Leisse refuge - Col du Palet refuge

de fr

Day2 of the Grande Casse circular route, from the Refuge de la Leisse to the Refuge du Col du Palet, following theGR®55via Val Claret.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Circular route around the Grande Casse

Details

n°35909
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.22 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 814 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 709 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,749 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,106 m
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Description of the walk

(S) From the Leisse refuge, head towards the Col de Leisse on theGR®55.

Go around the Plan des Nettes on the left.

(1) A little further on, follow the path that passes to the right of Lac des Nettes.

(2) Cross the Leisse torrent and reach the Col de la Leisse.

(3) Begin the descent to the junction with the Col de Fresse trail.

(4) Continue straight on theGR®55, ignoring the path on the right leading to the Col de Fresse. At the big left-hand bend, you will see Val Claret in the distance. Walk alongside the Bollins-Fresse chairlift and you will reach the Chalet de la Leisse.

(5) Turn left onto the trail, leaving theGR®55. Reach the far left of Val Claret and go around it to the first tennis court at the back of the village. Begin a short climb to the Chalet de Lognan.

(6) Here, join theGR®5. Turn left and follow this path, which climbs quite steeply to the Col du Palet.

(7) Cross it and begin the short descent via the path furthest to the right, which ends at the Palet refuge (E) not far below.

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 2,483 m - Refuge de la Leisse
  2. 1 : km 2.69 - alt. 2,640 m - Lac des Nettes
  3. 2 : km 3.11 - alt. 2,671 m - Leisse (cours d'eau)
  4. 3 : km 4.64 - alt. 2,729 m - Col de la Leisse
  5. 4 : km 6.4 - alt. 2,543 m - Col de Fresse crossroads
  6. 5 : km 8.58 - alt. 2,215 m - Chalet de la Leisse
  7. 6 : km 10.53 - alt. 2,341 m - Chalet de Lognan
  8. 7 : km 12.88 - alt. 2,653 m - Col du Palet
  9. E : km 13.22 - alt. 2,585 m - Refuge du Palet

Notes

IGN map recommended.
A good sleeping bag with a hood for cool nights and possibly a groundsheet.
A water bottle with your choice of liquid.
Pass through Val Claret where you can buy food and drink.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 3 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
yoguini
yoguini

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Be careful at point 5: go down to the bottom left of Val Claret and continue down to the Glaciers chairlift.
The trail is on the other side of the road and goes back up.
The tennis courts are abandoned and can no longer be seen, but you can clearly see the Glaciers chairlift.

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Mbar2
Mbar2

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route completed with a 14kg rucksack (self-sufficient). No particular difficulties.
We reached the Palet refuge (too) quickly and decided to extend the stage to the Glière refuge.
Distance measured: 19 km - Elevation gain: 800 m - Activity time: 7 hours 10 minutes

A very beautiful hike through varied landscapes. The only downside was the Tignes ski area, where the mountain has been ravaged by ski lifts, ski slopes and 4x4 tracks.

Very beautiful refuge at La Glière and a very friendly welcome.

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francisrohmer@sfr.fr
francisrohmer@sfr.fr

Hello,

Having completed the hike from Le Palet to La Leisse, I have no particular comments on the description.
However, be careful at the start of the season, as there is a lot of snow when climbing up and down the Col de la Leisse (2,700 m).
Follow the tracks left by other hikers, as not all cairns are visible.

Francis

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dg68
dg68

Hello,

Thank you for your comment. If you have any photos, please feel free to add them to the hike. This is a route I did before the era of digital photography, so I didn't have many photos to add to this hike.

Thank you!

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pitoislu
pitoislu

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike in summer with no particular difficulties in terms of elevation or passages
At the Col de la Leisse, make sure you find the right path to take if there is a lot of snow
The hiking time provided is accurate
Note that with a small rucksack, it takes 1½ hours without breaks from Tignes Val Claret to the Col de la Leisse, and 1 hour without breaks from Tignes Val Claret to the Col du Palet.

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