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Hiking by department · 44

Hiking in Loire-Atlantique

844

routes

9.3 km

median distance

46 m

median elevation gain

Loire-Atlantique works on three fronts. The Côte de Jade, from Pornic, offers a customs path cut into coves and rocky points, with the sea always in view. It is the busiest stretch in the department.

The Loire estuary, between Nantes and Saint-Nazaire, is another register entirely: marshland, reed beds, industrial heritage and the Brière regional park, where you walk causeways between canals.

Around Nantes, finally, the Erdre and the Sèvre Nantaise trace green valleys reachable by public transport, heavily used at weekends from Orvault, Rezé or La Chapelle-sur-Erdre.

When to go — Year-round thanks to the oceanic mildness; spring shows the Brière at its birdlife peak, winter staying walkable but windy on the coast.

OpenRando lists 844 hiking routes in Loire-Atlantique. The median distance is 9.3 km, and most routes fall between 4.7 and 16.3 km — from an afternoon loop to a full day out.

The terrain stays gentle: median elevation gain is 46 m, and even the hilliest routes rarely exceed 115 m. Good ground for long outings without the climbing.

The most common starting points cluster around: Nantes, Pornic, Orvault, Clisson, Rezé, La Chapelle-sur-Erdre. Every route comes with its GPX track, elevation profile and interactive map.

Longest routes in Loire-Atlantique

  • Boucle Château de la Gascherie – Jolie vue sur l'Erdre au départ de La Beaujoire29.9 km
  • Boucle Promenade Julien Cracq – Quai de La Loire au départ de Le Château29.8 km
  • Boucle Corniche de Port aux Goths – Grande plage de Préfailles au départ de Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef28.8 km

All routes in Loire-Atlantique