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Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc is one of France’s great natural sites — bring good shoes and a camera. Locate it on the map, book a room nearby in a click, or add it to your travel list to build your itinerary.
About Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc
An unmistakable dome of grey volcanic rock rising abruptly from the high plateaus of the Ardèche, the Mont Gerbier-de-Jonc is famous above all as the birthplace of the Loire, France's longest river, which springs from its foot in a handful of modest sources. This distinctive "suc" — a plug of hard phonolite lava — stands 1,551 metres high and can be climbed by a short, steep path to a summit with wide views over the wild Mézenc country. At its base, farmhouses mark the trickles that gather to become the great river flowing all the way to the Atlantic. Iconic, shapely and rich in the symbolism of the Loire's source, the Gerbier-de-Jonc is one of the most recognisable natural landmarks of the Massif Central.