La Buffe waterfall

de fr

Above La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, after the hamlet of Les Portes in the pastoral valley of Navette, the Buffe torrent cascades down a 400-metre cliff.

Details

n°142082
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 443 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 443 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,740 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,296 m
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Photos

La Buffe waterfall
Navette Church

Description of the walk

From La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, take the road towards the Accro-branche site, continue on and reach the hamlet of Les Portes. Cross the hamlet and reach the Fouronnière car park located 1.5 km away.

(S/E) Head to the left of the car park to find a bridge over the Tempier torrent.
After the torrent, leave the path on the left and continue to the right towards "Le Chapeau".
Reach a second bridge, turn right towards the Cascade de la Buffe waterfall and the hamlet of Navette.
Pass in front of a recent house and a little further up on the left you will find a path in front of the information panel about Navette. Turn left onto this path, cross the ruins of the hamlet and arrive in front of the restored church.

(1) Turn left to begin the climb towards the waterfall, through the forest and then into open country.

(2) You will come to a crossroads. Ignore the path on the right that climbs towards Le Chapeau and continue straight ahead until you reach the foot of the Cascade de la Buffe waterfall.

(3) Turn around and return to the car park via the same path (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,297 m - Fouronnière car park
  2. 1 : km 0.44 - alt. 1,340 m - On the left after the church
  3. 2 : km 1.29 - alt. 1,545 m - Straight ahead at the crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.91 - alt. 1,740 m - Cascade de la Buffe
  5. S/E : km 3.82 - alt. 1,297 m - Fouronnière car park

Notes

This route can be done in addition to the Les Oulles du Diable circular route.

You are hiking in the heart of the Écrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a rare natural, cultural and landscape heritage. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, where regulations must be observed. Please read these rules when preparing for your hike in order to preserve this collective asset, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Worth a visit

Hameau de Navette: This village of 93 inhabitants (17 families) in 1901 was almost entirely devoted to pastoral activities. In July 1914, torrents swollen by torrential rains ravaged the Navette valley. The mountain dwellers, too few in number due to the war, were unable to undertake the restoration work. The municipality then proposed selling 286 hectares in the Tempier torrent basin to the State. When new floods struck in 1928, the discouraged inhabitants sold their land definitively to the Water and Forestry Administration.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Juli
Juli

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Quite steep, easy to access the bottom of the waterfall. Quite short, we did it after the Pont des Oules du Diable and Cascade de Buchardet.

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emmanuel cunin
emmanuel cunin
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

thank you

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guybour69
guybour69

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike that allows you to discover an abandoned village
The site is relaxing

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ChD2
ChD2
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The climb is a bit steep, but the walk is lovely throughout and shaded in the first part. The waterfall itself isn't breathtaking, but the stream is pleasant. A beautiful walk.

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denisedenise
denisedenise

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike
Thank you

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MAR13
MAR13
• Edited:

Hike not yet completed - Thank you

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alpes2014
alpes2014

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A bit of a steep start... but the climb up the stream to the waterfall is very refreshing... Highly recommended...

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