Crête de la Plane

The ascent of the Crête de la Plane offers superb views of the Pic de Bure and the whole of Dévoluy.
The first part of the hike, up to the Col de Rabou, follows theGRP® du Tour du Dévoluy, which is very well marked.
After Col de Rabou, the route is no longer marked and is off-trail. There are no particular difficulties as you follow the ridge. However, good visibility and the ability to navigate with a map and compass are required.

Details

835596
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.87 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 810 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 809 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,343 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,530 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the Cabane de l'Avalanche car park (1532m).

(S/E) From the car park, take a wide track (heading east) to quickly reach a crossroads.

(1) Leave the path that descends to the left (north-east) and continue on the main track that follows the GRP®. You will reach another intersection.

(2) Ignore the track that climbs to the right (south-west) towards the Chalet du Vallon d'Âne and continue straight on along the mainGRP® track. This track becomes a path at the Jas de Barges sheepfold (1677m). It then heads south-east and joins a trail in the Vallon des Bruyères.

(3) Continue opposite on theGRP® along the Souloise to reach the Col de Rabou (1,888 m).

(4) At the Col de Rabou, leave the marked route to climb the Crête de la Plane heading west. At the start, take the track that leads to the antennas, then turn left and climb the steep slope. Pass by the antennas, then walk along the ridge and join a crossroads shortly after the 2100m mark.

(5) Continue straight ahead to the highest point, reached at an altitude of 2340m: this is the end of the climb. From this point, there is a superb view of the Pic de Bure.
Throughout the climb up the ridge, there is a superb view of Le Dévoluy and the vertiginous slope down to the bottom of the Petit Buëch valley. No difficulty in good weather.

(6) Begin the return journey by following the ridge again to an altitude of 2,100 metres. Be careful not to leave the ridge and descend too quickly towards the north as there are significant cliffs.

(5) Leave the ascent route that follows the ridge and head first north-east, then, 100m lower down, due north, following the Barges cliff as your guide. There is no path, but the vegetation is low and progress is easy.

At an altitude of 1,800 metres, continue in the same direction (north), aiming for the sheepfold. Follow this direction and cross the uphill path just before the sheepfold.

(3) Turn left onto the route you took on the way up and follow the markedGRP® trail to the Cabane de l'Avalanche car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,533 m - Cabane de l'Avalanche car park
  2. 1 : km 0.8 - alt. 1,599 m - 1st intersection, straight ahead
  3. 2 : km 1.07 - alt. 1,612 m - 2nd intersection, straight ahead
  4. 3 : km 3.08 - alt. 1,738 m - Crossroads of the circular - Follow the > - Souloise (rivière)
  5. 4 : km 4.43 - alt. 1,889 m - Col de Rabou
  6. 5 : km 5.75 - alt. 2,177 m - Crossroads at altitude 2100
  7. 6 : km 6.49 - alt. 2,326 m - Summit of Crête de la Plane
  8. S/E : km 11.87 - alt. 1,534 m - Cabane de l'Avalanche car park

Notes

Only take the off-trail route in good visibility.
Map and compass required.

Reviews and comments

4.9 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
fabunen
fabunen

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A great walk with a beautiful view at the end, and thank you Gigi for the idea.

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ced07
ced07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The path to the Rabou Pass is well marked and fairly busy, but then, as noted in the description, there is no longer any trace of the trail and it is less busy, but there is a valuable tip: follow the ridge 😉.
The only negative thing is that we couldn't finish our hike because of a herd with three Patous that we got too close to... luckily we had listened carefully to the instructions in case of an encounter. Because when three Patous bark at you, it's better to know what to do😅.
This hike is best done in the morning (due to lack of shade.) with magnificent landscapes and views of the Pic de Bure, Le Devoluy, Le Champsaur...

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Sticot
Sticot
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The view from the ridge is magnificent. Thank you to the author for this discovery!
The hike is not technically difficult, but you need to watch out for sheepdogs near Jas de Barges.
Photos of the hike https://www.instagram.com/p/CEv1tx1A5D7/

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Mikaleak
Mikaleak

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent hike offering superb panoramic views of Le Devoluy

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DanielANDRE
DanielANDRE

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike that is neither too long nor too difficult
Stunning views of Dévoluy, Gapençais, Champsaur and the Ecrins massif

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Klodeko
Klodeko

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike beneath the cliffs of Bure. There was a little water in the stream on the way up to the Rabou Pass. The climb up to the ridges from the antennas was accompanied by marmots, ptarmigans and a chamois, with vultures flying overhead. On the way back, some patous forced us to keep our distance. They were doing their job and came into contact with our dogs without incident.
To avoid the forest road, which is rutted in places (Pra Grand), it is best to park at the Bure/IRAM cable car station on the edge of the D147 above L'Enclus and walk to the avalanche hut.
Thanks to the author of this hike.

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Coralie W
Coralie W

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with superb panoramic views!
In clear weather, orientation is not a problem. Nor is progressing along the ridges, except for the elevation gain. However, it should be noted that walking off-trail on this type of terrain is a little more tiring.
Some nice surprises: a chamois, a snow partridge and her chicks, marmots everywhere, vultures... and no one else on the ridges!
On the downside: two rather unfriendly Borders at the sheepfold. As we had dogs with us, the idea was to go around them on the way down. But we hadn't counted on a herd and two patous well hidden in a small valley, who did their job and chased us far away! No incidents, but spending some time with two Patous on our heels was not the best part of the hike ! That said, we were warned about this kind of encounter from the start, I just thought I would have enough visibility to bypass any herds from a long way off!
Thanks to the author!

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mapigap
mapigap

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant route with beautiful views and a slight breeze on the ridge, which is very welcome during this heatwave. The blueberries are excellent!

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