Authon - Clapouse pastures

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First stage of a two-day circuit in the Montagne des Monges.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Two days in Les Monges

Details

n°60842
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.83 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 780 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 190 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,886 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,129 m
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Photos

At the Col de Veyre
Clapouse pasture
Wake-up call
Bivouac

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in the village of Authon.
(S) Take the wide forest track that starts at the end of the car park. Climb gently alongside the Torrent du Vanson until you reach the Pont de la Cula.

(1) Cross to the right bank. Follow the yellow markings (PR®) to reach the crossroads in the village of Feissal.

(2). Then turn right onto theGR®6, which remains level before climbing after the barrier closing the track.
Reach the Col Saint Antoine crossroads.

(3) Continue on theGR®6towards Col de la Croix de Veyre until you reach it.

(4) Stay on theGR®6until you reach the Cabane de Clapouse crossroads.

(5) Descend into the mountain pasture and locate the large flat meadow below the summit of Les Monges.
Set up camp there (E) and wait until the next day.

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 1,129 m - Car park in the village of Authon
  2. 1 : km 1.71 - alt. 1,278 m - Bridge over the Vanson or - Vançon (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 5.18 - alt. 1,401 m - Feissal crossroads
  4. 3 : km 6.41 - alt. 1,394 m - Col Saint Antoine crossroads
  5. 4 : km 9.27 - alt. 1,886 m - Col de la Croix de Veyre (1886m)
  6. 5 : km 10.38 - alt. 1,793 m - Clapouse mountain pasture crossroads
  7. E : km 10.83 - alt. 1,719 m - Bivouac in the large meadow

Notes

This area of Les Monges is currently being re-marked. On the attached map, you will see the route on theGR®6before reaching the Feissal crossroads. TheGR®6now passes through Feissal to reach Authon, which is not yet mentioned on map 3339ET.
The route on the map was recorded by GPS. On the map extract, before reaching the Col de la Croix de Veyre, you will see a difference between the map and the recording: the recording is correct, the path has been diverted.
Another point for GPS enthusiasts: the X value for the Col de la Croix de Veyre is incorrect. It should not be 272 but 277 (probably a reading error when it was written on the green ring).

Worth a visit

Sisteron and its citadel.
Apples from the Buëch and Durance valleys.

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 7 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
SOLIGNAC
SOLIGNAC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in late April/early May.
Very interesting from a geological point of view with a wealth of wildlife. Superb scenery.
Camped in a pasture before setting off again via the Col de la Crête de Raus.
Option to add the summit of Les Monges to the hike.
Thank you for this beautiful loop.

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frantsouz
frantsouz

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I mapped out this route with my 11-year-old son. For a first experience in the Alps, it's a route I would recommend.
For your information, we came across a couple on horseback, and the entire route seems feasible.
The only downside is that there are too many forest paths.
A small correction if I may: I followed the route on Garmin Fenix 6X Pro, and although the route is generally accurate, the waypoints are too far apart, which makes it imprecise in the details.
I can send you my GPX track to help improve the accuracy of the route if you like.

11.59KM D+864 D-1698

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bernardino
bernardino ★

OK, thank you, and we're glad you camped in this beautiful place.

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Randonneur du dimanche
Randonneur du dimanche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike,
Very nice place to camp, with a spring nearby

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frolo
frolo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Superb hike and excellent bivouac.
We also camped down by the stream.

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Lolowild
Lolowild

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We agree with Manue BZH. We did the hike on the first weekend of September, and the weather was perfect.
We had a dog with us, which meant we had to be vigilant around the flocks of sheep on several occasions.

We were lucky enough to see six griffon vultures at the top of the Croix de Veyre, which are rarely seen up close.

For the bivouac, we went down to lower ground (as there was a flock of sheep in the mountain pasture higher up, near the sheepfold). This also brought us closer to the stream below.

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Manue BZH
Manue BZH

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike completed in 5½ hours, taking our time (breaks for lunch, snacks and photos).
From the starting point in the Authon car park to checkpoint (3), the hike follows a track. Watch out for the sheepdogs between checkpoints (2) and (3), which do their job very well and protect the sheep penned in an enclosure! Go around the enclosure as best you can (the track runs alongside it).
From point (3), the climb gets steeper but the scenery becomes panoramic, especially when you reach the Col de la Croix de Veyre (4).
We set up camp on the flat meadow as recommended in the guidebook: a magnificent setting and absolute peace and quiet!

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cicnic
cicnic

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Thanks for the description. I did the two-day hike with bivouacking, which was very pleasant. There's even a small spring right next to it to fill up water bottles.

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