Ceillac - Basse Rua

Passing by Pic d'Escreins, make the connection between the Cristillan valley and the Val d'Escreins.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Tour de la Font Sancte

Details

n°87569

Creation:
08 Nov 2014

Last update:
29 Aug 2023

Last review:
29 Jul 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 13.33 km
Average duration: 7h 50
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: No
Ascent: + 1,406 m
Descent: - 1,286 m
Highest point: 2,730 m
Lowest point: 1,631 m

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Queyras, Dauphiné
District: Ceillac (05600)
Start: N 44.666164° / E 6.775572°
End: N 44.623784° / E 6.717808°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3537ET, 3537ETR
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Description of the walk

Departure from Ceillac, large car park next to the stadium or at the lodge if you have spent the night there.

(S) Cross the road, then after the bridge over the Cristillan, turn right onto the^GRP® marked RJ (Red Yellow) of the Tour de la Fonct Sante, leaving the^GR®5on your left.
Start with a gentle climb through the woods heading west, which quickly curves south. Reach the altitude of 1950, where the paths cross.

(1) Continue to the right, crossing the Ravin du Clot des Oiseaux. Then begin a steeper climb to reach the Mourière viewpoint.

(2) Head south. Cross Pra Francès, then turn west to reach the Bergerie d'Andrevez.

(3) Continue in this direction and cross the Crête d'Andreveysson. The landscape becomes rocky and, heading south then west, you will reach the foot of the Pic d'Escreins.

(4) Take the path on the left to enjoy a 360° view.

(5) Return to the previous crossroads.

(4) Begin the descent via the Crête d'Agnès, leave it a few bends further on and head south-east to reach the forest after passing under the south face of Pic d'Escreins.

(6) Walk leisurely to the Basse Rua Refuge (E) for the night stop.

Waypoints

S : km 0 - alt. 1,634 m - Ceillac car park
1 : km 2.25 - alt. 1,945 m - Crossroads at an altitude of 1,950 metres.
2 : km 3.61 - alt. 2,307 m - Belvédère de la Mourière
3 : km 5.79 - alt. 2,189 m - Andrevez sheepfold
4 : km 8.27 - alt. 2,684 m - Pic d'Escreins crossroads
5 : km 8.4 - alt. 2,730 m - Pic d'Escreins
6 : km 10.68 - alt. 2,261 m - Forest on the south side of Pic d'Escreins
E : km 13.33 - alt. 1,754 m - Refuge de Basse Rua

Notes

Water source at the Andrevez sheepfold.

Worth a visit

The round trip to Pic d'Escreins (15 minutes in total) is a must, as the view is spectacular.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5

Based on 3 reviews

Reliability of the description
5 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
4.7 / 5

FlDv

29 Jul 2025 at 21:14 7200 • Edited: 29 Jul 2025 at 23:03 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful but challenging route. I did it in both directions (Ceillac to Basse Rua in 2021, Basse Rua to Ceillac in 2025), and I recommend doing it from Basse Rua to Ceillac for two reasons:
-It's better to start with a big climb (1,000 metres between Basse Rua and the Pic d'Escreins) and finish with a 700-metre descent (Mourière - Ceillac, fairly easy) than the other way round.
-In the morning, the climb from Basse Rua is mostly in the shade. In Ceillac, however, the sun is out from early in the morning.

The only tricky point on the Basse Rua - Ceillac route is the very steep descent from the Andreveysson ridge, just before point 3.

Please note: the path has recently been diverted at the start of Basse Rua, probably because crossing the Grande Combe torrent was tricky. It now passes further west and joins the path coming from Guillestre (Les Pouents)

There is also a diversion in Ceillac: you have to go around the biathlon stadium, which adds 500 metres to the route

What a view from the Pic d'Escreins!

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emilieguilloteau

29 Aug 2023 at 13:52 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Route completed in August 2023.
The trail tracking is accurate and reliable on the app.
Note for experienced hikers: after point 3, there is a fairly steep uphill section on crumbling rock, which makes the trail difficult with heavy backpacks.
At the Pic d'Escreins peak, we were able to admire the panorama and the edelweiss.
Another section on the descent after point 6 has ropes and steps to make the steep descent safer.

It took us a good 8 hours to walk between Ceillac and Basse Rua
for experienced hikers.

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petitgarcon05

18 Jun 2018 at 08:27 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Bad time to do this route, the Tour de Fond Sancte, due to the terrible weather conditions... really bad luck!!! Rain every day, fog. We were the first to open this route, as there were no traces of significant snowfall... In some places, ropes were mandatory due to very steep slopes.
To be redone in good conditions, the landscape is superb.

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