Col de Valbuche from Le Loup

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A lovely hike above Lac du Loup with beautiful panoramic views of the Alps. Discover this route by taking a little-used path.

Details

n°2505182
Creation:
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 919 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 919 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,391 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,472 m
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Description of the walk

Park at the hamlet of Le Loup above the village of Montaimont.

(S/E) Take the path that climbs up alongside the Ravin des Cétives. About two hundred metres further on, you’ll reach a crossroads of paths.

(1) Turn right onto the path that climbs due south towards the Closet chalet. Pass the chalet to reach the junction with the path coming from Les Avannières.

(2) Turn left, climbing gradually through the forest and then across mountain pastures to reach an area where several streams flow. You will arrive at the Ruisseau de Pré Venat.

(3) Cross it, then cross the Ruisseau de Néron to reach the junction at Les Grandes Combes.

(4) Take the right-hand fork to complete the ascent of the Col de Valbuche.

(5) Begin the descent via the reverse route to return to the car park at the hamlet of Le Loup (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,472 m - Car park at the hamlet of Le Loup
  2. 1 : km 0.47 - alt. 1,543 m - Crossroads towards Le Closet
  3. 2 : km 1.19 - alt. 1,627 m - Le Closet–Les Avannières junction
  4. 3 : km 2.31 - alt. 1,820 m - Pré Venat stream
  5. 4 : km 3.64 - alt. 2,154 m - Path junction
  6. 5 : km 4.51 - alt. 2,385 m - Col de Valbuche (2401m)
  7. S/E : km 9.17 - alt. 1,472 m - Car park at the hamlet of Le Loup

Notes

Bring plenty of water as there are no refreshment points along the route.

(5) Col de Valbuche: for the more adventurous, there is the option to continue towards Bellechat or Grand Coin, two nearby peaks.

Worth a visit

Beautiful views of the surrounding peaks.
Hike above the mountain pastures.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Fabien C.
Fabien C.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Sheep and sheepdogs present 100 metres below the pass with the shepherdess. No problem passing.
However, the path to Pointe de Valbuche is very poorly marked, especially at the start of the pass.

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aldesr
aldesr
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, this is one of the beautiful hikes that visitors staying in SFL shouldn’t miss. It’s a genuine mountain route throughout, starting on a cattle track and becoming rockier towards the end.

The route is of moderate difficulty: 1,000m of elevation gain with no particularly challenging terrain. As the profile shows, you need to be careful to pace yourself. The gradient gets steeper as you go. The path becomes stony on the final ‘wall’, making it feel even more challenging.

Lac du Loup and the neighbouring hamlets were busy. Hardly anyone around Valbuche, however – complete tranquillity. The only people we encountered at altitude during our stay were a shepherd, some mountain dogs and a flock of sheep.

(PS – 1* deducted for the route marking at the start of the walk. I could have prepared the hike more carefully, no doubt, but the sign at the start, which directs you to head towards the mountains, could have been followed by an indication to change direction towards the stream. You must not take the path ‘straight ahead’ shown on the IGN map)

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Filyon
Filyon

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely hike, but incredibly tough... a black-rated trail! Lol
But do give it a go... in season, and make sure the path is marked out, otherwise it’s a real nightmare!

Machine-translated

les 2 chams
les 2 chams

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A well-marked but very steep path; best tackled early in the morning when it’s very hot...

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