Magyar Természetjáró Szövetség weboldalai MTSZ MTSZ térképportál Turista Magazin TuristaShop Kéktúra Gerecse50 A kéktúrázás napja
Try Pro for free
Choose a language
Plan a route here
Natural Monument Natural Monument · Ardèche · 1,404 m

True source of the Loire River

Responsible for this content
Ardèche Tourisme
  • Photo: Régine Bouchet
This source is the official source stated on the cadastral survey n°87. It runs into a natural setting and comes out in a meadow under a flagstone bearing the inscription ''ici commence ma route vers l'océan'' (my journey to the ocean starts here).
Se rendre à l'abreuvoir "dans l'étable de mon grand-père", comme indiquera une jeune fille à son certificat d'études. La Loire prend sa source dans l’est du Massif central, au pied sud du mont Gerbier de Jonc, dans la commune ardèchoise de Sainte-Eulalie, à 1408 m d’altitude. La source géographique de la Loire : au départ un simple filet d'eau qui donne un des plus beau fleuve de notre pays.

Opening times

All year round daily.

Price:

Free access.

Coordinates

DD
44.837978, 4.225917
DMS
44°50'16.7"N 4°13'33.3"E
UTM
31T 596893 4965683
w3w 
///darker.flowerbed.patrons
Get there by train, car, bike, or on foot!

Recommendations nearby

Difficulty difficult
Distance 130.5 km
Duration 9:50 h
Ascent 2,056 m
Descent 2,056 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
Difficulty moderate
Distance 10.3 km
Duration 2:39 h
Ascent 107 m
Descent 107 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
Difficulty difficult
Distance 29 km
Duration 3:30 h
Ascent 793 m
Descent 793 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
recommended route Difficulty moderate Stage 3
Distance 52.2 km
Duration 6:00 h
Ascent 1,232 m
Descent 1,310 m

Small gears and great landscapes, the Ardèche mountains celebrate mountain biking in these heather and broom moorlands. You will discover a unique ...

No ratings (yet)
from Caroline Chouvy,   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme
Road Bike · Ardèche
The Ardéchoise: The Allier
Difficulty difficult
Distance 388.2 km
Duration 29:18 h
Ascent 7,430 m
Descent 7,686 m

Embarking on this route is to experience sensations that verge on the extreme! It’s to pedal once in a lifetime on these roads that shift several ...

No ratings (yet)
Ardèche Tourisme
Difficulty difficult
Distance 98.4 km
Duration 7:20 h
Ascent 1,626 m
Descent 1,787 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
recommended route Difficulty moderate Multi-day route
Distance 314.6 km
Duration 40:57 h
Ascent 6,419 m
Descent 6,676 m

Up there, on the border of Ardèche and Haute-Loire, the foothills of the Massif Central will be your starting point for this adventure on the GTA ...

No ratings (yet)
from Caroline Chouvy,   Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Tourisme
Mountain Bike · France
Great Crossing of the Ardèche MTB
Difficulty
Distance 313.1 km
Duration 36:54 h
Ascent 6,370 m
Descent 6,630 m

The Great Crossing of the Ardèche by MTB connects Annonay to Bourg-Saint-Andéol from north to south over more than 313 km. Eager for wide open ...

No ratings (yet)
Ardèche Tourisme
Show all on map

User Questions

Don't see what you need here?
Ask a question and get an answer from the author, the official DMO or the community.

No ratings (yet)
Be the first to leave a rating or write a review!
Share your experiences and advice to help millions of people find and plan their next outdoor adventure.
Write a review
Rating submitted

True source of the Loire River

Website Phone

Place to visit
Questions and answers
10-day forecast
  • My Map
  • Content
  • Show images Hide images
Features
Maps and trails
Difficulty difficult
Distance 98.4 km
Duration 7:20 h
Ascent 1,626 m
Descent 1,787 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
Difficulty easy
Distance 4 km
Duration 1:05 h
Ascent 74 m
Descent 74 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
Difficulty difficult
Distance 36.7 km
Duration 4:05 h
Ascent 901 m
Descent 1,316 m

No ratings (yet)
Outdooractive Creative Commons
Road Bike · Ardèche
L'Ardéchoise
Difficulty difficult
Distance 222.1 km
Duration 17:37 h
Ascent 4,270 m
Descent 4,225 m

The Queen in her domain. In the space of twenty years, this race has become a world-renowned legend. So let's take on her majesty's route, its 10 ...

No ratings (yet)
Ardèche Tourisme
Mountain Bike · France
Great Crossing of the Ardèche MTB
Difficulty
Distance 313.1 km
Duration 36:54 h
Ascent 6,370 m
Descent 6,630 m

The Great Crossing of the Ardèche by MTB connects Annonay to Bourg-Saint-Andéol from north to south over more than 313 km. Eager for wide open ...

No ratings (yet)
Ardèche Tourisme
Road Bike · Ardèche
L'Ardéchoise : la Volcanique
Difficulty difficult
Distance 178 km
Duration 13:01 h
Ascent 3,210 m
Descent 3,110 m

Perhaps untamable, like these highland landscapes, volcanic is aptly named, but in any case, it's one to defy!

No ratings (yet)
Ardèche Tourisme
Hiking Trail · Ardèche
Gerbier de Jonc, 1,551 m
Premium content Difficulty T2 moderate
Distance 3.9 km
Duration 1:30 h
Ascent 185 m
Descent 185 m

To the Sources of the LoireThe Gerbier de Jonc, along with the sources of the Loire, is one of the main attractions of the Ardèche Plateau.

No ratings (yet)
Rother Bergverlag
Road Bike · Ardèche
L'Ardéchoise : Les Gorges
Difficulty difficult
Distance 609.8 km
Duration 45:13 h
Ascent 10,520 m
Descent 10,723 m

Here we are! In the famous Ardèche gorges and their legendary Pont d'Arc. "Sur les Routes de l'Ardéchoise" takes in these mythical 30 km.

No ratings (yet)
Ardèche Tourisme
Logo agrar Logo aofk Logo mol Logo otp