From the Col de l'Épine

de fr

A beautiful hike, not too difficult despite a few climbs! But no problem for experienced hikers. The route is partly shaded.

Details

n°596150
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 457 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 464 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,024 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 719 m
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Description of the walk

Col de l'Épine car park.

(S/E) Head south.
Turn right at the first fork, at the PDIPR sign, towards Col du Crucifix. Follow this path, initially heading south. Reach elevation 955.

(1) Turn left. The trail veers off and then heads south again. Reach the Col du Crucifix.

(2) At the PDIPR sign, turn left towards Saint-Sulpice and Vimines via the Roman road.

(3) At the PDIPR sign, turn right towards Col Saint-Michel. Follow this path south.

(4) At the crossroads, continue straight ahead on the path, ignoring the one on the left. You will reach Col Saint-Michel.

(5) Turn right towards the François I Caves.

(6) Take the hairpin bend to the right towards the François 1er caves.

(7) Once at the caves, continue along the path. Leave a path on your left and you will reach a Y-junction.

(9) Turn at a right angle and continue on the right. You can take a small path that leads to a viewpoint over Lake Aiguebelette.

(2) At the Col du Crucifix, turn left and return by the same path you took to get to the Col de l'Épine car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 986 m - Car park - Col de l'Epine (987m)
  2. 1 : km 2.58 - alt. 955 m - Fork to the left.
  3. 2 : km 3.58 - alt. 910 m - Col du Crucifix (915m)
  4. 3 : km 4.47 - alt. 744 m - PDIPR sign
  5. 4 : km 5.39 - alt. 821 m - Go straight ahead at the crossroads.
  6. 5 : km 5.78 - alt. 902 m - Col Saint-Michel (903m)
  7. 6 : km 6.13 - alt. 889 m - Right-hand hairpin bend.
  8. 7 : km 6.7 - alt. 838 m - François 1er Caves
  9. 8 : km 6.9 - alt. 850 m - Y-junction
  10. 9 : km 7.14 - alt. 876 m - View of the - Lac d'Aiguebelette
  11. S/E : km 10.97 - alt. 986 m - Col de l'Épine car park

Notes

Equipment: good shoes as the path is stony.
The trail follows a section of the old Roman road.
Directions are indicated by PDIPR signs showing the name of the direction and the duration/km, without any markings.
The description may seem brief, but this walk takes you through woods without many visual landmarks!

Worth a visit

At Col St-Michel, there are the remains of a sarcophagus that is said to have contained the body of Saint-Germain. A hospice occupied by monks who provided services to travellers remained in use until the 16th century.
In 1516, after bowing before the Holy Shroud, then kept in the chapel of the Château de Chambéry, François I took the Roman road to return to France and, following a storm, was forced to take shelter in one of the caves on the Novalaise side.
Ancient Roman road with remains of stepped stairways and cobblestones.
François I caves.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 11 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
hiker38
hiker38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The route is entirely through forest, so there are no views of Lake Aiguebelette.
From Col St Michel, you can continue through the forest (add 3 hours round trip) to Mont Grele, where there is a magnificent view of the lake.

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isere38rando
isere38rando

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Just a quick note: signposts are rare.
Nice shaded walk. Lovely view of the lake.

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claire.almeras
claire.almeras

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

We were surprised not to find any viewpoints overlooking the lake on the route described...
Perhaps there was an error in our route? (especially given the previous comments mentioning the viewpoints!)
Otherwise, from point 5, you can take a short detour to reach a viewpoint (follow a path that climbs to the right, marked in yellow with the symbol "viewpoint").
Then head back down to the crossroads to go to the caves.

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thierry302
thierry302
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We set off to do the hike in the opposite direction: Col de l'Epine, Francois I Cave, then Col Saint Michel.
As we didn't encounter any particular difficulties on this section, we pushed on to Mont Grele, where we enjoyed a magnificent view of Lake Aiguebelette.
We returned from Col Saint Michel to Col du Crucifix via the route described, but in the opposite direction. The Sarde trail between points 2 and 3 is really pleasant.

A very pleasant, shaded hike with no difficulties if you stay on the described route. Reaching Mont Grele from Col Saint Michel is also not technically difficult, but it significantly lengthens the route (19 km in total...).

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TETRAS73
TETRAS73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike recommended in hot weather, well sheltered from the sun under the trees and enhanced by history (Col St Michel and François I cave). Beautiful views of Lake Aiguebellette.

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Raoul 019
Raoul 019

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very shady hike, beautiful views of Lake Aiguebelette.

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alainchartreuse
alainchartreuse

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This hike can be done on a hot day as it is very shaded and its balcony location encourages gentle breezes.

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christianmaurice69
christianmaurice69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Part 1 (and therefore the end...) a bit long.
But overall enjoyable.

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Janick74
Janick74

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 06, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant hike for all hikers as it is not difficult. Shady, so ideal in summer.
Reliable, accurate description;
Thank you.

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Didric
Didric

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Start at Col de l'Épine, not a little further down as indicated by a sign on the climb to the pass.
Easy route through the forest, with a few slippery sections in wet weather.
Beautiful view of Lake Aiguebelette, above Col St Michel.

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Brisou73
Brisou73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,
A lovely walk through the woods, ideal in warm weather.
Very well marked.

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