A superb 2-day route in the Écrins National Park, linking two characteristic villages:
- Dormillouse, a Vaudois hamlet, completely hidden in the Freissinières valley.
- Prapic, on the edge of the Orcières Merlette resort, which has retained its authenticity.
Country:
France
District:
Freissinières (05310) 
This route needs several days, find the details below:
Lodges in Prapic.
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 planning your hike in order to preserve this collective asset, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.
This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:
Visit to Dormillouse on the second day.
Le Saut du Laire on the first day, with a description of the hike at: https://www.visorando.com/randonnee-le-s...
Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Oct 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes
A two-and-a-half-day route with two bivouacs (Lac des Estaris and Lac de Fangea) in the direction of Prapic - Dormillouse - Prapic.
No particular difficulties; the GPX track follows the trail in case of doubt.
Magnificent landscapes.
There is plenty of water throughout the route (lakes, small snowfields, streams)
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Overall rating : 3.7 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No
Physically demanding hike with fantastic scenery. Two perilous mountain passes on a narrow path between Orcières and Lake Pissé and between the junction to the Col des Terres Blanches and the pass (caution advised for those prone to vertigo).
The descent from the Col des Terres Blanches towards Dormillouse is magnificent but poorly marked, and watch out for patous (shepherd dogs).
A superb hike to be done in 3 days instead of 2 
. The times indicated on the signs are for those without a backpack containing everything needed for camping; you should easily add 50% to the time.
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Overall rating : 4.7 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No
Completed solo and independently over two days on 20 and 21 August 2022, following the route Prapic > Col de Freissinière > Dormillouse > Col des Terres Blanches > Prapic - Bivouac near Dormillouse.
A sublime hike
The climbs went well. However, the descents seemed endless to me.
Two rather intense days, but the beauty of the landscapes was well worth the effort.
I sometimes had to search a little for the trail markers (white circles) on the climb to the Col des Terres Blanches, but although they are discreet, they are definitely there!
The descent from the Col des Terres Blanches to Prapic took me much longer than indicated, and even though my knee slowed me down considerably, I have my doubts about the 2 hours 15 minutes indicated.
Thank you to Martine and Alain at the Ecrin de Violette lodge for the refreshing beer on their magnificent terrace and for their valuable advice.
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Overall rating : 3.7 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No
The route description sheet contained almost no information. So I looked for the sheets describing the hike in two parts (Prapic Dormillouse then Dormillouse Prapic) to get a little more information.
For Dormillouse Prapic, you really have to rely on the large white markings, and this isn't always easy because sometimes there isn't a proper path.
The entire two-day hike is absolutely magnificent.
It took us much less time than advertised.
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Dgeje
The "hats" for multi-stage hikes are not listed in the app. You need to log in to the website and add the different stages to your favourites from there, or enter the name or QR code for each stage in the app.
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To the attention of Bernadino or any other user who can help me :
This hike looks excellent, but I can't access it from my phone, and the same goes for the hike called "Escapade Queyrassienne". Could you please tell me how to access this route from the VISORANDO app?
Many thanks!!!
Jérôme
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Jul 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Superb hike, magnificent landscapes.
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Overall rating : 4.3 / 5
Date of your route : Sep 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
One of my most beautiful hikes in the Alps. The landscapes are fantastic. Lots of wildlife along the route.
There are two sections where you need to be careful: between Lac des Pisses and the twin lakes, and on the descent from Col des Terres Blanches (crossing section). I would not recommend this hike in rainy weather.
Long hikes: we are good walkers and it took us 8½ hours (including breaks) for the two days.
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Aug 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
It was my first solo hike and I was blown away!
I was practically alone in the world on the way there, I had a bit of a mental block on the way up to the mountain pasture (the section where you go back a little way, climbing almost above Lake Fangeas) and another because I missed the left turn after the Col des Terres Blanches (where I was "rescued" by a couple of hikers who were coming down the mountain!)
On the way back, there was a big climb to start the day, lots of people up to the Col de Fressinières, then all alone for the entire descent until I rejoined the crowd not far from the Dormillouze car park.
The landscapes were very varied, with beautiful lakes, black stone, well-irrigated valleys, animals (well, the one I have the least affinity with is the Patou, but that's probably because we don't know each other very well...)... In short, a superb hike that I will remember fondly.
Thank you, Visorando, because the site is a real source of inspiration.
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Overall rating : 5 / 5
Date of your route : Oct 10, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
An exceptional hike that takes you through magnificent mountain passes.
I have fond memories of it, and a few aches and pains.
A word of advice: stay at the school lodge in Dormillouse. A warm welcome and good food: the ideal place to rest.
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The Col des Terres Blanches 
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+1,298 m
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9h 10
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+379 m
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