Col des 2 Sœurs - Grande Moucherolle - Sophie - Pas de l'Œille circular

This magnificent figure-eight route combines the ascent of Grande Moucherolle, the second highest peak in the Vercors, with the crossing of two challenging passes and the discovery of the Rocher des Deux Sœurs ridges.

This hike includes two short climbing sections (less than 5 metres each), which are not particularly difficult but are exposed. A good quarter of the route is on poorly marked paths, requiring a good sense of direction even though orientation is easy.

Marmots and ibex are on the menu.

Details

571521
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.22 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 8 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Extremely difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,685 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,686 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,277 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,229 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at a place called La Rousse.

(S/E) Take the path heading north towards the Refuge de la Soldanelle (signposted). Please note that several mountain bike trails that are closed to pedestrians run along the same slope, so you must follow the signs.

(1) At the refuge, take the wide path uphill, heading west-northwest towards Pré Achard (sign). At around 1600m, the path becomes narrower; turn right, heading east, towards Pas de l'Œille, but immediately look for a small yellow sign on the left indicating Col des Deux Sœurs.

(2) Follow the indicated path (the sign is under low pine trees). This path winds its way up in a few hairpin bends in a northward direction to the base of the cliff.

Then follow a trail northwards which leads to the foot of a steep couloir. The path crosses a rocky spur, equipped with a reassuring cable. In case of late snowfields, go around the obstacle via the rocks or squeeze between the snow and the rock.

(3) After a few steep switchbacks, you will reach the Col des Deux Sœurs. From there, look for the trail leading to the Grande Moucherolle, which is clearly visible to the west.
Follow this trail to the base of a steep, exposed couloir with good handholds for the final ascent of Grande Moucherolle.

(4) Be careful, shortly before the secondary summit, the trail seems to descend to the right to bypass a steep slope (corridor snow-covered late in the season). Do not take this trail, but instead head straight up the easy rocks that lead to the summit ridge.

(5) Cross this ridge and take the descending path (north-west), then look for a slightly steep passage on the left (south) that allows you to descend to the Col des Moucherolles.

(6) At the pass, head north-northwest to descend the valley and cross a small rocky outcrop. Immediately after this, at an elevation of 2,045 metres, head further north to descend along the rocky base of the northwest ridge of the Grande Moucherolle via its western flank.

(7) This path leads to the Croix Bressant. A little further down, head south-east towards the Combe de l'Ourson, passing by the Source de la Croix Bressant. Then head to the Lac de la Moucherolle. From the southern end of the lake, head south-east towards the karstic cave des Deux Sœurs and follow the path up to the pass of the same name.

(3) Back at the Col des Deux Sœurs, turn north-east to climb up the grassy slope and reach the secondary summit topped with a cairn.
Note: you can end the route at this point by descending from the Col des Deux Sœurs via the route taken in the morning.

(8) Continue along the ridge to the true summit of Petite Sœur Sophie. Continue along the ridge, which descends to a sharp limestone pavement; head north, following a cairned path that stays at the top of the valley.

(9) The path continues north, passes east of the 2050m peak, and ends at a ridge at 2051m above a couloir. Look for a cairn on this ridge and cross over at this point.
You will come to a low rocky ridge, which you can cross with a few easy but exposed climbing steps, near a boulder in front of the ridge. A grassy path follows and crosses along the contour line of an increasingly steep slope.
On the right, a small gap marked with worn red circles can also be crossed with a few easy climbing steps on very good holds, but there is no room for error. At the top, you will find the trail under the rocky spur at 2105m.

(10) Continue north to a small grassy pass (cairn) overlooking the Aiguilles and the Pas de l'Œille. Descend eastwards on this pass.

(11) From the Pas de l'Œille, the winding descent requires a little caution. Follow the yellow and green markings, ignoring the red ones. Then head south, ignoring a turn-off to the right, and reach the crossroads towards the Source des Clos.

(12) Continue to the right and return to the initial crossroads.

(2) Take the uphill route, pass by the Refuge de la Soldanelle to reach your car in the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,230 m - La Rousse car park
  2. 1 : km 1.72 - alt. 1,486 m - Refuge de la Soldanelle
  3. 2 : km 2.27 - alt. 1,610 m - Crossroads of the Circular
  4. 3 : km 3.96 - alt. 2,049 m - Col des Deux Sœurs
  5. 4 : km 5.15 - alt. 2,267 m - Grande Moucherolle
  6. 5 : km 5.29 - alt. 2,212 m - Steep descent
  7. 6 : km 5.57 - alt. 2,096 m - Col des Moucherolles (2086m)
  8. 7 : km 6.72 - alt. 1,765 m - Croix Bressant
  9. 8 : km 9.5 - alt. 2,141 m - Little Sister Sophie - Deux Sœurs
  10. 9 : km 10.16 - alt. 2,018 m - Elevation 2,051 metres (IGN)
  11. 10 : km 10.69 - alt. 2,030 m - Pass overlooking the Pas de l'Œille
  12. 11 : km 10.92 - alt. 1,933 m - Pas de l'Œille
  13. 12 : km 12.16 - alt. 1,568 m - Source des Clos
  14. S/E : km 16.21 - alt. 1,229 m - La Rousse car park

Notes

Equipment:

  • A 20-metre rope can be useful for reassurance during the climbing sections. In this case, you will of course need a harness and some straps.
  • Walking poles are useful.

Schedule:

  • Setting off early (start the hike at least an hour before sunrise) allows you to observe wildlife that hides as soon as noisy, sweat-drenched hikers arrive.
  • You can camp at the Cabane des Clos if you want to save an hour or so.

Water:

  • There is little water in the limestone mountains.
  • However, you can stock up at the Refuge de la Soldanelle, the Cabane des Clos and the Source Bressant (bring a filter for the latter).

Dogs:

  • Although dogs on leads are allowed in this part of the Vercors, the climbing sections of this hike do not allow them to follow their owners.

NB: the estimated duration of the hike does not include breaks for breakfast and lunch. As a guide, I completed this circular on 25 May 2017 with my son, setting off at 4:15 am from the Col de l'Arzelier, stopping for a snack above the Croix de Bressant and having lunch just before the Pas de l'Œille. With these breaks and stops to take photos, the total duration was 9 hours.

Worth a visit

(3) The climb to Col des Deux Sœurs offers exceptional views of the caves and arches that sculpt the Agathe cliff face. Ibex are not uncommon in this area.

(7) Descending to Croix Bressant, you will notice on the right the impressive arch carved into the north-western ridge of Grande Moucherolle.

(8) Petite Sœur Sophie and, even more so, its secondary summit offer spectacular views of its Grande Sœur Agathe.

(10) The small grassy pass overlooking the Pas de l'Œille is another remarkable viewpoint on this walk.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Henri Teiss
Henri Teiss

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful but physically demanding loop. Walking poles are highly recommended.
For experienced and fit mountaineers only. Many sections are tricky and dangerous for those who are not used to this type of terrain.
Do not underestimate the difficulty of the descent from the Grande Moucherolle to the pass.
The traverse on the ledge below the dome of the Oeil is a bit confusing. I went too low instead of staying with the ridge in sight and it was quite scary.
With a bit of scrambling, 5 hours 40 minutes + 20 minutes break.

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bouvierjr
bouvierjr ★

Thanks for the feedback, Charlie. A little north of point 10, west of the ridge, there is a magnificent karstic cave with multiple arches; you need a 30m rope to descend (the abseil anchor is now in place) and know how to climb back up on a rope, but the view is absolutely incredible. And further north, this time east of the ridge, just at the foot of the cliffs, is the arch of the lock, which is easier to access.

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Charlie 38
Charlie 38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike with lots of stunning scenery.

I set off at 6 a.m. from Col de L'Arzelier in the cool air with my head torch on, which made it much more pleasant.
A beautiful day with the sunrise at Col des Deux Soeurs.

It takes a good 10 hours to complete the circular route, but you need to be in good physical condition, as there are significant elevation changes.

During the day, I saw about 40 ibex, 30 chamois, 10 marmots, 3 vultures and a deer.

I added a small detour to the route by climbing up to Agathe once I had crossed the Col des Deux Sœurs, then simply followed the ridge to reach Le Moucherolle.

There weren't many people at Agathe and Moucherolle; most visitors love the lake and stay down below.

A very beautiful hike that offers plenty of choices.

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batinou84
batinou84

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, but one that requires good physical condition and, above all, a head for heights. The path from the Col des 2 Sœurs to the Pas de l'Œil requires a little observation and common sense, as cairns are few and far between.
I strongly recommend setting off very early at dawn.
Happy hiking, everyone!

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lulol
lulol
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good guidebook. We used it to find the ledge that leads to the Col des Deux Sœurs, and it was perfect (for the rest, we chose a different route).

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Laurent.T
Laurent.T

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

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alegrand
alegrand

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A parish-specific to Brittany, beautiful walk where you have to put your hands on the limestone.

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marie caretti
marie caretti

)A superb hike that we extended by descending via the Col Vert.
Lots of huge ibex (males with impressive horns) that weren't wild.
And then, at the Pas de l'Oeille, there were chamois, which were much more fearful but curious...
The ridge trail is dotted with cairns, but you have to be careful because it is sometimes exposed. Some steps require using your hands.
It was so beautiful that we'll definitely be back.
Good description thanks to Visorando.

Well, actually, I said AVERAGE for the map because you shouldn't rely solely on the map or GPS, but rather keep your eyes open and use common sense to plan your route based on the terrain.
For the ridge, for example, there are strategic points such as "the pass with rope" that it is good to have in your "sights" so as not to take the lower route, and there, no map can help.It is personal, logical and measured judgement that can help. The same applies to the last exposed "knoll" and its descent to the pass.
Basically, our eyes and our intelligence are the best tools we have. Jean René, you can't do any better than that!

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bouvierjr
bouvierjr ★

Hello Marie, thank you for your feedback.
Since the route on the map comes directly from a GPS track, how can I improve its reliability?
Best regards! - jr

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marie caretti
marie caretti

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

)A superb hike that we extended by descending via the Col Vert.
Lots of huge ibex (males with impressive horns) that weren't wild.
And then, at the Pas de l'Oeille, there were chamois, which were much more fearful but curious...
The ridge trail is dotted with cairns, but you have to be careful because it is sometimes exposed. Some steps require using your hands.
It was so beautiful that we'll definitely be back.
Good description thanks to Visorando.

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isatresbelle
isatresbelle

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's beautiful, really beautiful! But it's also quite a hike. I almost fell asleep on the way back, probably because this walk requires constant attention: following the difficult path of the Grande Moucherolle, between the Col des 2 Sœurs and the Pas de l'Oeille, and also finding the route off the beaten track.

The weather wasn't completely clear in the morning, so I'll come back in the autumn when the days are clearer and the colours even more vibrant.

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