Col de la Lauze (05) walks

This section corresponds to the second stage of the crossing of France, following the 45th parallel. This stage is magnificent and can be a hike in its own right. You follow the Clarée valley and discover beautiful waterfalls before climbing up to the Refuge du Chardonnet.

This thirteenth stage marks the start of the crossing of the Queyras Massif. From La Vachette, the previous day’s trail joins the GR®5. After a flat start, the forest path winds its way along the banks of the Durance as it descends towards the hamlet of L’Envers du Fontenil, before climbing up to a fortification at the foot of the Fort des Trois Têtes and then crossing the remarkable Pont d’Asfeld. The GR®5 climbs to the Cité Vauban in Briançon, one of France’s finest fortified towns, and descends via the Portes d’Embrun to the Parc de la Schappe. It heads south towards Villar-Saint-Pancrace, then veers off towards Les Ayes via the hamlets of La Mourande, Sachas and Soubeyran, from where it climbs to the Chapelle Saint-Laurent, then on to Le Lauzin, before reaching the Chalets des Ayes. It reaches the Col des Ayes, descends the opposite slope, joins a track at L’Eychaillon and turns left onto it, running alongside the Torrent de la Rivière as far as Brunissard and then La Chalp.

This is the first stage of a journey that will take you across France, following the 45th parallel as closely as possible (within 10 km). To truly cross France and avoid going back and forth, the starting point is in Italy. However, it is possible to start from Pamplinet and climb up to the Col de Désertes to start from the French-Italian border.

This is the fourth stage of the route, taking you from the village of Névache to the Drayéres mountain hut at the head of the Clarée Valley. The route follows the path known as the Chemin de Ronde, part of theGRP® Tour du Thabor trail. You’ll complete a circular route around Lake Laramon. Alternatively, from this lake you can also reach Lake aux Serpents. The view over the valley from the top of the Chemin de Ronde is simply stunning. When you reach the Refuge de la Terrasse, take a moment to admire the mountainous landscape of this valley.

You’ll gradually discover the Clarée valley. As you gain altitude, your view will widen. It’ll soon become truly extraordinary!

Between forest, mountain pastures and the banks of the Clarée, this walk takes you gently from Névache to the upper Clarée valley. It is also an opportunity to discover the hamlets and isolated chalets scattered throughout the valley. Don't forget to admire the pretty Fontcouverte waterfall on the way! Please note that if you do this hike outside the shuttle bus operating period (information available from the tourist office), you will have to walk back to the starting point along the same route!

This third stage of the route will take you to the village of Névache via the Col du Vallon, once again following theGRP® “Tour du Thabor”. The climb to the pass is difficult, particularly the section through the scree slope, a former glacier. Due to its exposure, the gully leading up to the pass is prone to snowfields. The scenery is fabulous. The descent towards Névache is superb, through a lush green valley, alongside a torrent and past a beautiful chapel.

This hike is certainly long, but it will allow you to discover one of the major areas of the wonderful Clarée Valley.

A beautiful hike with magnificent scenery. The climb to the Ricou refuge is a little steep but not particularly difficult. Once you reach the circular path, the route is very easy, almost flat until you reach the Torrent de la Cula. The view over the entire valley is truly superb. From the lake, the trail descends to Laval.

For this first three-day stage, the route offers magnificent views of the Écrins Massif at the Col du Chardonnet and then of the Grand Lac. We have chosen to camp at Lac de la Ponsonnière, but it is entirely possible to camp on the heights of the Grand Lac, near the pastoral house. This allows you to shorten the duration of this first day slightly and, above all, reduce the elevation gain by around 200m.