Discover the Glandasse massif from Châtillon-en-Diois via the GR® 91

A beautiful hike that takes you to the southern tip of the Vercors plateau and its vast mountain pastures. The end of the route offers superb panoramic views of the Diois and the Cirque d'Archiane.

Details

479040
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.58 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,268 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,259 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,786 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 570 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure: In front of the Châtillon-en-Diois Tourist Office.

The route never leaves theGR®91trail (red and white markings).

(S/E) Take the departmental road on the left (D539) for about 20 metres, then turn right onto Rue Neuve. Continue straight on along Rue du Tricot. The houses become less dense.

(1) Shortly after the end of the built-up area (houses close together), take the street on the right, which quickly turns into a path heading generally north.

(2) At the crossroads, take the path on the left until you reach a junction with another path.

(3) Ignore the path that branches off to the left and continue straight ahead. After about 100 metres, ignore the path that turns right. Continue straight ahead at the next junction (ignore the path on the right). You will come to a Y-junction.

(4) Take the path on the right until you reach the next junction.

(5) At the junction, take the left-hand path until you reach another Y-junction.

(6) Take the path on the right. Continue straight ahead, ignoring two paths that come in from the right. You will come to a Y-junction.

(7) Take the path on the right. Cross the forest track and continue straight ahead, ignoring a path that branches off to the left further on. Continue in a general north then south-east direction.

(8) At the last bend before reaching the plateau, a small path leads to the Baume Rousse spring (water source). If you do not need to refill your water bottles, continue along the main path.
Once on the plateau, follow the path (marked by small stones lined up in a row, some of which bear the red and whiteGR® markings) to the hut.
Feel free to walk a little way from the hut (about 50 metres) to see the view over the Cirque d'Archiane.

(9) Return by the same route to the Châtillon-en-Diois Tourist Office (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 570 m - Tourist Office
  2. 1 : km 0.31 - alt. 600 m - Street on the right
  3. 2 : km 0.87 - alt. 690 m - Crossroads
  4. 3 : km 1.32 - alt. 731 m - Trail junction, straight ahead
  5. 4 : km 1.77 - alt. 804 m - Y-junction
  6. 5 : km 1.9 - alt. 836 m - Crossroads
  7. 6 : km 2.52 - alt. 970 m - Y-junction
  8. 7 : km 3.04 - alt. 1,084 m - Y-junction
  9. 8 : km 5.55 - alt. 1,743 m - Access to a water source (Baume Rousse spring) - Source de Baume Rousse
  10. 9 : km 6.29 - alt. 1,763 m - Cabane de Châtillon
  11. S/E : km 12.58 - alt. 570 m - Tourist Office

Notes

(8) Access to the Baume Rousse water source (walk about 100 metres)

Worth a visit

(1) The medieval village of Châtillon-en-Diois.
(9) The Vercors plateau and its panoramic views.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
lolovad
lolovad

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike when I was a teenager, and 50 years later it seemed a little more difficult 😅 but it was still just as enjoyable and amazing when I reached the plateau 🤩
I recommend good shoes and walking sticks.
Châtillon en Diois is a beautiful village and very quiet outside of school holidays 🥰
A big thank you to LaDivia for this hike.

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degavroche
degavroche

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 07, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The GR trail is easy to follow. At the summit, the views of Archiane are magnificent.

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Despite the uncertain weather, I motivated myself for this beautiful, long hike.
I set off from Châtillon-en-Diois at around 10:30 a.m.
At 1,600 metres, it was snowing and the Glandasse was shrouded in mist.
I wondered whether to continue, but a hiker I met at the campsite where I was staying in Chichilianne told me that it would clear up in the early afternoon.
It took me 2 hours and 45 minutes to reach the Cabane de Châtillon, where I stopped for a break and something to eat.
I had set out to reach the summit of the Dôme du Glandasse, but a hiker I met at the start of the climb told me there was nearly 30 cm of fresh snow. So I stayed on the GR 91, where I walked for about an hour to the Hauts-Plateaux du Vercors. I walked through the snow for a while, but without sinking in.
The sky cleared and the sun came out. The views from the GR 91 were truly magnificent.
I returned to my car at 5:15 p.m.
20 km and nearly 1,500 metres of elevation gain.
I'm now thinking of climbing the Dôme du Glandasse soon from the Abbey of Valcroissant, near Die.

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Bridges 07
Bridges 07

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent panorama. Well-marked trail. We didn't go to the dome because it was too hot, but we'll definitely go back.

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luludu07
luludu07

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike, well worth the detour!
You'll see vultures and ibexes along the way.
The difficulty of this hike lies in the length of the climb.
Excellent description, no complaints.
It took us 6 hours to complete this hike.

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franck0773
franck0773

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed on 15 October 2017 with Indian summer weather and beautiful autumn colours!
The second part of the climb is quite steep, so you have to take your time, but the tranquillity of the place, the silence and the autumn colours all along the climb make you (almost) forget the difficulty.

But once you reach the plateau, the scenery is breathtaking! The view of the Cirque d'Archiane is simply magnificent, with views of Grand Veymont and Mont Aiguille.
We didn't go all the way to Pié Ferré "le Dôme", but that will be for next time.

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r1col
r1col

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Very beautiful hike.
Completed in 6 hours.
The difficulty rating is accurate.
The last part is quite tough.
But it's definitely worth it.

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