Circular Serre Plumé starting from the Col de Carri

A snowshoe or walking hike south of the Col de Carri, offering a beautiful panoramic view of the Vercors ridges from Serre Plumé.

Details

20068185
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Snowshoeing
    Activity: Snowshoeing
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.35 mi
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 5 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,391 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,365 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,121 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,927 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the cross-country ski centre.

(S/E) Start on snowshoe trail no. 6, known as the Drovers' Road. Look for the sign near the picnic table (see photo). Follow it for 750 m to reach the Croix de Bournillon. (sign)

(1) Continue along the drovers' road and carry on until you reach the junction with the Route Forestière de la Baume, where there is a sign: ‘Pelouse de la Bournette’ 0.1 km away. See the photo of the sign

(2) Turn left onto the track leading to La Bournette. (marked 0.7 km on the sign).

(3) Veer to the right and enter a meadow where the karstic cave, the Scialet Royer, is located. Return to the woodland and head towards the junction with the ‘Plaine Longue’ sign.

(4) Turn right towards Pelouse du Lièvre Blanc.

(5) At the “Pelouse du Lièvre Blanc” sign, follow the signs for Col de la Mure until you reach thesecond sign

(6) Atthe second ‘Col de la Mure’ sign, turn left onto theGRP® trail, following the red and yellow markings, to reach the summit of Serre Plumé via a fairly steep climb

(7) Then begin the steep descent to reach the Pot de la Casserole. (Point marked on the map but no signpost). Take care during the descent as the markings are not easy to spot. This is particularly true of the short climb after the Pot de la Casserole.

(8) Continue the descent until you reach a road; turn right onto it, following the GRP®. You’ll come to a large, multi-way junction with a sign for L’Estouble.

(9) Stay on theGRP® track and, after a few hairpin bends, you’ll reach the Col de Carri car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,930 ft - Car park at the - Col de Carri (1202m)
  2. 1 : mi 0.96 - alt. 4,229 ft - Croix de Bournillon
  3. 2 : mi 1.65 - alt. 4,360 ft - Pelouse de la Bournette, 0.1 km away
  4. 3 : mi 2.14 - alt. 4,623 ft - Bournette
  5. 4 : mi 2.66 - alt. 4,797 ft - Plaine Longue
  6. 5 : mi 2.86 - alt. 4,760 ft - Pelouse du Lievre Blanc
  7. 6 : mi 3.63 - alt. 4,656 ft - Col de la Mure (1424m)
  8. 7 : mi 4.06 - alt. 5,118 ft - Serre Plumé
  9. 8 : mi 4.43 - alt. 4,843 ft - Pot de la Casserole
  10. 9 : mi 5.18 - alt. 4,426 ft - L’Estouble
  11. S/E : mi 6.35 - alt. 3,927 ft - Car park at the - Col de Carri (1202m)

Notes

Hike completed on 11 March 2022; we didn’t put on our snowshoes as the snow was starting to run out.
It was a day of strong southerly winds. We had to be careful on the Serre Plumé ridge.
On 27 December 2023, the snow cover was thin, which made the start of the descent from Serre Plumé difficult.
Make sure to follow the GPS route closely, as the markers aren’t always easy to spot.

Worth a visit

(7) Serre Plumé offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Vercors ridges.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
mbabi
mbabi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks, Le Dex, for this beautiful hike with varied landscapes... and in the shade and cool at this time of year.
Just two small comments: waypoints 6 and 7 indicate "departure and arrival". Probably a mistake.
As for the elevation gain, I found it to be 385 m

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DamedeRomans
DamedeRomans
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this snowshoe route in early December; the snow conditions were ideal – plenty of powdery snow, no wind and fairly sunny. However, we found the descent from Serre Plumé difficult: firstly, the slope is steep, so we had to take great care. Secondly, there was no defined path, of course, which meant a lot of uncertainty and exposed rocks.
The hike is varied, alternating between forests and vast meadows swept by the wind, which creates magnificent ice formations, and the view from the top of Serre Plumé takes in the whole of the Vercors.
I’m glad I did it, but I won’t be doing it again on snowshoes.

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Le Dex
Le Dex

Yes, perhaps we should plan a walking route instead when the snowshoe trails are no longer accessible

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carala
carala

For example, snowshoe trail 6 can only be found at the Bournillon cross after quite a long walk. At point 2, it was necessary to realise that you had to head straight for La Bournette; there is no path along the forest road. At point 5, we simply crossed the GRP.
At point 7, the ‘Pot de la Casserolle’ was not marked.
Thank you all the same for this lovely walk.

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Le Dex
Le Dex

Could you be any clearer?
bearing in mind that I used exactly what is written on the signs as my reference points!!!

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carala
carala

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The description of the walk leaves too much room for doubt as to how the text should be interpreted.

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Duche
Duche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Stunning view at Serré Plumé.
A snowshoe walk in good snow, sunshine and no wind. Ideal conditions

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