At the foot of the church of Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert, the Roanne and Lance rivers meet. Those who choose Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert for their stay would like to rent a holiday apartment there.
Water
The Roanne gorges are free and open to the public all year round. There is a picnic area at the gorges. They also offer natural pools that are suitable for cooling off in summer.
Hiking
The Montanègue route leads through lavender fields up to a rugged mountain ridge between the Roanne and Brette valleys and offers views of the Couspeau mountains and the Trois Becs. The Petit Paris route leads through oak and pine forests and reaches the Col de Muse; it is assigned to Saint-Nazaire-le-Désert, is 26.03 kilometres long and classified as “very difficult”.
The Le col du Lauzat route leads through marl, lavender fields and broom in the valley of the Ruisseau de la Lance. Le col du Lauzat is described as a family-friendly hike through the Désert. The Serre des Chaumes route leads through garrigue, Mediterranean woodland and lavender fields.
The Tour de la Servelle route leads to the Sapey cattle pasture, which is open towards the Vercors, and passes commemorative cairns recalling Allied parachute drops.
Local Life
A market takes place on Place du Chenevier on Friday mornings. Ferme de Pourcier cultivates 23 hectares for truffles and 13 hectares for lavender. During the season, it sells fresh truffles, olive and walnut oil flavoured with truffles, Camargue sea salt flavoured with truffles, as well as fine lavender and lavandin essential oils.
Culture
The Chapelle Saint-Thomas du Petit Paris was built in 1634 at an altitude of 950 metres on a foothill of Montagne Couspeau. It is accessible exclusively on foot via a forest path and was fully restored in spring 2022.
At the Petit Paris cemetery, there is a memorial plaque bearing the names of 225 ancestors of the Roanne Valley who have been buried there since 1715.
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