Aiguille Rouge - Col des Thures - Chavillon and Bellety Lakes

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A beautiful hike that takes you from a larch forest to a mineral world. We tackle the summit of the Aiguille Rouge with its splendid panorama, then the vast mountain pasture of the Col des Thures and Lake Chavillon, under the watchful eye of the three Wise Men of the Vallée Étroite. We extend the hike to Lake Bellety, which is less frequented but well worth the detour.

Details

n°154206
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.54 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,003 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,003 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,531 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,755 m
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Photos

The Aiguille Rouge
Clarée Valley
Vallon des Thures
Thures pastoral hut

Description of the walk

Access: Shortly before Névache, turn right onto the D1T, the Col de l'Échelle road towards Italy. Park at the top in a small car park on the right (at the sign for Col de l'Échelle).

(S) The start of the hike is shortly after the pass on the left. The trail (GR®5B, marked in white and red) starts in the woods heading north-west. Follow it, leaving the trail on the left at the first crossroads (Bois de Saint-Hyppolyte) and continue climbing to the second fork (Ruines de la Tête Noire).

(1) Continue north towards Aiguille Rouge along the path that follows the summit ridge

(2) Ignore the path that branches off to the left and continue northwards uphill. Then turn right and climb up the switchbacks to the summit.

(3) Descend via the same route to the plateau.

(2) Leave the path you took to climb up and turn right (west-southwest).

(4) Turn right again on the mountainside heading north-west to Col des Thures.

(5) Join theGR®57, walk along the right side of Lac Chavillon and continue north-east.

(6) Leave theGR® and turn sharply left (south-west) onto a faint path that runs along the Riou des Thures on the ridge, on the right bank. When the slope levels out, leave the stream and turn left, heading south-south-west, across the grassland to reach Lac Bellety a little higher up.

(7) From the lake, descend across the grassland, south-southeast, towards the Vallon des Thures to join the trail (GR®5-GR®57) towards Trou de Micouret.

(8) Follow theGR® trail to the right, heading due south, to the bottom of the valley. Pass in front of the Thures shepherd's hut.

(9) Leave theGR®5trail that leads to Névache on the right and continue along the trail that climbs slightly up the mountainside (GR®5B-GR®57). Further on, ignore a trail that branches off to the right. Begin a winding climb that leads to a crossroads taken on the way there.

(1) Turn right and return to the start via the same route.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,755 m - Car park shortly after the - Col de l'Échelle
  2. 1 : km 2.32 - alt. 2,217 m - Ruins of La Tête Noire
  3. 2 : km 3.18 - alt. 2,351 m - Intersection on a flat section
  4. 3 : km 3.88 - alt. 2,531 m - Summit - Aiguille Rouge
  5. 4 : km 4.71 - alt. 2,309 m - Y-shaped trail junction
  6. 5 : km 6.27 - alt. 2,195 m - Col des Thures - Lac Chavillon
  7. 6 : km 6.51 - alt. 2,189 m - Fork
  8. 7 : km 7.15 - alt. 2,288 m - Lac Bellety
  9. 8 : km 7.98 - alt. 2,146 m - GR near the Trou du Micouret
  10. 9 : km 8.76 - alt. 2,078 m - Separation of GR5 and GR5B
  11. S/E : km 12.54 - alt. 1,755 m - Car park

Notes

Uncontrolled water source at the Thures pastoral hut.
Return trip to the Aiguille du Point (2), approximately 45 minutes.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 14 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Klodeko
Klodeko
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I set off from the Roubion nature reserve with my two dogs to rejoin the path that climbs above the Col de l'Échelle. We followed the trail described up to the Aiguille Rouge. View of the Barre des Écrins and the Dôme, as well as Mont Thabor, which we had climbed the day before. We trotted down a direct route to Lac Chavillon, which was quite low and a little crowded. We climbed up to Lac Bellety, which was indeed much prettier with the Aiguille Rouge in the background. No herds. We descended the mountain pasture at a brisk pace to the shepherd's hut, then took the winding path to join the trail that runs alongside the Roubion torrent to the village and our camp. 17 km, 1,140 m elevation gain in 3½ hours for a beautiful morning. An easy route to a pretty promontory on the edge of the Clarée valley.

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Lau3834
Lau3834

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent hike
Interesting loop with a fairly easy-to-reach summit
Crowded at the Aiguille Rouge
The two lakes are very beautiful

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FrancescoDeLaRonna
FrancescoDeLaRonna

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with some steep climbs (at the start and at Aiguille Rouge) but entirely manageable. The path after the descent from Aiguille Rouge is easy to find, especially with the app, which allows you to check that you are following the trail correctly. I highly recommend it!

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Eiger2b
Eiger2b

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A few people at Lake Chavillon. Easy summit.

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loulou le cigalon
loulou le cigalon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We just wanted to do the two lakes without climbing to the summit of Aiguille Rouge
The climb from Col de l'Échelle is enjoyable, with wild, uncrowded scenery.
Crossing the Vallon des Thures on a balcony trail could be tricky for people who are very sensitive to vertigo. The wide open spaces in the Vallon des Thures are superb.
Unfortunately, caught in the rain at Lac Chavillon, we left without climbing to Lac Bellety.
The return route via the GR is also enjoyable, with a short section of a few metres towards the 2121 m ridge that may be daunting for those who are susceptible to vertigo: the trail is quite wide but runs along the edge of a steep slope.
The elevation gain for this hike, excluding the Aiguille Rouge and Lac Ballety, is approximately 720 m over a distance of approximately 11.9 km.

Les Randos de Loulou

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JulieFJ
JulieFJ

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely route popular with our Italian neighbours. Steep climb to Aiguille Rouge for a superb 360° panorama. Lovely descent into the valley.

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sebmichelin
sebmichelin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, varied and with contrasting landscapes. The final part of the climb to Aiguille Rousse is slightly tricky as it is exposed, but not particularly difficult. However, the view from Aiguille Rousse is worth the detour and offers magnificent 360-degree panoramic views. We did not follow the recommended route connecting Aiguille Rousse to Col des Thures (not really marked and quite exposed) but took a path a little lower down, which made the descent a little easier. The path from the Col de l'Echelle is well shaded, very beautiful and not very busy. We only came across two hikers on the GR5. There were more people at the top of the Aiguille Rousse and at the Col des Thures.

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pouget yves
pouget yves

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful and varied hike, with the climb up Aiguille Rouge a must for the atmosphere and the view (one hour there and back), followed by a stroll across the grasslands to the two lakes. A real treat.
Lots of Italians at the summit who are "camping" up there...

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michel.prairial
michel.prairial

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route to take in autumn. There is no one on the trails, the colours are superb, and the view from the top of the peak is a wonderful reward (if the weather is good...).

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manissieux
manissieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant hike on this beautiful plateau with two lakes and flocks of sheep grazing in the surrounding mountain pastures
The Aiguille Rouge attracts quite a few people to its winding paths and can be daunting for those prone to vertigo on the final few metres, which are narrow and steep.
But there's a beautiful view up there
There are some sections on the side of the mountain with fine scree, but with care and walking poles, for example, you can get through without any problems

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DELTAP
DELTAP

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and varied hike between the ascent of the very rocky Aiguille Rouge and the Vallon des Thures with the green and flower-filled Lac Chavillon. We did not climb up to Lac Bellety as we felt the route was sufficient.
The climb up the Aiguille Rouge is quite strenuous, but the effort is rewarded by the magnificent view from the summit, particularly of the Ecrins, Mont Thabor and Viso.

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Alibegoud
Alibegoud

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Couldn't find the trail from Bellety Lake (the highest one): we cut across to join the lower trail.

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baroudeurs06
baroudeurs06

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A lovely walk. To reach Lake Bellety, which cannot be seen from Lake Chavillon, head for the Savoie/France boundary marker and climb up the grassy slope. You will be there in 15 minutes.

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emmaamandine
emmaamandine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We left at 10:30am due to uncertain weather conditions. We only did the round trip to Aiguille Rouge as we were already familiar with Lac Chavillon and Col des Thures. A very beautiful climb through the forest to the plateau, with a clear path as we progressed towards the summit. We had lunch at the summit in the sunshine at 12:50pm

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