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The start is in front of the Chalet Marano hotel, located in the Hameau district of the Isola 2000 resort.
(S/E) Head towards the Lacs de Terre Rouge lakes, following the red and white markings ofthe GR® GTM. The trail climbs behind the hotel and quickly reaches a ski slope and marker 91.
(1) Cross the ski slope and continue towards the Lacs de Terre Rouge, following the red and white markings. The trail is easy to follow and in very good condition.
(2) Continue towards the Lacs de Terre Rouge, following the red and white markings, which turn left in a generally northerly direction. You will soon reach the first of the Lacs de Terre Rouge. Pass it and continue along the excellent path until you reach marker 93.
(3) At marker 93, leave theGR® GTM and continue towards Pas du Loup via the path that climbs to the left, still heading north. You must then follow the yellow markings. The path is easy to follow and you will soon see Pas du Loup when you come to a small lake that is not named on IGN maps.
(4) Reach Pas du Loup and cross over to the other side, in Italy. From here, follow the red markings and/or the double orange arrows that line the trail. Although not particularly difficult, the going is a little less easy as the terrain is very rocky.
(5) At this point, you may hesitate slightly about which direction to take: continue westwards, taking the less well-marked path that branches off to the left (marked by cairns).
(6) When you reach a small pass just below the summit of Vermeil, you will clearly see the summit of Lombarde. Continue straight ahead. You can make a round trip to the summit of Vermeil by taking the ridge on the left (allow 10 minutes for the round trip).
(7) Here you will come to the first intersection just at the foot of the final slope leading to the summit of La Lombarde. You now have two options:
- Either head directly to the summit by following the ridge (steep but not difficult).
- Or descend about 50 metres to the next intersection, where you take the path that winds upwards (slightly longer option).
(8) Reach the summit of Cime de la Lombarde, then continue southwest, following the cairns to begin the descent towards the pass.
Be careful, as this is where the most difficult part of the hike begins: most of the descent is over scree, some of which is unstable. You must watch your step carefully and keep an eye out for cairns and/or yellow markers in the distance, which indicate the easiest route. If you are hiking with poles, it is strongly recommended that you put them away for this section; they will be of no use and may even be dangerous here.
(9) Leave the scree at this point to begin a final, very steep section where you must be careful. This section leads to a very good path further down, which leads easily to the Col de la Lombarde.
(10) From the pass, follow the direction of Isola 200, indicated by marker 100. You will then rejoin theGR® GTM and must follow the red and white markings, first along the road and then along the path on the left.
(11) At marker 98, you will come to a ski slope which you must cross straight ahead to reach the path on the other side, passing under a snow cannon. Follow the signs for Lacs de Terre Rouge, continuing to look for the red and white markers.
(12) You will find yourself back on a ski slope where the red and white markers are no longer visible. You must therefore descend to the right on this slope until you reach marker 91.
(1) At marker 91, which you passed on the way up, return to the starting point without difficulty by following the trail in the opposite direction to the Hôtel Chalet Marano (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Very difficult 
Easy 
