Loop from Pré Marcel to Col de la Mine de Fer, Lac de Crop and Orionde.

By car: on leaving Villard-Bonnot via the D523, heading north, take the D290 towards Sainte-Agnès. After Sainte-Agnès, join the D280 and turn left towards Col des Mouilles. At the pass, leave the D280 towards Allevard and turn right, before the wooden buildings, onto Route de Pré Marcel. After 850 m, at the fork, follow the road to the right for 2.4 km and, at the fork, turn left into the car park in a shaded meadow.

(S/E) Return to the fork at the car park entrance and turn left onto the forest road (east). Note the track on the right going up in the opposite direction and marked with a hiking sign.

(1) Follow this track towards the Jean Small Pass Refuge.

(2) At the Pré Michu sign, in the wide left-hand bend, ignore the old path leading off to the right (south-east).
The IGN map is not up to date and this path is still shown as the access route to the refuge.
Follow the edge of the woods, take the left turn, continue for 150 m and then turn right. After about 400 m, you will reach an intersection in a left-hand bend.

(3) Leave the track (north). Take the path on the right (south), which soon enters the forest and continues for a good two kilometres before rejoining the old path (altitude 1,500 m).

(4) Leave this path on your right and continue straight ahead. After a few hairpin bends, you will reach an intersection on a flat section (altitude 1640 m).

(5) At the "Sous le Rafour" sign, ignore the path on the left towards "Sous Orionde", which will close the loop. For now, follow the path on the right (south-west) towards the refuge. After crossing the forest and a few hairpin bends, you will reach an open rocky area (altitude 1,800 m) and cross (south) several ravines and steep passages, some of which are secured by cables, before reaching the Jean Small Pass Refuge (altitude 1,950 m).

(6) Pass in front of the refuge and continue along the path (south-east) for about a hundred metres to reach a three-way intersection.

(7) Leave the GR®738 on your right, towards the Col de la Sitre, and the middle path, towards Lac Blanc. Follow the GR®738 on your left, towards the Col de la Mine de Fer, which climbs diagonally, parallel to the lake path. Cross a hillock, then climb up the bottom of a grassy valley, on a slight slope. At an altitude of 2,150 metres, begin the final climb along a steep path zigzagging through rocks and scree, and finally reach the Col de la Mine de Fer (2,400 metres).

(8) At the "Col de la Mine de Fer" sign, descend 50 m down the opposite side of the pass (north-east) to an intersection.

(9) At the second "Col de la Mine de Fer" sign, leave the^GR®®738on your right, towards the Pas de la Coche. Continue left on the yellow marked trail towards Lac de Crop. Descend (north-east) between a steep slope on your left and a rock face on your right until you reach a precipice.

(10) Turn left (north-west) and descend the rocky steps via two hairpin bends.

(11) Cross a scree slope, then a pile of large boulders (west). Do not try to descend directly to the lake, but stay level. After a narrower passage between a cliff and large rocks, gradually turn right (north).

(12) On the path, still level, through a wider scree slope, head towards a gap. Once through the gap, the path becomes more visible and, in the scree slope, resumes its descent, in hairpin bends, towards Lac de Crop (altitude 1,910 m), which it follows along the eastern shore.

(13) Shortly after the end of the lake, you will find vegetation again. Pass a few switchbacks in the lake's lock and reach an intersection (altitude 1,830 m).

(14) Leave the path on the right, towards Habert du Ferrouillet. Continue along the path on the left (west-northwest) for about 800 m. Leave the forest and reach an intersection (elevation 1706).

(15) At the "Sous Orionde" sign, leave the path opposite, towards Pont de la Betta. Take the yellow marked path on the left, towards "Sous le Rafour". Climb up the right side of a valley on Montagne de Barlet (south-southwest), then at an altitude of 1,820 m, turn right (north) to reach the back of the valley and follow it (west) to a high point (altitude 1,900 m) above an alpine shelter. Descend towards an intersection on your left.

(16) Ignore the paths to the left and right, and descend on the path that leads to the shelter. Opposite the shelter, follow the path to the left (south-west) along a fence. Leave an unmarked path on the right, which leads to the Source de Michu. After the drinking trough on the left, continue along the path on the right that follows the fence. Cross the crest of a hill and, through the woods, join the "Sous le Rafour" intersection sign you passed on the way up.

(5) Take the path on the right and, following the same route as on the way up, return to the Pré Marcel car park (S/E).

Route marking

The circuit is fully signposted.
The route is not aerial or exposed, but it is still a mountain route with rocky terrain and steep slopes.
However, there are several ravines and steep passages, some of which are secured by cables, before reaching the Jean Small Pass Refuge (altitude 1950 m).