Around the Cirque de Saint-Même

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Paid car park: 5 euros in summer between 9 am and 5 pm. A lovely route, with views of the waterfall and the old resurgence; a spectacular climb; a magnificent plateau – particularly the very wild Pratcel valley; a sensational hike. I do, however, have mixed feelings: the climb requires concentration and you tend to look at your feet rather than anything else, and I was relieved once I’d got through that section. Without wanting to overplay it, there were two fatal accidents in 2019 and 2024, both occurring in adverse conditions: snow, ice and rain. If you want to use GPS, download the map beforehand – there isn’t always a signal. I only saw one small group all day.

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Date of your route : Apr 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Part of the route after the death pass and on the marquis's property, I cut across to avoid entering the property.
This section of the route should be removed.
Before reaching the Alps pass, there is a section that can be dangerous with the snow melting, as you cannot see the crevasses.
Otherwise, the route is really nice and the views are magnificent.

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Date of your route : Apr 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Be careful at the end of the route if you want to return to the river, head towards the car park and the hotel.

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Date of your route : Jul 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The start of this hike is very busy, but once you leave the "tourist" trail to the waterfalls, there aren't many people around! The waterfalls were really beautiful, especially after the rainy start to the summer...
It's worth making the little detours (to see the waterfall and the source of the Guiers).
As for the Pas de la Mort, we didn't realise how difficult this passage was when we read the various comments. It's the most difficult pass we've done in Chartreuse. There are cables or chains in some places, but not everywhere... and frankly, there are some unsecured passages that could be secured, as the path is very narrow in places, potentially slippery and, above all, vertiginous. Fortunately, we're not afraid of heights... We took it slowly (in dry weather, of course), but we still found it dangerous... We're glad we did it, but we're not sure we'll go back!
At Alpettaz, being at the edge of the clouds, we preferred not to take any risks in the fog (especially as we had no visibility!) and descended via the path passing under the Roche Blanche, between points 3 and 9 of the hike, without any difficulty.

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Date of your route : Jun 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route was completed in good weather (29°C) and remained well shaded during the climb, which was pleasant.
The landscapes are very diverse and the few ledges and metal staircases add excitement to the day!
As indicated, do not do this hike in wet weather.
The route down from the Col de l'Alpe is not well travelled, so pay close attention to your bearings.
Thank you to the author for sharing.

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Date of your route : Aug 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike in ideal weather conditions, with beautiful and varied landscapes along the entire route.
The Pas de la Mort pass is very well equipped (ropes, ladders) but requires great caution (no missteps allowed).
Finding the GR trail was not a problem (there are a few cairns).
Between Pas de l'Echelle and Chalet de l'Alpe, there is a beautiful sharp limestone pavement to admire (be careful with the GR markings, which are not very visible).
Near the Croix de l'Alpe, I recommend turning left at the start of the Fourneau cliff (accessible in about 5 minutes via a small path) for a clearer view of the Isère valley and the Belledonne mountain range.

The route is a little busy around the waterfalls but much less so afterwards.

Thanks to the author of this hike.

NB: I recommend ignoring the route indicated by IGN, which appears to be incorrect between the first waterfall and the Pas de la Mort:
- Visually: the trail does not (or no longer) start from the bridge leading to the first waterfall, but rather 100 metres downstream.
- The GPS tracks measured did not correspond to the IGN route; I am well aware that my tracks are not necessarily accurate in a place surrounded by cliffs (so in the end, I am just expressing a doubt).

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

Superb, very varied circular. Exceptional landscapes and breathtaking views. Do not attempt in wet weather as the aerial passages become too dangerous. Very little flat walking.

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Date of your route : Jun 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The Death Step is ultimately not as difficult as it may seem. We did it in very good, dry weather. The conclusion might not be the same in bad weather or after rain, when the rock is slippery.
In dry weather, there are no major difficulties as it is very well equipped with well-designed and well-placed iron aids. On the contrary, I believe that children (over 10 years old, as they are tall enough to reach the iron aids) will enjoy it more than adults, who are sometimes overweight or lack flexibility.
The map is not useful in this assisted section; you just need to follow the trail left by previous visitors. However, the route becomes more uncertain at the end of the "iron" section (the metal ladders), with no markings, a few cairns, but also cairns indicating very different, if not opposite, routes! Here again, the 1:25,000 map is not very useful because you don't know exactly where you are as you progress. However, using the Iphigénie app, which shows the walker's position on the map, allows you to continue in the right direction even without a clear path, and arrive at the edge of the forest just at the cairn indicating the start of the trail for those hiking downhill from the Pas de la Mort (for the latter, the cairn is probably difficult to locate due to tall vegetation and very few traces of passage coming from the Alpettaz chalet. From the latter, you have to go straight down the south-west slope to have a chance of finding it! It is also marked as a straight line on the IGN 1/25000 map (we met a lone walker further along the route - CAF Grenoble - who had looked for it a few years ago with a CAF group and had to give up when she couldn't find it!
So, when you leave the forest, head north-east until you find paths that lead more or less directly (more less than more!) to the Chalet d'Alpettaz (picnic spot with scarce shade and abundant nettles!).
From there, we didn't go to the Croix de l'Alpe, but to the ridge of the Grand Manti, about 220 m above sea level facing the steep slope - magnificent view of the Alpine chain and the paragliders flying above our heads. Return to the car park via St Même le Haut without difficulty. A beautiful, interesting hike off the beaten track after the crowds at the waterfalls.

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Date of your route : Jun 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

You need a map to complete the route. In any case, when you're in the mountains, it's unthinkable not to have one with you, especially for a walk like this. The passage through the cliffs is impressive, so be careful if you're easily frightened.
Thank you for this truly wonderful route!

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Date of your route : Jun 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very beautiful waterfalls, the Pas de la Mort is well equipped with cables, chains and ladders. You need to be careful, but it is not difficult if hikers are not afraid of heights.

After Pas de la Mort, you reach the plateau: there are parish specific to Brittany markings to find the GR9 and we didn't see any crosses. From point 3, we went directly to point 9.
We completed this shortened hike in 6 hours with numerous stops.

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Date of your route : Aug 22, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The climb up to the waterfalls is very pleasant but very busy.
This little-known cirque is worth a visit, even if the £3.50 parking fee sticks in my throat a little.
Where the route really disappointed me was on the way to the Pas de la Mort.

We have been hiking for several years and our sense of direction, while not exceptional, seems perfectly adequate to me, but we simply got lost in a very steep forest with impassable rocky outcrops.
We turned back several times, and after an hour and a half of struggling, thanks to our stubbornness, we finally stumbled upon the Pas de la Mort (when we saw what looked like a path in front of us).
So we had missed it at the start, and I imagine we weren't the first.

In short, once we had passed this pass, the hike became very enjoyable again, but the time we had lost prevented us from completing it in its entirety.

In the end, we were a little disappointed, but above all incredulous at the few signs indicating the difficult access to the death pass, which in my opinion were too few and not explicit enough.

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Date of your route : Jun 01, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike! Not for the faint-hearted: those who are afraid of heights should refrain, and even if you are an experienced climber, a harness and lanyard are always safer, especially if you are venturing out with children. Be sure to print out the IGN map to stay on the trail, as it can be difficult to find your way in certain places. We did the circular hike and it took us 7 hours, including breaks.

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Date of your route : Mar 29, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
The route around the waterfalls was very well marked.
For the descent towards the Ruat Pass, we had no problems with the small sign indicating that we were venturing into a slightly difficult area.
However, when we reached the very first cave, we had difficulty moving forward because of the snow. We went to the right of the cave and it must be said that very few people had ventured down this path, if any, as the snow was still untouched, especially with our little dog.
We reached the cave by following the cliff with the lifeline, which was magnificent, but we couldn't find the path to continue and had to turn back. The paths were very difficult to identify in the snow.
We would like to try again when the weather is better. Can anyone show us the entire path to Pas Ruat and tell us where to turn off to climb Pas de la Mort?
It should also be noted that the storm at the end of last year brought trees down onto the path, which did not make our task any easier.
Thank you all.

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Date of your route : Oct 12, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike to do in dry weather (otherwise the paths are very slippery).
It's a shame that the GPS track isn't more accurate, but the cirque doesn't allow for good satellite signal reception.

There are several possible routes to reach the Croix de l'Alpe.
I recommend the one via an unmarked trail that passes through Pas de la Rousse, on the eastern side of Vallon de Pratcel.

Thank you for sharing this route.

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