Tour of the Ecrins

We offer you an impressive journey through the Écrins. In the heart of this National Park, you'll be surrounded by unspoilt nature, exceptional flora, lakes and breathtaking panoramas.

This tour takes you over the massif, from the top of the Romanche valley in Meije country to the narrow, isolated Valgaudemar valley.

Between glaciers and high-altitude lakes, you'll enjoy a variety of landscapes, and comfortable mountain refuges whose isolation will make you appreciate their conviviality...

A week of total change of scenery in an alpine atmosphere under the sun of the southern Alps.

Highlights

The variety of landscapes and breathtaking panoramas
The comfort of the refuges,
A complete 9 day trip.

9 days / 8 nights

Price: Consult us

Activity

Hike

Journey Type

Trip Itinérant

Trip Type

Liberté

Hiking Grade :

Terrain Difficulty :

Possible departures from 30 April to 30 April

Reserve/Add an option

Code: FRAENL28

Day by day program

Day 1 : Monêtier - Lac de l'Eychauda - Pelvoux

You can leave your vehicle along the Guisane at the parking lot at the start of the GR54.
Free, unguarded parking.
If you choose to arrive the day before, you can stay at the "Le Flourou" gîte, just opposite this parking lot.
Please note that this is a real stage, so you'll need to leave early (9am maximum).
Today we leave the Guisane valley for Pelvoux. Departing from Monêtier-les-Bains, we make a big morning climb up the vallon de Tabac to reach the steep Col des Grangettes (2684m). You'll have a bird's-eye view of Lac de l'Eychauda, which freezes over late in the season.
Descend through the magnificent Eychauda valley to the Vallon Chambran.

HIKING TIME: 7h
ASCENT : + 1100 m
DESCENT : - 800 m
ACCOMMODATION : in gîte
LUGGAGE ASSISTANCE: with luggage transport (if you have chosen this option)

Day 2 : Entre les Aygues - Col de l'Aup Saint Martin - Pré de la Chaumette

For this stage, we advise you to take the regular shuttle bus (for a fee of €10, booked with your accommodation provider, it will save you a good 2 hours' walk).
Start this stage with a light kit, as your bags cannot be transported to the Pré de la Chaumette refuge.
A long, gently sloping ascent into the valley (you can book a shuttle bus to take you to the valley floor (6km); ask your accommodation for details). Once you're out in the alpine meadows, you can see the pass in the distance behind several rocky locks, which you climb for a long time.
The final climb is a little steeper, in black schist, a slightly austere atmosphere that spices up the end of the ascent. Passage of the Col de l'Aup Martin (2761m) then the Pas de la Cavale. Rapid descent to the Refuge du Pré de la Chaumette.

HIKING TIME: 7h30
ASCENT : + 1200 m
DESCENT : - 750 m
ACCOMMODATION : in a refuge

Day 3 : Pré de la Chaumette - Col de la Valette, Col de Valompierre, Valgaudemar Valley

Day 3: Pré de la Chaumette - Col de la Valette, Col de Valompierre, Valgaudemar Valley
Departure from the refuge for the "famous 3 cols". Most of the day will be spent climbing three successive cols: the Col de la Valette (2668m), the Col Gouiran, just below, with its small lakes. The last, the Col de Valompierre (2607m), dominates the rocky valley above the Valompierre refuge.
Descent to the Severaisse valley.

HIKING TIME: 7h30
ASCENT : + 1200 m
DESCENT : - 1200 m
ACCOMMODATION : gîte or refuge
LUGGAGE ASSISTANCE: with luggage transport (if you have chosen this option)

Day 4 : La Chapelle en Valgaudemar - Col des Clochettes - Refuge de l'Olan ou Refuge des Souffles

For this stage, we'll once again be taking a light pack (we can't carry our own bags), and we'll find our bags again on the next stage.
From La Chapelle (1075 m), the trail climbs relentlessly, even if a few waterfalls grace the ascent. Our efforts are soon rewarded by the views that widen as we climb, notably of Pic Pétarel (2618m), Pic de Colle Blanche (2975m) and Pic de Parières (3076m) to the south (if the group's level allows, we'll reach the refuge de l'Olan, set in magnificent surroundings at the foot of L'Olan, La Rouye and the cime du Vallon).
We then quickly cross over to the Col des Colombes (2423 m) and Lac Lautier, before descending on a balcony to the Col des Clochettes and the Refuge des Souffles (1968 m).

HIKING TIME: 6h30
ASCENT : + 1375 m
DESCENT : - 450 m
ACCOMMODATION : in a refuge

Day 5 : Refuge de l'Olan ou Refuge des Souffles - Col de Vaurze - Le Désert de Valjouffrey

Leaving the refuge, we climb up the mountainside to the Col de Vaurze, the natural border between the southern and northern Alps.
We'll enjoy the last magnificent panoramas of the southern part of the Ecrins under the song of beautiful waterfalls. We cross the Col de Vaurze (2500 m), and in this very mineral environment, we begin the descent to the Désert de Valjouffrey.

HIKING TIME: 6h30
ASCENT : + 650 m
DESCENT : - 1295 m
ACCOMMODATION : in a refuge