11 places to make a mountain bike hike in France

Do you like to discover beautiful landscapes and practice outdoor sports? Discover our 12 places to make a mountain bike hike in France!

Are you looking for an exceptional place for mountain biking in solitary, with family or friends? We understand you, the ATV is one of the best ways to fully enjoy the freedom that your legs give you. Who does not dream of surveying peaceful natural areas, living outdoor sporting moments and simply enjoying the wonders of our country? France counts so much National parks , mountainous mountains and beautifully preserved landscapes! To help you discover them, we give you 12 places to make a mountain bike hike in France. All you have to do is get your bike to explore these exceptional natural sites!

1. The Ecrins

The National Park of the Writers is considered the European park of the high mountain! Located in the Hautes-Alpes department, Barre des Écrins peaks at 4,102 metres. It is known for its plant biodiversity, the authenticity of its landscapes and valleys. Whether walking or mountain biking, its hikes are among the most appreciated in France. In the heart of this natural park, you will be able to ride a bike in the middle of pine forests, fir trees and larchs. Your escapades will lead you around beautiful places, such as Lake Serre-Ponçon or White Glacier. Don't miss the picturesque villages of Vallouise, Puy-Saint-Vincent and Freissinières.

2. La Vanoise

In the North of the Ecrins, the Vanoise National Park is a sublime competition for its Alpine neighbour. It is located at the border with Italy. The Vanoise Park is home to beautiful mountain landscapes. With its 197 lakes, 20 glaciers and countless peaks, the park is probably one of the best places where to make a mountain bike hike in France ! Very appreciated by hikers, the park sees in its heart the paths of GR5 and GR55. Don't miss discovering this park, its fantastic landscapes and its vast floral biodiversity! After a long arduous hike or a charming bike ride, the welcome will seduce you! You can come to rest in one of the high mountain resorts of the region, such as Tignes or Val d’Isère – well known to skiers – or in a more authentic village of La Maurienne.

3. The Cevennes and the Great Causses

The vast National Park of the Cevennes is a privileged place for outdoor activities enthusiasts and nature enthusiasts. At the crossroads of various regions, it houses Mediterranean, continental and alpine animal and plant species. With its oak, spruce pine and beech forests, its unique biodiversity, the Cévenne mountain range is certainly the pride and heart of the national park. It will seduce mountain hikers with its paths for all levels in the heart of dazzling landscapes. Sprinkle your bike to explore the thirty mountain bike circuits, at any level, representing 500 km of park trails. Then continue your adventure in the Regional Natural Park of the Great Causses to contemplate other natural wonders, like the Cirque de Navacelles and Trévezel Gorges, or historical treasures such as the beautiful Templar City of La Couvertoirade.

4. Les Volcans d’Auvergne

Covering 15% of the French territory, the Massif Central is the largest massif in the country. It is one of the most beautiful places to make a mountain bike hike in France: the Auvergne Volcano Regional Natural Park! With its wide variety of landscapes, its unspoiled nature, its special history and pastoral culture, this space has to seduce mountain hikers. The park is covered by many trails that will take you from volcanoes to picturesque villages, through sunny plateaus and deep gorges, such as those of the Cère. You can also rest on the shores of charming lakes, such as Aydat Lake, surrounded by beautiful mountain bike hikes. From each village of the park, you will not miss discovering long paths to cycle.

5. The Queyras

The Alps obviously do not lack places to make a mountain bike hike in France! Among the most exceptional sites, it is impossible to make the impasse on the Regional Natural Park of Queyras. Voisin des Écrins, this valley is crossed by the Guil, a torrential river, and overlooked by high mountains, such as the Pic de Rochebrune (3,320 metres), Mont Aiguillette (3,287 metres) and the Pain de Sucre (3,208 metres) that come to punctuate its reliefs. The Queyras is well known and appreciated by hikers. It houses paths for all levels. Everyone, whether looking for a sporting challenge or a relaxing atmosphere in the heart of sublime landscapes, will find his happiness in this beautiful natural park!

6. The Vercors

It is certainly one of the best places to make a mountain bike hike in France: the Vercors is one of the list of the impossible for any mountain bike practitioner. Located in the Préalpes, between the departments of Isère and Drôme, this massif is known for its rugged terrain made of cliffs, ridges, luxuries and gorges. With its encumbered valleys and many plateaus, you will quickly understand why the nickname "Fortress" was associated with it. This nickname is thus announcing sports mountain bike hikes, with pretty denivels and arduous descents! Connected to numerous hiking trails, the Vercors houses nearly 1,200 kilometres of mountain bike routes.

7. Le Luberon

Situated between the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and the Vaucluse department, the Luberon massif is a small mountainous massif but a great playground for mountain hikers! In the Luberon you will be able to start beautiful well-accessible circuits, for pleasant family or friends hikes, or to embark on more challenging routes, such as the large 277 km VTT crossing, which winds between Mont Ventoux and the Monts du Vaucluse!

8. The Mercantour

Known as one of the wildest national parks in France, the Mercantour owes its reputation to its variety of contrasting landscapes, between the Mediterranean touches brought by the French Riviera and its high alpine mountains. It is especially a great place to make a mountain bike hike in France: the Mercantour National Park is home to almost 600 kilometres of well-kept and marked trails, including GR 5, GR 56 and the incredible GR 52A, which is the panoramic path of the Mercantour and crosses the Merveilles Valley – one of the emblematic places of the park and houses 40,000 prehistoric engravings! Also take advantage of your adventures in mountain biking to admire the Lake of Allos, the largest natural lake of altitude in Europe, and from where you can enjoy beautiful hikes.

9. The Catalan Pyrenees

The Massif du Canigou is one of the most beautiful mountain bikes in France. It is located in the department of the Pyrenees-Orientales. Situated in a wide variety of landscapes, it is one of the most pleasant places to make a mountain bike hike in France. In addition to its sunny climate there are beautiful hiking trails, which will lead you from Fort-Romeu in the park heights to the charming coastal town of Collioure. To accomplish this charming route from the peak of the Canigou to the seaside, passing through the Col d’Ares, you can fortunately count on an incredible road marked by nearly 200 kilometers!

10. L’Armorique

Who said the ATV should be limited to the high mountains of the Alps, the Pyrenees or the Central Massif? Among the most beautiful places to make a mountain bike hike in France, we can obviously count Brittany! In the Regional Natural Park of Armorique, you will find a site known to hikers: the Monts d’Arrée, from which there are about fifteen loops marked between the massif and the Black Mountains. All you have to do is get your bike to dive into the mysterious atmosphere of the Armoric. Walk through the forest of Huelgoat, slalom between the Roc’h that follow your path and discover breathtaking wild landscapes!

11. The Pyrenees

To finish this list of the best places to make a mountain bike hike in France, we could not fail to mention the Pyrenees National Park. In the west of the Massif du Canigou, in the heart of the mountains and a few strokes of Lourdes pedals, this national park is a great playground for lovers of outdoor activities. D’Argelès-Gazost, at the entrance of the park, Cirque de Gavarnie, near the Spanish border, extend many marked hiking trails. Each valley and village houses its own circuits. In the Valley of the Country Toy, all around Luz-Saint-Sauveur, you will find many routes and mountain bike hikes for any profile. On the Lourdes side, beginners or experienced riders will also find paths for all levels, while in the famous Cauterets Valley, you will find sports trails that will further satisfy the hikers to the aguerrilla mountain bike! Don't miss visiting the local Tourist Offices to equip you with precious maps exhibiting the most beautiful circuits.