Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs is located in the upper Sandron Valley. Two tributaries of the Sandron encircle the municipality; the two rivers around Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs are equipped with small stone bridges. Fishing is possible in the two tributaries of the Sandron that surround Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs.
Anyone choosing Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs as a travel destination would like to rent a holiday apartment there.
Landscape
La Paille is a former inn in Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs, situated at an altitude of 915 m on a prominent ridge stretching from the Ardèche Plateau to the Massif du Coiron and separating the two natural regions of the Cévennes to the south and the Boutières to the north. The La Paille hike begins in Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs.
At the foot of the mountains, Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs has shady picnic areas. There is also an outdoor swimming pool in a sports complex in the village.
Hiking
The second stage of the GRP Haute Cévenne d’Ardèche begins in Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs and is 18.55 kilometres long. The Le Mazel hike begins at the “SAINT-JOSEPH-DES-BANCS” Info-Rando sign on the church square at an altitude of 660 m, passes through old chestnut groves and reaches the Moulin de Raoul.
The hike to the Moulin de la Croze follows the Moulet Valley. It passes an old mill with its Estenche, a sluice used as a water reservoir, and reaches the road in the hamlet of La Croze via a Kalade. The remains of an old Roman road can be walked from Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs to the Champ de Mars.
Culture
The Moulin de Raoul has an overshot water wheel with a diameter of 4 metres. When there is sufficient water flow, the mill is open to the public by prior arrangement. A copy of the painting “L’Annonciation” was made in 1873–1875 for the church of Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs in the Ardèche.
The Petite Église in Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs has a bell gable. In some hamlets of Saint-Joseph-des-Bancs, bread is still baked in ovens.
Other places: Vals-Les-Bains, Asperjoc, Saint-Germain, Vinezac, St-Remeze, Félines, Rompon, Saint-Clément.
