Discover Dornas: Hiking, Water and Local History

In Dornas, hiking routes, a mountain bike loop, the Plan d’eau on the Dorne and historical landmarks offer different points of interest. If you are looking for a hotel in Dornas, you can plan your stay around whether you would rather explore a marked hiking route, take a bike ride, enjoy seasonal activities by the water or discover local history. The route and location details below provide specific starting points.

Hiking: route distances and elevation gain

The Circuit d’Eyriac – N°2 starts and ends at Place de la Mairie in Dornas. The circular route is 6 km long, includes 277 m of elevation gain and descends into the Dorne valley. Tourist information describes the Circuit de Molines – N°3 as a challenging 9 km hiking trail; the official route data sheet, dated 22 August 2026, lists it as a difficult circular hike covering 9.2 km. The data sheet gives a duration of 3 hr 30 min, 397 m of ascent and a maximum elevation of 946 m. The two routes also differ in their figures: according to the route data sheet, Molines is 3.2 km longer than Eyriac and has 120 m more ascent. On the Molines loop, you cross a stone bridge over the Grand Dornas stream.

Mountain biking to the Champel ruins

The Le Bois de Graveyron – VTT FFC N°6 Noir mountain bike loop starts and ends at Place de la Fontaine. The route leads to the Champel ruins. This gives you a specifically designated mountain biking loop to choose from in Dornas, in addition to the hiking routes.

The Plan d’eau and its rocky landscape

The Plan d’eau in Dornas is a man-made body of water on the Dorne and operates seasonally. Supervised swimming is also seasonal; lifeguards are on duty from the end of June. Facilities include three paddleboards for children. There is also a playground, a picnic area and a snack bar at the Plan d’eau, with a campsite nearby. Check which facilities are currently available before your visit.

Below the Plan d’eau de la Gandole, the rocks at Pont du Salin are shaped and polished by the powerful flow of transported gravel. There are impressive “marmites de géants” (giant’s kettles) here. This location adds a striking rocky landscape to the experience of Dornas’s waterside scenery.

Historical traces in Dornas

The La Châtelaine spring is a reminder of Dornas’s former mineral water industry. Operations began in 1920 and ended in 1992. As early as 1906, mill operators Riou and Dejoux submitted the first application to exploit the spring.

Smaller structures also tell the story of the area: residents restored the bread oven in the hamlet of Molines in 2004. An old bridge in Dornas has been documented since 1348. These dates provide two different points of reference for local building history—the earliest record of the bridge and the restoration of the oven.

Discover more destinations: Vinezac, Issanlas, Saint-André-de-Cruzières, Saint-André-En-Vivarais, Jaujac, Saint-Alban-Auriolles, Saint-Étienne-De-Lugdarès, Le Pouzin

For the broader travel overview: Ardèche.