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This hike requires you to carry all the equipment you need for 3 nights and 4 days of walking: food (except water, which is easily available if treated), a tent as there are no shelters near the described bivouac areas, suitable clothing and a first aid kit.
Only the ascent to Mont Thabor (15) is on a marked trail; the others: La Roche des Béraudes (4) (which requires the use of your hands), Pointe des Cerces (7) and Pic du Lac Blanc (20) are routes where you must take care to stay on the right track.
In the event of very bad weather, from the second day onwards, the route offers the option of returning safely to the village of Névache via marked trails.
4 days in the Clarée Valley (Cerces and Thabor)
This 4-day circular bivouac is for experienced hikers.
It does, of course, follow sections of marked trails (GR®,GRP®), but the nature of the terrain when off-trail requires extreme caution (rock falls) and a solid knowledge of navigation, especially in unpredictable weather. The daily summit climb is obviously dependent on your equipment (crampons?), weather conditions (snowfields?) and your physical fitness.
Details
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Last review:
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 48.51 km -
Average duration: 4 days -
Difficulty: Very difficult -
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Back to start: Yes -
Ascent: + 3,825 m -
Descent: - 3,816 m -
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Highest point: 3,176 m -
Lowest point: 2,021 m
Photos
Stages of the route
This route needs several days, find the details below:
Notes
Worth a visit
On the first day, you should be able to see ibex as you climb up the peatland valley near Lac Sorcier. The optional ascent to La Roche des Béraudes (4) offers a beautiful view of Les Ecrins and the Combe du Lac Rouge.
On the second day, enjoy the panorama from Pointe des Cerces (7) and descend along the Clarée from the source (lake).
On the third day, enjoy a 360° view from Mont Thabor (15).
On the fourth day, a panoramic view from the Pic du Lac Blanc (20) of the 4-day circular that will come to an end in a few hours after passing by the Lacs Serpent and Laramon.
Reviews and comments
4.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
4.9 / 5
lebretondelest
Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No
Thank you for this route, which I completed solo in early September in near-perfect weather, despite a bit of wind at times.
The circular loop is indeed very physically demanding, with long stages and sometimes very steep climbs (ascent to Les Cerces, Thabor, Pic du Lac Blanc). But the views from the summits are spectacular. From the top of Thabor, you can clearly see the Matterhorn in Switzerland 120 km away and all the peaks of the Écrins to the south.
I think walking poles are essential for the steep climbs on sometimes unstable terrain, and the same goes for rainy weather and slippery ground, as some sections are undoubtedly impassable.
We saw ibex at Lac du Sorcier (stage 1), as well as during the climb to Les Cerces (day 2), and chamois on the slopes at Lac de la Madeleine.
For this last bivouac (day 2), it is possible to continue a little higher than the first lake to reach the very pretty plateau a little above with the other small lakes, and get closer to the ascent of Thabor on day 3. But beware, this second day is very long and this last climb from the Drayères refuge is harder than expected.
The only downside in the description, in my opinion, is that on the last day, the passage around Lac Blanc (stages 2 to 4) between the Col du Vallon and the Pic du Lac Blanc is not described in enough detail, even though it is undoubtedly the most technical part of the route.
First of all, for reference points, the large (double) rocky promontory that can be seen from the Col du Vallon is not the Pic du Lac Blanc, which is only visible when you are on top of it; Lac Blanc is not visible from the col, and the depression below this promontory is not, as one might think, the dried-up lake. You must therefore pass to the right of this rocky promontory, via a steep slope that is probably impossible to climb when the ground is slippery.
Especially between markers 3 and 4, climb directly up the west-facing ridge and do not venture along the level section towards the end of the ridge that can be seen further south (cross at the summit), which is not the Pic du Lac Blanc, which is invisible from this location. This terrain is very steep and unstable with large rocks ready to fall. I had a good scare there for 20 minutes before climbing straight up the slope!
The bivouacs are very nice. At Lac Lavoir, head towards the bottom to find less damp ground, but you will quickly be in the shade by late afternoon.
Recommended for athletes in good physical condition and in good weather!
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Potman
Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No
Thank you for this superb 5-day trip at the end of August.
We only encountered other people around the mountain huts and at Mont Thabor, which was very busy.
On day 1, we set up camp at Lac Blanc (at the base of Grand Galibier), which allowed us to climb the summit without our rucksacks.
You do need to be in good physical condition for this route, especially as your rucksacks are bound to be quite heavy (with temperatures well below zero at night, particularly at the splendid Lacs de la Madeleine, where our tent and part of the lake surface were frozen in the early morning).
The route to Thabor via the Roche du Chardonnet ridge is truly superb, and ultimately not that difficult (although it looks impressive from a distance).
The view at the Pointe des Cerces is magnificent! We climbed (without our bags) via the classic route and tried the ridge on the way back, as suggested by the author. The panorama and colours on this side are breathtaking, but we had to turn back with regret as this passage was too vertiginous for us.
The same goes for the Pic du Lac Blanc: it was impossible to control our vertigo along the steep path. This allowed us (as suggested by Baptiste, thanks again) to reach Névache via the very pretty Vallon and its amazing Rochers de la Miglia (a gentle 1,000m descent).
In short: a superb route, physically demanding and adaptable. Plan for alternatives if you are working on your vertigo, even if this remains a very personal and irrational issue 
Keep a close eye on the weather: we had ideal weather, but we imagine that in case of fog or rain, things can quickly become complicated. Fortunately, the refuges are never very far away.
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benoitvincent89
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes
Many thanks for this guide!
It was a magnificent route that we completed over four days with a few variations:
We started the circular hike at Lac du Grand Ban (via Plan Lachat in the municipality of Valloire).
- After the Col du Vallon, we reached the Pic du Lac Blanc from the south of Lac Blanc via the blue dotted route on the IGN 25,000 scale map.
- We replaced the ascent of Pointe des Cerces with that of Grand Galibier via the Col de la Ponsonnière.
The landscapes are breathtaking and very varied, and the multitude of lakes offers a wide choice of bivouac sites. However, be aware that some lakes can be very crowded (particularly those on marked trails accessible within a 2-hour walk from a car park).
We were lucky to have ideal weather conditions.
I highly recommend this hike, which can be completed in four days by anyone in good physical condition (regularly practising sport).
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les5ours
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
A magnificent course, well balanced with superb off-trail sections.
Very reliable description
Three enchanting bivouac sites with access to water
The last day should not be underestimated, particularly the section between the Col du Vallon and the Pic du Lac Blanc above Lac Blanc. This is the wildest part, where the paths are non-existent in places and the summit is not clearly visible from below.
We came looking for "off-trail" hiking, and we got it!
Anecdote: watch out for the cows at Lac Lavoir. We witnessed two hikers being chased away, losing a sock, a pair of shorts and some of their food.
A huge thank you for this guide.
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Bastiencucuel
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 21, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Walk completed from 13/08 to 16/08.
Great route.
Rain and fog on the first two days forced us to skip the two round trips on the first day.
We set up camp on the first day at Lac de la Clarée. This allowed us to leave the tents to dry during the return trip to Pointe des Cerces.
On the second day, we took a detour after the Drayères refuge, descending towards the Laval refuge on the GRP before turning left onto the path towards Lac Long and then the Madeleine lakes. This allowed us to pass by Lac Long, which is really very pretty.
There were no technical difficulties encountered along the entire route.
It seems to me that climbing Thabor via this route should be avoided in rainy weather.
The off-trail sections are very enjoyable.
The climb to the Pic du Lac Blanc is amazing and fantastic!
We arrived in Nevache the evening before our hike. We had dinner at the Auberge du Clot for one last good meal before the diet imposed by the weight of our rucksacks! It was excellent, local and the welcome was very friendly! A great place for one last treat before the hike!
Happy hiking, everyone!
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KateGrimp37
Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
A physically demanding route (mainly Mount Thabor) but entirely achievable. Especially when the weather (which we had) is warm and sunny.
Be careful with your legs as there are some quite steep slopes.
Yes, heading towards the Pointe des Cerces is definitely worth the detour with its magical view of the Ecrins.
And then the chamois are well worth the walk, as is the view of Mont Blanc.
Lovers of beautiful hikes: get your crampons ready, you won't be disappointed.
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Stanislaz
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
We did a beautiful hike over two days. It was physically demanding, but a beautiful route.
The detour to Pointe des Cerces, without backpacks, gave us a magical view of the Ecrins massif. It's a must-do, even if it adds a few kilometres and some elevation gain.
On the second day, we climbed Mont Thabor, which was difficult but also worth the effort, with a breathtaking 180° panorama and, weather permitting, the chance to see Mont Blanc.
A must-do.
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