Aiguilles de Chabrières and Réallon Station from Saint Apollinaire

This route to the Aiguilles de Saint-Apollinaire allows you to discover the small lake of Saint Apollinaire before enjoying an exceptional view of the Serre-Ponçon lake and the mountains that surround it. On the way back, you can appreciate the charm of the small resort of Réallon.

A passage through a very steep rocky area may be difficult for those who are sensitive to vertigo.

Details

97858
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 15.31 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 979 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 981 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,299 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,392 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in front of and below Lake Saint Apollinaire.

(S/E) Take the path that climbs up to the lake in the forest and cross a stream via a footbridge.

(1) Leave the lake on your left and continue climbing.

(2) Turn left onto theGR®50until you reach the path on the right that leads to the Cabane de Joubelle and continue climbing towards the summit (very steep path).

(3) When you reach the ridge, continue left, following the ridge towards the summit.

(4) Pass near the chairlift arrival point, then an orientation table and the Aiguilles de Chabrières.

(5) Continue towards the Chabrières breach. This passageway leads into a mineral world: the Oucane de Chabrières.

(6) It's surprising! Continue westwards to pass in front of the Aiguilles de Chabrières, then descend via a wide circular loop that takes you back north-east, passing close to the Font-Renarde hut, which can be seen to the north.

(7) At the crossroads, leave the hut on your left and take the poorly marked path on your right.

(8) Pass close to the small reservoir, then (9) under the ski lift to arrive at the Réallon resort.

(10) After walking about 200 metres along the road, in front of a row of large chalets.

:11:: At the end of the bend, take the path on the left that goes downhill. When you reach the small tarmac road, which is also theGR®50, continue to the right.

(12) After the last chalet, leave the road on the right and continue on theGR®50marked trail (be sure to look for theGR® markings when leaving the road, as the trail may be difficult to see) to reach the Saint-Apollinaire lake car park, where this hike ends (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,411 m - Path to Lake Saint-Apollinaire
  2. 1 : km 0.37 - alt. 1,462 m - Lac de Saint-Apollinaire
  3. 2 : km 1.19 - alt. 1,638 m - Cabanne de Joubelle (1640m)
  4. 3 : km 2.54 - alt. 1,871 m - Ridge.
  5. 4 : km 3.93 - alt. 2,142 m - Orientation table. Beautiful view of the - Lac de Serre-Ponçon
  6. 5 : km 4.64 - alt. 2,282 m - Highest point of the hike
  7. 6 : km 4.82 - alt. 2,299 m - Near - Aiguilles de Chabrières
  8. 7 : km 7.88 - alt. 1,791 m - On the right, at the crossroads.
  9. 8 : km 9.19 - alt. 1,799 m - Water reservoir.
  10. 9 : km 10.22 - alt. 1,669 m - Under the ski lift.
  11. 10 : km 11.14 - alt. 1,570 m - Réallon station.
  12. 11 : km 11.36 - alt. 1,555 m - Take the path on the left.
  13. 12 : km 12.25 - alt. 1,485 m - path on the right
  14. S/E : km 15.31 - alt. 1,409 m - Car park at the start

Notes

  • Bring enough water as it is not possible to find any during the hike and it can get very hot in the sun and on the very steep climb.
  • Good high-top hiking boots are recommended as the trail is very rocky.

Worth a visit

Serre-Ponçon Lake.
The ancient Abbey of Boscodon (above Crots).
Salle du Bal des Demoiselles Coiffées accessible from the village of Théus.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
carolineboland
carolineboland

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great hike to start early in the morning to climb in the cool air. Avoid in rainy weather. The summit is definitely worth the detour! It's a shame that the chairlift brings people who would never have made it there otherwise. The return trip is a bit long, especially the second part (from the ski resort), which is not very interesting.

We started from the lake and ended up back there too, which I thought was much better than the indicated starting point. I did this hike with my two children, aged 10 and 14, who are good walkers. The walking time indicated was accurate.

Machine-translated

ajmart
ajmart

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent and challenging hike in October, with the superb autumn colours of the larch trees.
Superb views of Lake Serre-Ponçon and the surrounding mountains.
A slightly tricky section to cross the Breche des Aiguilles, but with a little care, it can be done.
The weather was gloomy and mild that day. It must be difficult to do this hike in rainy weather given the rocky terrain.
We didn't meet anyone else on the trail at that time of year, especially as it was a weekday.
Thank you for this route.

Machine-translated

Anibac
Anibac

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The first part of the hike from Lake St Apollinaire to the top of the Réallon resort was very pleasant, early in the morning, alone on the trail that you just have to follow. Once at the top, you have to deal with a crowd of tourists who have come up on the chairlift. The contrast was difficult. However, hiking alone, I appreciated having a few hikers nearby to help me get through the breach, which I found quite challenging and demanding. Once you've passed the breach, climbing to the top of the peaks is really worth the detour, provided you don't suffer from vertigo. The last part is very long, a bit like "automatic mode", even if you can continue to admire the peaks for a long time. Finally, Réallon at the car park was difficult because it was monotonous and uninteresting, but that's not what I remember about the route.
A magnificent hike, challenging for the breach.
A thousand thanks for this route.

Machine-translated

GR127
GR127

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike, too crowded between the arrival of the chairlift and the pass through the needles.

Machine-translated

daubram05
daubram05

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 06, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Here is a snowshoeing route that passes through Serre du Mouton, with a circular route that begins and ends in Réallon. Despite the low snow cover, the risk of avalanches means we must exercise caution. For this non-CAF outing, we will be drawn to the Réallon ridges for their magnificent views of Lake Serponçon and the Aiguilles de Chabrières.
A fabulous descent in pristine snow and magnificent landscapes. With our thoughts going out to our six skier friends from our club and their families.
See it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BkGxIHpQ...

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.