La Salle-en-Beaumont brings together very different discoveries: a short circular walk along the Canal du Beaumont, the considerably more challenging Tour du Chauvet No. 34, and the town’s reconstructed church. To help plan your visit, compare the routes: their length, elevation gain, and stated duration make it easy to distinguish the short loop from the longer hike. The canal’s history and the church’s architecture also give your stay its own points of interest.
A short loop along the Canal du Beaumont
The discovery trail along the Canal du Beaumont is a 4 km circular walk with 180 m of elevation gain. The stated duration is 1 hour and 30 minutes; the route is rated easy and family-friendly. It starts at La Salle-en-Beaumont town hall, follows the canal, and returns to the starting point. This clearly describes both the start and return, while the distance and duration offer a practical guide for planning.
The canal is almost 150 years old and still irrigates the Beaumont area from Valbonnais. One starting point for the Canal du Beaumont is in La Salle-en-Beaumont along the RN85. The discovery trail brings together a manageable circular route and infrastructure that is still in use. If you are interested in the area’s heritage, you will encounter not just a trail but also a canal that has long served the Beaumont area.
The Tour du Chauvet: a more challenging circular route
The Tour du Chauvet No. 34 is a difficult, red-rated 20 km circular route with 691 m of ascent. Compared with the 4 km discovery trail, it requires a very different time and elevation plan. The route starts at the La Salle-en-Beaumont cemetery car park. On the return, it follows a balcony path above the Drac and alternates between forest, farmland, and hamlets. This sequence of landscapes is part of the return to La Salle-en-Beaumont and adds a concrete sense of the route to its description.
The stated differences are especially useful when choosing between the two routes: the discovery trail’s 4 km and 1 hour 30 minutes, compared with the Tour du Chauvet’s 20 km, 691 m of ascent, and “difficult, red” rating. A two-day circular route to the Cabane de Lou Pi and the Belvédère du Beaumont also passes through La Salle-en-Beaumont–Eglise. This offers a different, multi-day route structure from the two circular walks described above.
Church and heritage
Notre-Dame de l'Assomption in La Salle-en-Beaumont is part of the 20th-century religious heritage of the Isère department. The church was built after the 1994 landslide, which claimed four lives. The reconstruction uses simple, abstract forms and compact, clearly defined geometric volumes. The church can therefore be viewed both in its historical context and through its design.
One of its defining features is a cylindrical volume. Two cross-shaped openings determine the intensity of daylight inside. The clear geometric forms and the light openings complement one another as distinct aspects of the architecture: the design remains compact and abstract, while the openings shape the daylight in the interior.
More ways to enjoy your stay
For the journey to the Cabane de Lou Pi, access from Grenoble railway station is listed via Cars-Région lines T90 or T91 to the La Salle-en-Beaumont Eglise stop. Check the timetable before setting off to make sure the connection fits your visit plans. For a longer route, you can also consider the two-day circular route to the Cabane de Lou Pi and the Belvédère du Beaumont; it passes through La Salle-en-Beaumont–Eglise.
Another destination in town is the playground, a family-friendly outdoor area next to an educational pond. It also features mountain views and a fitness trail. This offers a different focus from the circular walks: here, the emphasis is on the outdoor area, pond, and trail rather than route length and elevation gain. You can combine hiking and heritage with a visit that appeals to other interests.
Discover more destinations: Saint-Julien-De-Raz, Corenc, Poliénas, Chichilianne, Corbelin, Grenay, Beaurepaire, Charette.
For the regional travel overview: Isere.
