Tour de Roche Grande via Col des Trentes Souches and Vallon de l'Estrop

The route starts from the car park near the Entraunes campsite (marker 266). On leaving the village (towards Col de la Cayolle), take the small road on the right to the campsite and park nearby.
You can also start at marker 33, located at the beginning of the road leading to the campsite. In this case, park in the car park just outside Entraunes.

(S/E) Head towards Col des Trente Souches, indicated by marker 266 (or 33 depending on your chosen starting point). The path is very shaded and relatively steep at the start, crossing a track several times. Follow the red and white markings (there are not many markers).

(1) Reach Le Serre (marker 267) and continue towards Col des Trente Souches, now following a track. Shortly after the marker, you will come to a barrier on the track which you must cross and continue straight ahead. The slope is now much gentler.
The track gradually turns into a path after the memorial to a Val d'Entraunes forest ranger, passing under a waterfall.

(2) Shortly after the waterfall, the path reaches a landslide area that completely buries it. At the entrance to this area, you need to locate the path on the other side and continue straight ahead with the utmost caution as the terrain is relatively unstable and slippery. However, the crossing should not pose any problems for an experienced hiker.

(3) Pass marker 270, following the direction of Col des Trente Souches. The slope becomes steeper again on a winding path through the forest.

(4) Cross the stream carefully to reach the path opposite.

(5) Reach marker 271, cross the stream to enter the heart of the Mercantour National Park, then head off-trail towards Col des Trente Souches, to the east. You will quickly reach the pass.

(6) From the pass, return to marker 271, following the^GR®® towards Baisse de la Boulière.

(5) Back at marker 271, take the path that climbs towards Baisse de la Boulière. From here, follow the yellow markings. Be careful, as the path is not very well marked and the markers are quite discreet and few in number, so you need to look out for them. The slope is quite steep and the initial section of the route takes you through a larch forest.

(7) At the exit, as the path is not always well marked, if you are unsure of the direction, walk towards Cime de Pal, which can be seen to the north-east. You will soon find a better marked path. Always follow the yellow markings and the cairns scattered here and there.

(8) From this point at an altitude of 2364 metres, and until you reach the Baisse de la Boulière, you must be careful as the path crosses a steeply sloping area and the ground is relatively slippery and unstable.
The most difficult part is the passage under the rocky outcrops of the Cime de Pal. Avoid this section if there are large, frozen snowfields.

(9) From Baisse de la Boulière, head north towards Col de Gialorgues. The path climbs very slightly before beginning to descend towards the pass. There are no difficulties in reaching it.

(10) At Col de Gialorgues, there are two options:

• go directly left to point 12, heading towards Estenc via the^GR®® GTM.
• follow this description, making a detour via the Lacs de l'Estrop. Take the path leading straight towards the casemates from the pass and follow the cairns until you reach the smaller of the two Lacs de l'Estrop.

(11) Leave the first Lac de l'Estrop on your right and continue west until you reach the second lake, from where you will need to follow the cairns south-west to join the^GR®® GTM a little further down.

(12) Then turn right to descend the Vallon de l'Estrop, following the red and white markings.
The walk through this valley is not particularly difficult. The slope is uneven, alternating between steep and almost flat sections.

(13) At marker 275, follow the signs for Entraunes, leaving the heart of the National Park. The path climbs gently to the Bec de la Renarde.

(14) Make a very short detour to the right towards a promontory offering a magnificent view of the valley leading to the Col de la Cayolle. To do this, head towards the large cairn located just behind marker 275a.
Once you return to this marker, follow the path to the right towards Entraunes.
Shortly after the Bec, the slope becomes very steep. The start of the descent is in a slightly slippery area but does not present any real difficulties. Follow the yellow markings.

(15) Cross the Col de la Cayolle road to reach marker 273 opposite, where you should follow the direction of Entraunes.

(16) Keep left towards Entraunes. Now follow the Var river along a tarmac track until you reach the starting point (S/E) after carefully crossing the D 2202.

The hike is classified as very difficult, mainly due to its length and two tricky areas (rockfall on the climb to the Col des Trente Souches and between points (8) and (9)), but should not pose any particular difficulties for experienced hikers.

There are several possible variations for this hike:

• Given its length, it is possible to do it in two days, bivouacking near the Col de Gialorgues, or even spending the night at the refuge of the same name (ask for the key before you set off).
• For the more adventurous, it is possible to climb the Cime de Pal once you reach the Baisse de la Boulière. The view from there is exceptional, but it adds 200 metres of elevation and about 1 to 1.5 hours of walking (especially feasible if you are doing the hike over two days).
• You could also choose not to walk back to Entraunes and stop at Estenc instead. In this case, you will need two vehicles to get back to the starting point.
• For more occasional hikers, the round trip to the Col des Trente Souches will already be a very nice outing.

This hike is best done in early summer to enjoy the flowers in full bloom at Col des Trente Souches and in Vallon de l'Estrop.

Please note: the Col des Trente Souches and the Vallon de l'Estrop are grazing areas, so guard dogs are very likely to be present in the middle of summer.

Bring protection from the sun (hat, sun cream) as there is very little (if any) shade between points (7) and (14).

• Visit the Mercantour National Park visitor centre in Entraunes, as well as the small village museum.

• In Entraunes, you can buy bread baked in a wood-fired oven.