Chalet de l'Aigle and Pic Cassini, Trail #19.
Yellow waymarks
Trail PPN Mt Lozère3 points of interest
Mas de La Barque - nathalie.thomas 
HistoryLe Mas de La Barque
Le Mas de La Barque was only a forester’s house at the end of the 20th century. From the 1960s onwards, it was frequented by children’s ski clubs and then by families from the Gard on the weekend. During the week, the association “Union pour l'Animation de la Grange” organised field trips, heritage classes and theme days open to all. A costly infrastructure was gradually built (buildings, ski lifts, snow canons), then partly demolished again. Today, as part of an overall programme of reclassifying the site, it has been developed for tourism (cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dog-sledding, etc.) and is run by a semi-public company. The resort offers outdoor activities in summer as well as in winter.
Rocher de la Barque - © Biotope 
TraditionThe mysterious boat
Have you noticed the strange rock shaped like a boat (barque)? Is that what gave the hamlet its name? Alternatively, in the local patois, a berque is a gap in the mountain. So: Mas de la Barque or Mas de la Berque?
Mas de la Barque is part of the municipality of Vialas and borders the forest of Gourdouze. The estate of the Priory of Gourdouze, to which the forest once belonged, was declared government property during the French Revolution in 1789, before being sold to pay the state’s debts.
Carte Cassini du mont Lozère - © Archives départementales de la Lozère HistoryCassini
The first geometrical map of the Kingdom of France was realised, at a scale of 1:864,000, on the initiative of Louis XV. It is known as the Cassini Map. The Cassini family produced four generations of scholars. The first Cassini, an astronomer, began to apply a geodesic system that consisted of measuring the position of a point on Earth using bearings, namely the polar axis and the Equator. His descendants established a precise map of France (180 sheets) by triangulating a large number of bearings, such as Pic Cassini. It was used as a model for France's Ordnance Survey maps and today has practical applications in many fields (toponymy, phytosociology, etc.).
Description
Then 3 km of gentle climbi on a pretty forestry track leads you to the Chalet de l'Aigle. Superb viewpoint over the Cévennes. A slightly steeper climb takes you to the top of Pic Cassini, at 1,680 metres the highest point on this trail. The route then goes gently downhill on magnificent paths. You finish on a trail in a fairy-tale forest.
Follow the waymarks for trail #19.
Signposts will guide you all along this route, as well as yellow painted waymarks. In the description below, the signposted place names and/or directions are given in bold italics between quotation marks:
From "Mas de La Barque" head towards “Les Écuries de Mas de La Barque”, “Rochers de la Barque”, “Gardione” (2x), “Sous la roche fendue”, “La roche fendue”, “Lous Felzillas”.
Then take “Chalet de l’Aigle”, and “Sous le chalet de l’Aigle”. Climb “Pic Cassini” via “col de l’Aigle”.
At “Pic Cassini” go to “Mas de La Barque” via “Ravin de la Levade”, “Sous le pic de Cassini”, “Malpertus”, “Bois de Bellecoste”, “Gardièze”, “Martelet”, “Mas de La Barque”.
This trail is taken from the guidebook Mont Lozère – Pays des sources, published by the Pôle de pleine nature du ont Lozère.
- Departure : Mas de la Barque
- Arrival : Mas de la Barque
- Towns crossed : Vialas, Pont de Montvert - Sud Mont Lozère, Concoules, and Pourcharesses
Forecast
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
Before committing yourself to a circuit, ensure that it is suitable for your activity level and ability. Remember that the weather changes quickly in the mountains. Please close all gates and barriers behind you. Stay on the marked path.
Information desks
Tourism'house and national parc, Génolhac
Place du Colombier, 30450 Génolhac
This office is part of the National Park's associated tourist-information network, whose mission is to provide information on, and raise awareness of, the sites and events as well as the rules that must be observed in the National Park's central zone.
Open from april to october
Office de tourisme Des Cévennes au mont Lozère
le Quai, 48220 Le Pont de Montvert sud mont-Lozère
Tourism office Mont-Lozère, Villefort
43, Place du Bosquet, 48800 Villefort
This office is part of the National Park's associated tourist-information network, whose mission is to provide information on, and raise awareness of, the sites and events as well as the rules that must be observed in the National Park's central zone.
Open year-round
Le Mas de la Barque outdoor centre
48800 Villefort
This centre is part of the National Park's associated tourist-information network, whose mission is to provide information on, and raise awareness of, the sites and events as well as the rules that must be observed in the National Park's central zone.
Access and parking
From Génolhac, on the D 362 then the D 66.
Parking :
Calculateur d'itinéraire Lio
Utilisez le calculateur liO pour organiser votre trajet en région Occitanie.
Autres régions
Calculez votre itinéraire en Auvergne Rhône Alpes sur Oùra
Source
Report a problem or an error
If you have found an error on this page or if you have noticed any problems during your hike, please report them to us here: