurs de Lozère (Lozère horse-riding association) has around forty members and organizes regular rides. As for donkey trekking, a traditional activity in the Cévennes (Stevenson's legacy), it is developing throughout Lozère. For younger riders, most riding schools have ponies available for hire by the hour or half-day, for pleasant rides.
By bike
The Tour de la Lozère cyclotouriste, certified by the Fédération française de cyclotourisme, covers almost 600 km and 9,600 m of ascent in total. It offers cyclists the chance to discover the magnificent Lozère department through all its natural regions, in six stages: from Mende to Langogne up the Lot valley, then along the Allier valley; from Langogne to Malzieu-Ville through the Margeride; from Malzieu-Ville to Saint-Germain-du-Teil through the Aubrac countryside; from Saint-Germain-du-Teil to Lanuéjols between gorges and causses; from Lanuéjols to the Burgen bridge through the Cévennes (with the 1,567 m Aigoual, the Tour's highest peak); from the Burgen bridge to Mende over Mont Lozère.
Fishing
Lozère is to fishing what Sologne is to hunting and Montélimar is to nougat! Placed end to end, its rivers would cover the distance from Paris to Moscow (and even 300 km further), i.e. 2,800 km. These 500 streams feed the Garonne, Loire and Rhône rivers, while 12 lakes and 17 rivers are listed for fishing. All these rivers, streams and lakes offer the most sporting of fishing opportunities, for novices and experienced anglers alike. Some lakes, such as Barrandon, Saint-Léger-du-Malzieu and Bonnecombe in the Garonne basin, and the Etang de la Bastide in the Loire basin, offer exclusive trout fishing. The lakes of Aubrac, Salhiens, Saint-Andéol, Born and Souverols are all classified in the first category; here you can find fario trout, whose pigmentation turns bright yellow and which is so poetically nicknamed "the fish that takes the sun", as well as pike, perch, chub and minnow.
Although some of them are more suited to a particular environment, all fishing techniques are practicable on all these sites (fishing with
toc, surprise, ultralight, dry fly, artificial lures...). Most rivers are classified as first category. The Lot, Lozère's largest river, is mainly populated by grayling. Interesting numbers of chub and vandoise can also be found.
Further south, the Jonte, a small stream at its source, gradually grows in size; this environment is favorable to the development of fario trout, with a mix of minnows, gudgeon and a few pike.
The Bès, near Lac de Salhens, offers a surprisingly verdant, flower-filled landscape. The same goes for the Truyère, which winds its way through a landscape of daffodils and wooded hills with Scots pine. Fishing enthusiasts won't be disappointed: a large number of minnows, gudgeon and chub in the lower reaches of the river, mingled with a population of native trout, including the fario trout.
The Allier is home to spangled trout, large male grayling, minnows, gudgeon, sculpin and large barbel, as well as chub and vandoise. Other rivers in the region stand out, starting with the Tarn: this gorgeside river, one of the most beautiful in Europe, boasts very large Mediterranean barbels, a rich overall aquatic fauna and water quality, a favorable environment for the development of fish such as minnows, gudgeons, sculpins...
The Colagne, for more patient anglers, enjoys a good reputation among fly fishers (trout, gudgeon, minnow, chub). The Altier, which rises below the Finels summit, is ideal for learning and mastering sight-water nymph whip fishing.
The Chapeauroux boasts one of the few rivers in France to be home to salmon, trout and grayling.
Ski and snowshoes
In good snow conditions, hikers can cross the département from one side to the other for over a hundred kilometers without leaving their cross-country skis behind. From the Plateau des Bouviers to the crests of Pic Finiels and Laubert, a total of 300 km of Nordic trails and itineraries are available to snow enthusiasts, not to mention snowshoeing, skijoring, tobogganing and dog sledding. Superb scenery surrounds the small village resorts, which focus on the quality of their welcome. Downhill skiing is concentrated on a few resorts which, it must be said, sometimes struggle to function despite the snow cannons. Aubrac (Sainte-Urcize-en-Aveyron), Mont Lozère (Le Bleymard) and Aigoual (Prat-Peyrot) are small resorts that mainly attract local customers. Le Mas de la Barque above Villefort, the Fer à Cheval resort in Nasbinals and Les Bouviers in St-Denis en Margeride have had to diversify their activities to cater for year-round leisure sports and are less dependent on snowfall and the vagaries of the climate. Mont Lozère is thus ideally suited to outdoor activities.
Snowshoe trails and rentals are available at all Lozère ski resorts. For those with the necessary equipment, hiking associations regularly organize winter outings. The classic trails, provided they are at altitude, can be explored with snowshoes.
On the water
Canoeing and kayaking: from Ispagnac, Sainte-Enimie and La Malène, you can choose from a range of options along the river, from 5 km to 40 km. Anyone can handle the boat, and qualified instructors plan the return trip by road. Under safe conditions, you can embark for two hours, half a day or even two days on the water.
A boat trip down the Gorges du Tarn: on the same site, the boatmen of La Malène recall that at the beginning of the century, there were no roads and boats were the only means of communication in the valley. Using traditional methods and traditional boats, the boatmen offer their passengers a breathtaking view over an 8 km stretch of the river, at a narrow point in the gorge. This allows you to take a close look at the flora and fauna, then marvel at the high cliffs.
