Three Summits Loop

(S/E) Bibracte Museum parking lot (1) Climb just behind the museum via a small path that starts on the right and scramble through side paths up to the Rebout gate. (2) You have arrived within the enclosure of the ancient Gallic city; admire the reconstruction of "murus gallicus," a half-wood, half-stone rampart construction technique common to oppida. You enter Bibracte. 2,000 years ago, it was a Gallic capital, founded at the end of the 2nd century BCE by the Eduens. Abandoned for two millennia and fallen into oblivion, the city of Bibracte is now reborn thanks to archaeologists. A jewel of 1,000 hectares of beech tree stands with viewpoints opening onto the landscapes of the Morvan, all the way to Mont Blanc! (3) Follow the road straight to the "Pâture du Couvent," then turn left to the terrace, passing through Porrey. (4) You are likely in front of the most magnificent landscape of the Morvan. (5) At "the terrace," rest a few minutes, enjoy, you’ve earned it! Continue west until you meet the GR®13 trail marked in red and white. Take it to the left and descend straight ahead following it. You leave the Beuvray... Cross the small road and keep following the GR® until Petiton. In the hamlet, leave the GR® and take the right on a marked track, straight for two kilometers until the Eschenault crossroads on the D18. Take the road opposite and cross Eschenault. After the houses, turn left onto a path to the Cléments. You reach the D500, take it right for a few meters then left towards the north. (6) Take the first marked path to the left towards the sources of the Yonne. Did you know that the Yonne river runs through Paris? To your left, Mount Preneley, 855m. You will cross a beautiful natural area and once again you will leap back in time since for over 2,000 years, humans have successively exploited and abandoned the site of Mount Préneley and the sources of the Yonne. Throughout the route, retrace the footsteps of the past appearing in the landscape, visit the peat bog, the springs, the timber floating, the forest... Leaving the developed site towards the shelter, turn right onto D300 road. You will pass the "Port des Lambert," a timber floating port. You will rejoin the GR®13 on the left; follow it to the "Pré du Massé" passing through a beautiful forest. Take the D500 left to the "former house of Bas Folin," then a path to the left. Follow the "Rosée forest road." There was once a ski resort here. Haut-Folin was the closest ski resort to Paris. Installed by the French Alpine Club (CAF), a ski lift, an alpine ski run, and a chalet-restaurant existed until the end of the 1980s but, due to insufficient snow cover and despite the presence of snow cannons, they were abandoned. Then take a straight yellow path. Here, take a track to the right then another to the right and finally another to the left leading to Préperny pond(7). Take a small trail to the left and circle the pond on the left side. Enjoy the tranquility of this magical place. At the chalet and wooden picnic table, take the track going right then quickly a path that gently climbs south and again to the right. Follow it until you cross a forest track, then join the GR®13 straight ahead, follow it left. You will skirt the Préperny forest road that you cross at a parking lot. Continue straight, you follow the Fontaine Blanche stream, cross it; it feeds the Goulette pond. At a track, take it to the left then a path to the right that climbs gently up to La Croisette. Continue to a parking lot then follow the road to the right. elevation 625, take a marked path to the right, follow it to "Crot Morin." Cross the hamlet by the road, pass the cross, always straight ahead then the road to the right following the red and yellow "GR® de Pays." Cross a road then straight ahead. Leave the GR® de Pays and take right to "la Petite Chaux." Cross "la Chaux" and "la grande Chaux." At the road end by the cross, take the marked path to the right. At La Reinge, leave your path, descend the path on the right, cross the stream, pass by the mine well (danger, watch out) and follow the path to Villechaise. Cross the hamlet on the left on the road, then take the path on the right which descends to Argentolle. Cross via the path straight south, climb straight up and turn left onto the road (traffic alert) to the museum parking lot.
Passing points:
S/E: km 0 - elev. 613m - Bibracte Museum parking lot 1: km 0.14 - elev. 619m - Bibracte Museum 2: km 1.09 - elev. 707m - Rebout gate 3: km 1.65 - elev. 754m - Pâture du Couvent 4: km 2.87 - elev. 811m - Viewpoint 5: km 2.92 - elev. 811m - Terrace overlook 6: km 16.13 - elev. 733m - Yonne sources 7: km 26.73 - elev. 820m - Préperny pond S/E: km 46.07 - elev. 613m - Return to museum parking lot
Practical information:
Throughout your route, you will find picnic tables. At the museum, you have access to lockers to store your belongings, toilets, tourist information point, coffee machine, and small snacks. A free area without services is reserved for camper vans; services are available in the surrounding villages: Glux-en-Glenne and Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray. Traditional restaurants: Glux-en-Glenne, Saint Prix, and Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray. Grocery and bread in Saint-Léger-sous-Beuvray.