Circular Route of Malaterre via Corrençon-en-Vercors

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A family walk through the woodland. With no difficult sections, this route is also suitable for mountain bikes, and the variety of trails in the area means you can enjoy being completely at one with nature on many stretches.

Details

n°3785841
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.56 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 620 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 594 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,344 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,753 ft
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Photos

Chasm
Carrefour de la Glacière
Carrefour de la Glacière
View of Corrençon-en-Vercors

Description of the walk

Park at the Corrençon-en-Vercors car park.

(S/E) From the car park, head straight up to the right of the golf clubhouse towards the tee for hole 18.

(1) Take the hiking path on the right that leads into the woodland to the left of the 18th tee. Continue straight on, ignoring several paths on your left, until you emerge into a field. Keep to the left of the field, where you’ll have a panoramic view of Corrençon-en-Vercors and the valley.

(2) Enter the forest via the forestry track, then turn right to walk alongside the field. Then rejoin the hiking trail on the left.

(3) Take a moment to find out more about this old farmhouse, which has been highlighted by the local council, before continuing on your way.

(4) Turn left, then immediately right towards the Glacière crossroads.

(5) At the crossroads, continue straight on towards Malaterre, then at the next junction, take the right-hand track. Cross the road and continue straight ahead on the forest path that runs alongside it until you reach the Auberge de Malaterre.

(6) Take the forest track opposite the inn, heading towards Pré Pansu – Campalong – Corrençon Golf Course, and walk for about 800 m.

(7) Leave the forest track and take the path on the right which climbs slightly through the forest and comes out onto another forest track. Continue to the right.

(8) Leave the forest track and turn left towards Corrençon (direction indicated on a tree). At each subsequent junction, keep left on the path which descends to the golf course.

(1) Once out of the forest, finish this circular route by following the golf course to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,753 ft - Car park - Golf de Corrençon
  2. 1 : mi 0.14 - alt. 3,835 ft - Start at hole 18, path on the right
  3. 2 : mi 0.76 - alt. 3,947 ft - Edge of the fields
  4. 3 : mi 0.92 - alt. 4,052 ft - Information board - Lieu dit "Les Granges"
  5. 4 : mi 1.04 - alt. 4,098 ft - Entrance to the forest
  6. 5 : mi 1.39 - alt. 4,042 ft - Carrefour de la Glacière
  7. 6 : mi 2.1 - alt. 4,186 ft - Auberge de Malaterre
  8. 7 : mi 2.57 - alt. 4,183 ft - Shortcut from Pré Pansu to the right
  9. 8 : mi 3.05 - alt. 4,318 ft - Turn left
  10. S/E : mi 4.56 - alt. 3,753 ft - Car park - Golf de Corrençon

Notes

There are no water points along the route.

No particular difficulty; the trail is accessible without specialist equipment (trainers are sufficient).
You can book a table at the inn (3) or enjoy a picnic in the woods.

There is no dedicated picnic area along the route, but it is easy to sit among the rocks in many places. If the inn is not open, two tables are available outside.

As the area is used for forestry and cross-country skiing in winter, most of the paths are wide and very flat.
Be careful, however: off the paths, there are often cracks in the rock that may not be visible (leaves, branches, snow, etc.) and therefore pose a risk of losing your footing or even falling. Avoid straying from the paths, especially with children who may be less attentive.

Worth a visit

Note the presence of numerous karstic caves of varying sizes, typical of the Vercors massif. There is a chasm after the (4).

Alternatively, instead of turning immediately right after the (4), you can continue a little further and take the second path on the right, which will lead you to the Grotte de la Glacière, a historic site not visited during this hike.

La Glacière is a 14-metre-deep cave. It was formed by the dissolution and erosion of limestone through the long-term action of water. In the 1700s, marks on the walls bear witness to the presence of people who came here to harvest ice. They carved various inscriptions into the rock face. However, it was at the start of the 20th century that the cave was used most extensively. Indeed, the ice extracted using a sledge was supplied to cafés in Grenoble and to hospitals. In 1964, the ice cave was 4 metres thick; today it is on the verge of disappearing. Rockfalls have made access to the ice cave dangerous, and it was closed to the public in 1999.
See The Corrençon Ice House.

Shortly after reaching the golf course at the end of the route, you can also take a detour to visit “La Barre aux Chèvres” on your left (marked on IGN topographic maps and OpenStreetMap), a geological curiosity that historically served as a burial ground for the carcasses of dead animals. Due to erosion, the risk of falling rocks now prevents access to the fault (local by-law).

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.8 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
rodriguezbernard
rodriguezbernard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

difficult path to find but beautiful hike in the woods
and the stop at the Malaterre inn is most welcome

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Marc L3.
Marc L3.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Between points 1 and 3, you may hesitate because you are no longer on the trail but in a grassy field, and as there is little traffic, it is not obvious. Keep an eye on the app
Otherwise, it's a very beautiful hike

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op45
op45

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello, I only did part of this walk, but right from the start, when following the path marked at point 1, you come across private property with a very stern sign (no activities permitted), which means you have to cut through the woods to reach the track.
I recommend taking a detour via La Glacière and the "Barre aux chèvres", two very interesting spots.

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Gilles Hz
Gilles Hz

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A fairly easy family walk with lunch at the Malarerre inn. It’s quite tricky to find the path at the start and to stay on it.

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marc.gautier
marc.gautier

Hello, I’m not trying to stir up controversy; I simply wanted to warn future hikers about this situation. Kind regards.

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Thierryb26
Thierryb26
• Edited:

Hello,
It doesn’t matter what you’re wearing on your feet... It’s the season that matters, and that determines the conditions: Winter -> snow -> groomed and maintained cross-country ski trails -> trails closed to pedestrians, or pedestrians permitted at the edge of the trail depending on the location.
Normally, information and routes for snowshoeing, walking, tobogganing, fat biking, etc. are available at visitor centres, tourist offices, Nordic centres, etc.

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marc.gautier
marc.gautier

OK, but we were just going for a walk (without snowshoes). All the best.

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Tib1st
Tib1st

Hello, the route is clearly marked as a ‘hike’ rather than ‘snowshoeing’. Furthermore, I didn’t mention that this route is also accessible in winter because I believe that the marked snowshoe trails available directly on the tourist office’s website are more than sufficient and do not encroach on the cross-country skiing area.
Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

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marc.gautier
marc.gautier

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The only problem is that this circular route can only be walked in summer, as the second section (running from the Auberge de Malaterre to Pré Pansu and back to the car park) is closed during the winter months. As we hadn’t noticed this information in the description of the walk, we had to turn back and choose a different route, which meant we ended up at a different return point from the starting point, and so had to take two shuttle buses, with a 1 hour 40 minute wait between them.

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