Col de la Colombière (Mercantour) walks

Once you have passed through the pastoral area, the Crêtes de la Blanche and de Rougne offer exceptional panoramic views. The return route off the beaten track via the Chaufrède valley, a very little-used area, will be a real discovery. A GPS or the Visorando app will be useful on this section. You are in the Mercantour National Park; there are regulations to be observed, and failure to do so may result in a fine of up to €1,500 – please see the practical information section.

The Grande Traversée des Alpes (GTA) mainly follows the GR®5, with a few possible variations such as the crossing of the Haute Vanoise via the GR®55 and the Via Alpina, which this route takes instead of the GR®5 route via the Col de l’Iseran. It crosses the French Alps from north to south, from Saint-Gingolph to Nice. The guide includes web links to the many accommodation options along the route or nearby: mountain huts, lodges, campsites, cabins and shelters, excluding hotels. Although this guidebook details the GTA as a three-week trek, it can be adapted to suit your own pace, with stages of varying lengths, either completed in one go or in sections over several years. This journey, fuelled by the joy of freedom in unspoilt natural surroundings, will remain a superb and unforgettable experience, offering, moreover, the opportunity to meet many people with whom you can share this same passion for the mountains.

This seventeenth stage continues the crossing of the Mercantour massif. From Bousiéyas, the GR®5 climbs gently along the forest track, crosses the Tinée valley and reaches the small lake of Lauzarouotte. The path then crosses the Issias valley and reaches the Col de la Colombière. Winding its way down, it plunges straight into the Vallon de la Combe and, hugging the hillside, reaches the Rochepin chalet before returning to the bottom of the Vallon de la Combe and reaching Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage. The GR®5 follows the Route d’Anelle, crossing a few torrents before reaching the Col d’Anelle. It descends to Saint-Étienne-de-Tinée, which it passes through, before entering the Tinée Valley. At the hamlet of Drogon, it winds its way up the valley side in a series of hairpin bends to the resort of Auron, then passes through woodland to reach the Col du Blainon before descending the sunny side of the Vallon de la Roya and arriving at the “Ma Vieille École” lodge.

Étape de la traversée des Alpes par le GR®5 de Larche à Saint Dalmas le Selvage. Passage dans le Parc National du Mercantour sauvage et authentique puis transition entre la Haute Tinée et le Vallon de Jalorgues avec un passage sur la plus haute route d'Europe vers le Col de la Bonnette.