Col de Vassieux from Marignac

A beautiful walk starting from Marignac-en-Diois, which provides access to the Vercors balcony. Very beautiful view to the south. Numerous possible extensions on the Vercors plateau.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.14 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 831 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 836 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,431 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 593 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from Marignac, car park at the hamlet of Les Chambards (altitude 600m).

(S/E) Immediately take the small path slightly to the left that climbs uphill. Join theGR®95(red and white markings, which you will follow to the Col de Vassieux). Follow theGR® to the left.

(1) At a three-way junction, before a stream, take the second path on the right and cross the stream. Continue straight ahead, ignoring a path that branches off to the right.

(2) Further on, cross another stream and then turn left at the next intersection, right at the three-way junction, right again at the four-way intersection, then

(3) straight ahead, following the red and white markings. Continue on theGR® northwards to the Col de Vassieux.

(4) Continue along the ridge, to the left, towards But St Genix.

(5) At a three-way junction, turn left. Further on, ignore a path that branches off to the right.

(6) Shortly afterwards, at Col de la Chau, take the path that descends to the left towards Clot Hubert. At a three-way junction, continue to the left.

(7) At the next crossroads, continue to the right. Ignore two paths branching off to the right.

(8) Further on, turn left, go straight ahead at the next junction, then left immediately after, then left again at the three-way junction to join a forest road.

(9) Turn right and walk along this track for about a kilometre and

(10) take the path on the left towards the hamlet of Les Chambards. At the intersection, continue straight ahead and, further on, ignore a path on the right.

(11) On the road, turn left for a few metres, then take the first street on the right. Continue straight ahead, then turn onto the path on the left to cross the Ruisseau des Pérouses. Continue along this path to quickly reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 600 m - Car park in the hamlet of Les Chambards.
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 663 m - Second path on the right
  3. 2 : km 1.22 - alt. 780 m - Please note, there are several crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.6 - alt. 855 m - Straight ahead on the GR
  5. 4 : km 3.74 - alt. 1,330 m - Turn left - Col de Vassieux (1333m)
  6. 5 : km 4.21 - alt. 1,352 m - Continue to the left
  7. 6 : km 4.94 - alt. 1,428 m - On the right at &gt - Col de la chau (1434m)
  8. 7 : km 6.53 - alt. 1,043 m - Turn right at the intersection.
  9. 8 : km 7.23 - alt. 999 m - Turn left
  10. 9 : km 7.66 - alt. 886 m - Turn right onto the track
  11. 10 : km 8.44 - alt. 825 m - Path on the left
  12. 11 : km 9.71 - alt. 614 m - Turn left for a few metres
  13. S/E : km 10.14 - alt. 595 m - Car park in the hamlet of Les Chambards

Notes

Take water (no water source), waterproof shoes in mid-season (30cm of snow on the last 200 metres of altitude before the Col de Vassieux, along the entire ridge and down to the forest path on the descent for All Saints' Day 2012) and walking poles (useful for descending in snow). Hunting shelters (?) on the descent just below Clot Hubert but off the route (go 200m to the right at an altitude of 1000m).

Worth a visit

At the Col de Vassieux, you can have lunch at the foot of the forest, with a beautiful view to the south.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 14 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 26582549
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk with a good section in the forest, sheltered from the sun and wind.
The end is a bit tricky (ladders) but it's worth it.

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Robine
Robine

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful, well-shaded hike except at But Saint Genix

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nom
nom

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

No particular difficulty apart from the climb if you go up to But St Genix, and it would be a shame not to go there.
The view would have been superb if it hadn't been so foggy, but it was still a beautiful panorama.
The descent was also straightforward.
Pay attention to the markings on the first part: it is apparently no longer a GR (yellow and green markings).

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bruno92160
bruno92160

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was difficult to find the starting point for the hike, and I'm not even sure I found it, which meant that the rest of the hike was a bit of a mess. It's a shame because the area is very beautiful, with its southern vegetation.

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Yves K.
Yves K.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

This hike is particularly interesting for its physical route, but it is not very interesting on the way up and not at all interesting on the way down. The directions are given for GPS, whereas numerous signs could have been mentioned for those who only have a map. It's a shame I didn't think to note down the signs at the start of the descent.

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patrick furminieux
patrick furminieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Beautiful hike (Col Vassieux and Lachau with snow) Magnificent view Nice descent

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XC RANDO SAVOIE
XC RANDO SAVOIE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great course. I recommend it.

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Geono60
Geono60

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with magnificent views from the heights. The trail markings are easy to follow. At the top, you can continue on to the But de l'Aiglette. The descent is as pleasant as the ascent. Thank you for this hike.

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jo7
jo7

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 09, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful climb. A return trip to Saint Genix is a must, adding to the elevation gain, but the view of the Vercors is magnificent

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naturearbre
naturearbre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very beautiful hike
we went as far as Saint Genix, magnificent!
We took a little detour to visit the Vassieux refuge, which was very nice
Follow the yellow and green markings at the start

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colette.saussac@orange.fr
colette.saussac@orange.fr

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

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bonnierandco
bonnierandco

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful circular with a gradual climb in the direction described (anti-clockwise).
Strong winds when arriving at the Col de Vassieux and magnificent scenery.

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coolchic07
coolchic07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

we did the hike in beautiful weather
the climb is quite challenging, but the view at the top is well worth the effort
we pushed on to Mont St Genix... magnificent.
personally, I would say that the route is underestimated; 14 kilometres seems about right to me
i recommend it
thank you for this beautiful walk.

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julio2010
julio2010

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The vegetation changes from Mediterranean to alpine on the plateau. Beautiful views at the pass and along the ridge. The route is very well marked on the map. The red and white GR markings have been replaced by yellow and green, but there are plenty of signs to avoid any confusion. We added a short detour to the Vassieux refuge, which can be reached between the Col de Vassieux and the Col de la Chau. Point 5, at a place called Entre 2 Cols, refuge 300 metres away. This is useful in case of cool or rainy weather. The descent is sometimes a little difficult, but there are alternative routes.

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