Circular Charande via the Pas de la Lose

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

From Combe Bayard, the path is not only difficult to see, but also difficult to walk on, at least for the first part (is this where I lost my glasses, which were hanging on my forehead?). Then, around point 2, if I didn't get completely lost, it was thanks to my GPS, but I saw absolutely nothing that resembled a trail. With my nose glued to my smartphone, I even dropped one of my walking sticks without noticing (luckily I found it when I turned back). It was only shortly before the Peuil ridge that I found the path again. A sign on the ground (it is no longer nailed to a tree) indicates the Pas de l'Echelle, but you have to pay close attention to the faint coloured markings. The directions for the descent are rather vague, but it's difficult to get lost, unless, like me, you arrive at the hamlet of Rossinière (which isn't named, by the way) and mistakenly run down the road to the main road, only to have to climb back up to Engins. It was foggy today, which didn't help matters, but there is another route to the Pas de la Lose that apparently passes through much nicer places.

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Hello,
I think you must have lost the trail. I did it yesterday, and apart from the ladder at the start, which is fairly easy, there's no more climbing after that. The trail is sometimes steep and narrow but winds its way between the rocks. Nevertheless, I agree that beginners should be warned, as it's easy to get lost; the green paint is too sparse and almost completely worn away. Someone kind-hearted should come and mark the Lose passage again.

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

Hello
I just want to add a word of caution. This route is really not recommended for beginners.
Even with the GPX track, I had to adjust several times, but above all, doing it alone, I realised that the pace was not easy. I took the vertical route from the "échelle" sign and had difficulty on a slab section where I lost my poles (impossible to do while descending), even though I have a basic knowledge of solo climbing. Maybe I was a few metres off course because I didn't see any colour coding! Just a warning to anyone who might be in that area.

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

The climb through the forest to the Pas de la Lose is indeed tough, straight up the slope. I couldn't find any colour coding to indicate the passage in front of the rocky outcrop, but someone had kindly put up a sign saying "the ladder", and this is indeed the climbing passage. It's an easy climb that leads to a small path which is then fairly easy to follow. No difficulty on the rest of the route. Lots of people at the mountain pasture, but that was to be expected. You need to book to eat at the Lodge de la Molière. I was still able to enjoy a plate of very good cheeses with a beer. A very interesting hike, thank you.

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Date of your route : May 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Unmarked trail from Engins to Pas de la Lose, not marked on IGN maps. This seclusion makes the trail very pleasant!

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Date of your route : Jul 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice route, but be careful when the trail is wet from rain. It's safer to start your hike from Lans via the hamlet of Les Egauds.

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Date of your route : Apr 05, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike! There was still some snow above 1,500 metres and beautiful crocus fields!
We made a small detour by going directly from point 4 to point 7 via the Tracollet pass (a great spot for a picnic, by the way) to avoid going back and forth between 6 and 7.

Be careful at the start of the hike between points 1 and 3, where GPS guidance is necessary, and at point 3, where you need to look out for the coloured markings.

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Ludo Lamberet, on the Visorando app, for example, you can choose the map background (symbol at the bottom left of the map): IGN, IGN satellite, OSM = Open Street Map, a free map background with the app (IGN subscription is paid). These maps are less detailed than IGN maps, except for urban areas, where they are easier to read than IGN maps. Sometimes there are also trails that are listed on OSM but not on IGN, and vice versa... try it out!

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Hello
I don't know what osm means. What is it? I use gpx viewer or the visorando app with GPS.

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Hello,

Yes, I did have a GPS app, but even with that, the path was difficult to find on this first part of the route.

Indeed, the hike does not follow a path shown on the IGN map. However, on the OSM map, there is a path parallel to the hike route.

Question:

When preparing for your hike, did you compare the hike route with the OSM Trails?

Kind regards

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Yes, I did have a GPS app, but even with that, the route was difficult to find on this first part of the journey.

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Hello,

Thank you for taking the time to give your opinion.

As the signposting does not depend on the author or Visorando, "Route on map" does not refer to evaluating the signposting, but rather the accuracy of the route as it appears on the map in relation to the actual terrain.

Did the route cause any problems?
Did you follow the route with a GPS or a GPS application?
Did you deviate from the route of the hike?

See you soon!

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Date of your route : Jun 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Insufficient explanations about the start of the route until you reach the ridge. Poorly marked, path or trail not easy to follow towards Combe Bayard, and on the first third of the hike.
On the other hand, very beautiful valley towards the lodge at the top.

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Date of your route : Jul 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Good description of the hike on Visorando.
Difficult and very steep hike for the first three kilometres.
At the top, the views are breathtaking.

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Magnificent panoramas, off-the-beaten-track routes for the first two hours, very pleasant hike, with a few steep slopes to climb. The short climb at Pas de la Lose is easy to negotiate but not suitable for those prone to vertigo.
The only major downside was that we often had trouble finding our way (despite the Visorando map and the explanations in another book), which meant we frequently had to retrace our steps, increasing the total time. Some of the small paths were almost invisible (particularly the one that starts at the "Combe Bayard" sign in the forest). To reach the hamlet of Les Merciers, make sure you go through the fence after the sign to get into the undergrowth.

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