Col Lacroix loop starting from Échalp

This easily accessible border pass also offers a very pleasant loop through the mountain pastures and forests overlooking the right bank of the Guil.

Details

n°3130897

Creation:
07 Apr 2020

Last update:
05 Aug 2023

Last review:
23 Aug 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 8.58 km
Average duration: 4h 15
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 629 m
Descent: - 636 m
Highest point: 2,303 m
Lowest point: 1,662 m

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Queyras, Dauphiné
City: Ristolas (05460)
Start/End: N 44.75731° / E 6.990821°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3637OT, 3637OTR
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Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the large car park opposite the hamlet of Échalp.

(S/E) Cross the Guil river and the hamlet of Échalp and walk along the cemetery, following the^GRP® du Tour du Pain de Sucre trail marked in red and yellow. You will reach the foot of the Crête de Prarousin.

(1) Go around it on the left and continue climbing. Approach the Torrent de Combe Morelle and walk along its left bank. You will reach a crossroads with two paths.

(2) Continue straight ahead to reach the Col Lacroix.

(3) Quickly return to the previous junction.

(2) Turn right onto the^GR®58variant, Tour du Queyras. Pass the ruins of the Refuge Napoléon and descend, keeping some distance from the right bank of the Torrent de la Combe Morelle. Gradually move away from it to reach the edge of the Bois des Hauts Gays.

(4) Continue downhill until you reach the D947 road. Turn right and follow it to the Refuge de la Monta.

(5) Cross the Guil on the large footbridge, turn left and take the path parallel to the left bank of the Guil to reach the car park opposite the hamlet of Échalp (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,699 m - Car park opposite the hamlet of Échalp. Cross the - Guil (rivière)
1 : km 1.65 - alt. 2,031 m - Prarousin ridge
2 : km 3.36 - alt. 2,286 m - GRP-GR crossroads
3 : km 3.55 - alt. 2,303 m - Col Lacroix (2299m)
4 : km 6.52 - alt. 1,798 m - Woodland edge
5 : km 7.34 - alt. 1,667 m - Refuge de la Monta
S/E : km 8.58 - alt. 1,699 m - Car park opposite the hamlet of Échalp

Notes

Water is available at the Échalp and Monta fountains.

Worth a visit

The Refuge Napoléon du Col Lacroix is one of a group of six refuges bequeathed by Napoleon^I.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5

Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5

Route interest
4.5 / 5

MLndr

23 Aug 2025 at 22:53 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
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 to the Lacroix Pass. The trail is accessible and does not present any particular difficulties. The surroundings of the pass are magnificent, even when the weather is a little overcast.

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YannickV

16 Aug 2025 at 16:12 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful walk, sometimes through a magnificent larch forest, sometimes through rhododendrons. One foot in Italy. No wind for us today, the sky clouded over around 2pm

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Faver

02 Sep 2024 at 01:10 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very well signposted route, no chance of getting lost!
We did it in beautiful weather, very pleasant and easy!
You can easily do the little "extensions" around the pass, which are not signposted!
Many hikers continue on to the Italian side and its refuge...
I didn't continue, as there was too much risk of storms in the evening on the Italian side.
Lots of edelweiss, yes, very nice
And of course we would love to see the refuges rebuilt...
Be careful on the way back, the path is quite wide but steep in a short section, so keep an eye on the younger ones!

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Domdt08

10 Sep 2023 at 20:00 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy walk.

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HBFAM

07 Aug 2023 at 09:29 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, easy walk. Very windy at the Lacroix pass. Edelweiss flowers at the top (be careful not to trample or pick them!). Beautiful view of the Italian side.

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frederic.seguy@wanadoo.fr

24 Jul 2023 at 10:10 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Pleasant hike, beautiful loop trail
Very windy at the Lacroix pass
The distance indicated in the guidebook is incorrect (2 km less than the GPS distance)

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duchastenier christiane

14 Nov 2022 at 18:26 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route in autumn. The climb takes you through a magnificent forest of larch trees, which are ablaze with colour at this time of year. The forest contains some very old (500-year-old) and twisted larch trees. It is protected and home to a wide variety of wildlife. When you leave the forest, you find yourself in a wide open landscape that leads to the Lacroix Pass, where an icy wind blows. Picnic in a sunny hollow sheltered from the wind. Easy descent through the wide open landscape until you reach a small forest at the end. Walk done with a family of eight, including a seven-year-old child

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bernardino

06 Sep 2022 at 14:47 7200 • Edited: 06 Sep 2022 at 14:48 7200

Hello. You are indeed correct; it is the waters of the pasta that, here and around Viso but on the Italian side, cause these thick clouds. There must also be some meteorological factors that contribute to amplifying this phenomenon.
As for the wind, it is indeed very common here.
Enjoy your future walks and thank you for your comment and your humour.

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RMD

05 Sep 2022 at 17:48 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Wind at the pass and Italy under the clouds. The locals say it comes from cooking spaghetti...

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IceMiou

27 Jun 2022 at 19:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route is easy to follow and the scenery is varied. For my part, there was quite a bit of wind at the pass and clouds quickly rolled in. At the end of June, there are still lots of flowers, creating magnificent yellow, blue and pink carpets.

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papinou38

22 Jun 2022 at 09:58 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

the second hike of our stay took place under bright sunshine and windy conditions, but this did not detract from the beauty of the landscape. We began by crossing a larch forest with remarkable trees, and upon exiting the forest, we were amazed by the abundance of rhododendron bushes, although unfortunately some were already at the end of their flowering period.
the return trip down the other side, passing by the ruins of the Napoleon refuge, was also very pleasant

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Virna

28 Feb 2022 at 14:36 3600

Thank you, Bernard, for your involvement.
it was probably the snow conditions that made the route very rough in the woods and even outside the woods. Given the good visibility, everything went well, but with snow and no clear tracks, it can be tricky, especially on slopes and when crossing rivers (which are invisible) or deep valleys. Thank you, it was wonderful anyway!

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bernardino

28 Feb 2022 at 14:24 3600

Hello and thank you for your comment. However, I note that you gave the route an average rating. This route dates from this summer and was mapped using a smartphone and then verified using the IGN map. Please let me know where you found the points that caused you problems so that I can make some changes if necessary. I also note your very timely comment about frost in the undergrowth. Indeed, at this time of year, this is often the case at these altitudes, and it is advisable to have crampons to hike safely. As for the wind, it is very present on this pass. This summer, we had to descend to the ruins of the Napoleon refuge for lunch because the wind was so strong.
However, we must remember your comment that this walk is splendid.
Have a good evening.

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Virna

28 Feb 2022 at 08:49 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The undergrowth was frozen, the pass was windy, but everything was very beautiful, even splendid.
quite easy for everyone.

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daubram05

30 Aug 2021 at 18:04 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At an altitude of 2,299 metres, the Lacroix Pass is one of the easiest routes to cross between the former province of Dauphiné and the rich Po Valley. But to reach it, there is no other option than to take the path that intrepid smugglers have trodden for centuries.

Sheltered by the old military building at the pass, we will observe them. (bionic eye of the videographer)

Video link
https://youtu.be/Ft6mVgZ8MiU

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