Crête de la Pendine via the Col du Bal

Hike to a rocky ridge that separates the Fournel valley from the Combe de Narreyroux, leading to a magnificent viewpoint overlooking the Écrins, Queyras, Haute Ubaye and Italy.

Details

334501
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 922 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 920 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,745 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,851 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access: From Vallouise, take the D994E towards L'Argentière-la-Bessée for 800 metres, then turn right towards Puy-Saint-Vincent.
At the hamlet of Grand Champ, turn right onto the D804 towards the 1600 resort for 1.3km.
Take the small road on the right, which turns into a track towards Narreyroux.
Drive past the hamlet and park in the car park near the wooden enclosure.

(S/E) From the car park, take the footbridge to cross the stream, then turn right and walk up the Combe de Narreyroux.

(1) Pass the first crossroads. The path on the left will be used for the return journey.
The path climbs steeply, crossing a series of stone steps.
You will see the waterfall on your right.

(2) At the next junction, take the path on the right to visit the waterfall and return.
You will reach it quickly via a short but steep climb.

(2) Take the path on the right.
It climbs through a larch forest and then leads to a crossroads.

(3) Continue uphill without changing direction to the left of the sign. A little further on, you will come out of the woods and reach a
"flat area". The path turns right, continue for a few metres and you will reach a clearly visible cairn.

(4) Take the path on the left, which is not very visible at first (the direction of the pass is engraved on a stone in the cairn).
The path on the right does not appear on the map.
Continue by climbing across the blueberry bushes, followed by a winding climb to reach the Col du Bal.

(5) Take the yellow-marked trail on the left towards the east, which leads to the Crête de la Pendine.
This path is well marked and equipped with cables and steps, but crosses some exposed sections that require caution.
After this ridge section, you will reach the summit of La Pendine, marked by a cairn.

(6) Begin your return journey eastwards, then rejoin the track that winds downhill and passes under the Pendine chairlift.
After a good descent punctuated by short climbs, leave the track on the left and head down to the blue Sitelles ski track sign.
At the end of the trail, join the ski lift on the right, then bear left to pass under the Lauzes chairlift and above its lower station.

(7) Pass under the snow cannon to take the northbound trail down to the hamlet of Narreyroux.
The trail descends gently across the forest and joins a crossroads of trails.

(8) At the sign, turn left towards the Narreyroux waterfall.
After another descent down the hillside, you will rejoin the path you took on the way up.

(1) Turn right and descend via the same route as on the way up to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,851 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.39 - alt. 1,890 m - Marked trail junction
  3. 2 : km 1.06 - alt. 2,006 m - Unmarked trail junction
  4. 3 : km 1.88 - alt. 2,168 m - Marked trail junction
  5. 4 : km 2.08 - alt. 2,206 m - Trail junction marked by a cairn
  6. 5 : km 3.25 - alt. 2,601 m - Col du Bal
  7. 6 : km 4.3 - alt. 2,745 m - Summit of La Pendine
  8. 7 : km 7.23 - alt. 2,081 m - Start of the Narreyroux trail
  9. 8 : km 7.97 - alt. 2,031 m - Marked trail junction
  10. S/E : km 9.76 - alt. 1,851 m - Car park

Notes

I have made a video with the names of the peaks, which describes the atmosphere and shows the route. You will see a short aerial passage just after the Col du Bal, which requires you to proceed slowly, as well as the cable passages.

The duration indicated by the software is based on a pace of 350m of elevation gain per hour.
Please recalculate according to your own pace, elevation gain and distance.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Britanicus100
Britanicus100

Thank you for this additional information.

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Phil72
Phil72

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you for all the information and the video.
A beautiful hike, which is best done in an anti-clockwise direction.
The few tricky sections after the Bal Pass are well equipped with cables and steps.
At the viewpoint overlooking the waterfall, to avoid retracing your steps, there is a challenging path that takes you back to the path further upstream, but
be careful, as this new path is very steep, with high steps, among other things.

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NonoD37
NonoD37

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did a round trip from Narreyroux to Col du Bal, Crête de la Pendine, Col du Bal and back to Narreyroux. Beautiful views of the Écrins peaks. Some sections are equipped with cables and steps (useful especially in wet weather, otherwise you can manage without). A lovely walk in the fresh air.

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boubbou.com
boubbou.com
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

once you reach the top of the pass, you may wonder where to go next on this ridge! Don't worry, the trail is very well marked and signposted, with a few more challenging sections secured by cables. We do not recommend taking the ridge trail on the way down as we consider it more dangerous
exceptional panoramic view of many recognisable mountains
the forest trail at the end of the hike is magical, but it's a shame about the less interesting 4x4 track that descends from the peak
oh, and remember to bring empty boxes for the blueberries you'll find on the way down!

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

I did this hike last year in August, and the path back down to the Puy Saint-Vincent resort is not at all difficult to find! Quite the contrary!
You can do a sort of big circular, part of which is through the forest.
Personally, I really liked this route, which allows you to do this hike from Puy Saint-Vincent without having to use a vehicle.

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c.kesteloot
c.kesteloot

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
I had already done this route two years ago without Visorando.
When I did it again this year, I wanted to use the Visorando app, but it was blocked.
If I do it again, I will make a round trip because the descent to Puy Saint Vincent is tedious (it's a ski resort) and it's difficult to find the path.
The climb up the Col du Bal to the top of the Crête de la Pendine is magnificent.

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Didier.RAID3D
Didier.RAID3D

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful route,
Splendid scenery at the pass after a manageable climb. Lots of marmots along the route, which are not shy. My dog didn't scare them all away.
The aerial passage is easy if you're used to it (I'm in the Calanques all year round).
The descent via the resort on the ski slopes is pleasant and the return through the forest is very enjoyable.
Not many people for a Saturday.
I'm not interested in altitude problems, I go out to get some fresh air, forget about work and the stress that goes with it, and walk the dog.
I'll do it again.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100

Yes, I understand.
It's true that earlier this afternoon it wasn't possible to plot a route on the map using the software, but it was possible using the app. Now it's possible again. The problem may be related.
It may be the recording function that caused this problem related to the bug you just reported to me.
Sometimes I follow a route without clicking on 'start'. In this case, the route is not recorded, but navigation works fine.
I have contacted a moderator. We should have an answer soon.
Personally, I am very happy with it, and all the users I have met on my hikes (as many of them use Visorando) are also very satisfied with it.

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grandin
grandin ★

c.kesteloot

Please post your question on the forum
https://www.visorando.com/forum-randonne...

The moderators are not the best people to help you; you should ask the team's technicians, and you can do so on the forum.

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c.kesteloot
c.kesteloot

Visorando isn't working on my smartphone, but luckily I knew the route because I took a group there that day without a guide!

I reported it to Visorando, and they told me that they had indeed found a bug. In the meantime, I have no way of discovering new hikes that I don't already know!
I've been using Visorando for about two years, with a subscription to IGN maps, and I've never had this problem before. It's not my smartphone's fault; it's fully charged. The app crashes on my smartphone shortly after I set off, I can't close it, and in the end, it turns out that the hike has been recorded! But I don't know if I'm on the right track or not!

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100

How is this possible? Because the app works like a GPS with satellites, once you have downloaded the map, of course. It is a good idea to download the map for the whole of France once and for all, so that you don't have to do this every time you go out.
Then you just need to save the routes you want to take in your favourites. Once you've selected your route, the map and position cursor (via satellites) are displayed on the screen.

A smartphone failure, like a GPS failure, is still possible. For this reason, I have also downloaded the app onto my wife's smartphone just in case, but again, I would be surprised if the app failed in the field.

We will ask a moderator to find out if this is possible and under what conditions.
If this is possible, it would call into question the reliability of the Visorando app, which is serious.
I advise you to contact Visorando about the problem you encountered.
I will contact a moderator immediately.
PS Of course, when you know a route, under normal conditions you don't need anything else unless you get caught in a storm or fog (in which case you still need a compass and a map).

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c.kesteloot
c.kesteloot

Visorando isn't working on my smartphone, but luckily I knew the route because I took a group there that day, without a guide!

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100
• Edited:

When I wrote this guide, there were several small cable passages very close together that had to be connected.
As for the sign, I'm not going to tell you that it wouldn't be a good idea, provided that it's possible. Obviously, the more information it provides, the better.

You can contact the signposting organisation about this.https://www.arbb05.fr/
I also prefer hiking off the beaten track.

You are undoubtedly very skilled, so you don't need a map, just the description.

However, this is not the case for everyone.

Like you, I started out using descriptions to plan my routes, but when I got lost, I immediately resorted to an IGN map and a compass.
I started using GPS to create topos in order to record certain off-trail sections of the route, but also to save time in orientation, and this has certainly helped me avoid getting lost.
With a little practice, it takes me less time to glance at the screen than to take out the IGN map or read the description.
In a second, I can see my position in relation to the route on the IGN map I downloaded beforehand. This has allowed me to complete a number of routes without any orientation issues.
I now use a smartphone connected to an external battery with the Visorando app, which is really great.
The screen is larger than on my Garmin GPS and I no longer need to point the device north to see which direction to take at intersections.

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JODIDO
JODIDO

I didn't mention your description, but perhaps a sign at Col du Bal mentioning the aerial passages would be welcome. There is only one passage with a cable, if I'm not mistaken.
As for altitude, I hike without a GPS or tracking on my phone, and most of the time without maps as well. I just print out the descriptions of the hikes from Visorando or other websites. I refuse to pollute my mind with technology when I'm in the mountains. I consult Google and when I see that several sites give the same altitude, that's the one I use. Often, on the hikes suggested by Visorando, there are errors in the altitudes and elevation gains. I have been hiking (without poles!) since 1979, so I have some experience of the mountains, even though, of course, I have got lost several times and overcome a few major difficulties... But I don't care, I have always managed to get out of it myself, without the help of a GPS or a track on a mobile phone.
Everyone hikes as they wish, but I must admit that the sound of poles echoing on the trails annoys me to no end... I hike to enjoy the peace and quiet, the solitude and the communion with magnificent landscapes!
I avoid overly crowded hikes as much as possible, and of the five I've just done in the Écrins Massif, only the one including Dormillouse and the Palluel and Faravel lakes was somewhat crowded.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100

Thank you for correcting the altitude.

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