Saute Aure Waterfall

de fr

A hike accessible to young and old alike, which leads to the foot of a beautiful waterfall... It is not uncommon to encounter marmots and sheep (accompanied by their shepherd and dogs). It is at its most beautiful in autumn or after heavy rain. It is possible to turn around and go the other way!

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Kids en Dévoluy

Details

n°1390104
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.20 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 198 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 192 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,573 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,382 m
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Photos

View towards the bottom of the waterfall
At the heart of the waterfall
Saute Aure Waterfall
At the foot of the waterfall

Description of the walk

Park at Col du Festre.

(S/E) Head north, then turn left onto the wideGR® (white and red) marked trail that heads west towards the Col des Aiguilles.

(1) Ignore the return path on the right and continue straight ahead.

(2) After passing through the fence and closing it behind you, leave theGR® and take the yellow-marked path on the right. Follow it until you can see the Cabane de la Rama (sheepfold).

(3) From there, veer right to approach the foot of the waterfall without disturbing any flocks of sheep that may be present. Then climb up to the hut.
Continue along the yellow-marked path which descends towards the east and leads to a crossroads (elevation 1382).

(4) Turn right, heading south; the path is obvious. When you reach the hamlet, pass between two buildings and you will come to a small access road.

(5) Follow the road to the right, then leave it and take a path on the right that heads south and joins the crossroads at the start.

(1) Turn left, then right at the road to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,438 m - Col du Festre
  2. 1 : km 0.26 - alt. 1,445 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 1.2 - alt. 1,518 m - PR® trail on the right
  4. 3 : km 2.3 - alt. 1,557 m - Turn right towards the foot of the waterfall
  5. 4 : km 4.63 - alt. 1,383 m - Château Roland. Turn right onto the wide path
  6. 5 : km 5.43 - alt. 1,403 m - Les Coutières
  7. S/E : km 6.2 - alt. 1,439 m - Col du Festre

Notes

No special equipment required.

(S/E) There is a water source at Col de Festre, as well as a refuge offering drinks and food.

Worth a visit

(5) If you have children with you, take a trip to this hamlet. You'll find lots of farm animals there.
Cheese dairy in Coutières. Yes, yes, it's worth a visit!
A short drive will take you to La Joue du Loup (ski resort)... where you can head to the Mother Church or the Sources des Gilardes!

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Downloads
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Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 15 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Pochapuladenree
Pochapuladenree

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A trip on a grey day, but splendid nonetheless.

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chantalG05
chantalG05

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Nice route, nice circular, unfortunately unfinished because I had to turn back 1 km from the finish line due to the path being closed off to park the sheep! The sheepdog discouraged me from going through the gate 😉

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User 9558712

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route. No difficulty. Accessible to all ages with minimal equipment (1 good pair of shoes, water). Not to be done later in the season as you won't see the waterfall. Discover the beautiful landscape of Le Dévoluy.

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diggi
diggi
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pretty discovery near the Col du Festre. Definitely worth visiting in spring when the snow melts, or after heavy rain to see the waterfall flowing. It's a shame that the water pipes for the mountain pasture, which lie on the ground and run down the side of the mountain, spoil the landscape a little.
The view of Dévoluy and Bure is very enjoyable. Informative signs for children enhance the family-friendly route.
We extended the route a little by going to the foot of the waterfall (why stop at the shepherd's hut?) and at the end by passing through the adroit (these wide paths are of little interest, except for walking a little further).

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Pierre Schils
Pierre Schils

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and informative walk

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stjo
stjo

I thought so...

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lucile.mercadal
lucile.mercadal

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Yes, indeed, the comment was about the walk to the Col du Noyer.

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stjo
stjo

@lucile.mercadal, could you specify where the Tête du Tourneau is located? I only know of one, near the Col du Noyer. Are you sure you're commenting on the right walk?

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lucile.mercadal
lucile.mercadal

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A slight variation involves climbing to the summit of Tourneau, which is well signposted on site, with the ascent and descent taking place on magnificent trails

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stjo
stjo

@BLU In general, sheepdogs are well-trained and are not aggressive as long as you do not approach the animals they are responsible for.

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BLU
BLU

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An easy hike (you can run it if you're feeling sporty), and a beautiful cirque at the end, whether there's water or not, with unobstructed views of the mountains east of Dévoluy. There are sheep pens along the way, but you can get around them. Didn't see any dogs, which is good!

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slaurenceau
slaurenceau

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant route

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Gilberte
Gilberte

The weather isn't really suitable for this walk, but I've already done it. Please note that as soon as possible, the farmer at Couttières farm will close the return route through his sheep park
Gilberte

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stjo
stjo
• Edited:

@Taxidriver: Ah! Perhaps you should check that the GPS in your taxi is working properly!

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Taxidriver
Taxidriver

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

Everything in your description is wrong. You always say to go right when you actually have to go left. The path is not marked at all
I'm really disappointed with your app, and this isn't the first time. The same thing happened when I tried to find the Pertuis cave in the Hautes-Alpes. There were no signs for it, and it's located above the path (no clues).

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