Discover Châteauneuf-Miravail

Châteauneuf-Miravail combines a distinctive landscape with hiking and mountain biking opportunities, as well as historic buildings. When choosing your stay, you can consider whether outdoor excursions or architecture and history interest you more. The named routes differ in their course and type; chapels, a parish church and historic sites add distinct cultural themes to the landscape.

Landscape and hiking

Green meadows are bordered by sheer rocky cliffs, while the Jabron and Druigne rivers run through the village. This combination of open spaces, rock and water makes the landscape a focus in its own right when planning your trip, alongside the specific routes.

Two route profiles stand out for hikers. The “Sommet du Contras” route starts and ends in the hamlet of Lange in Châteauneuf-Miravail and passes along the northern side of the Montagne de Lure and the prominent summit of Contras. Another option is the circular hike on Montagne Saint-Michel, between the Montagne de Lure and the Montagne de Mare. It offers impressive views across the valley and alternates between track and hiking trail from Pas de Parandier to Col de Saint-Michel. By comparison, Lange and the landscape features mentioned above characterize the Sommet du Contras route; for the circular hike on Montagne Saint-Michel, the valley views and the change between track and hiking trail stand out.

Mountain biking

The “Saint-Vincent & Montfroc” mountain bike circuit leads to the Ste-Mary Chapel on the section that crosses the municipality. The route also passes through the municipality to the ruins of Château des Graves. The section within the municipality follows a technical trail; access is free and available year-round. Alongside the hiking trails, the circuit offers another type of excursion, with its own route features and named destinations.

Chapels, church and history

The Notre-Dame de l’Assomption Chapel stands in the hamlet of Lange, on the northern slope of the Montagne de Lure. It probably dates from the 17th century or later. Its nave has a flattened barrel vault, which connects to an apse with a domed vault. The nave is the main interior space; the apse is the adjoining area. The different vault forms give the chapel a specific architectural feature for travelers interested in sacred architecture as well as its period of construction.

The Saint-Mary parish church offers a different architectural point of interest: it stands on a small rocky plateau and is partly Romanesque. The sites of Jansiac and Saint-Michel are thought to have been inhabited from as early as antiquity, possibly continuing until the end of the Middle Ages. These historical periods make the area’s heritage another cultural theme, complementing its individual buildings.

Discover more destinations: Entrepierres, Dauphin, Bevons, Faucon-De-Barcelonnette, Vachères, Montfuron, Méolans-Revel, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie

For the broader travel overview: Alpes-De-Haute-Provence.