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Departure from the car park above Lac des Plagnes, at the end of the road from Abondance.
Signposts at important locations (always follow the direction "Chalets d'Ardens" until you reach the point (3)). There are also a few signposts with yellow arrows.
(S) From the car park, follow the mountain track heading south. At a fork, continue along the track on the right, which starts off flat and then climbs gently.
(1) At Cubourré, cross the stream, pass the chalet on your right and go around a wetland (an old filled-in lake) on the right. Pass a few large boulders. At a fork, continue on the mountain pasture track to the right and climb up a valley dotted with boulders. Stay on the mountain pasture track, which winds around a few bends (ignore the steep shortcut on the right marked in purple on the IGN map).
(2) Shortly after a hairpin bend on the left, leave the track and turn sharply right onto a path that starts crossing to the south-west. Then climb in regular hairpin bends and rejoin the mountain pasture track. Follow the track to the right and, after a steep climb and a few final hairpin bends, you will reach the Chalets d'Ardens.
(3) Head north-west towards Lac de Tavaneuse (signposted). Climb above the chalets on a well-marked path and you will soon reach a small pass (not named on the map) which leads to a cirque with, on the left, an area of scree coming from Pointe d'Entre Deux Pertuis.
(4) The pass you will then reach is not very visible, to the north-west, on the ridge that descends from Pointe d'Ardens (whose secondary summit stands out to the north), but the switchbacks that lead to it are clearly visible from there. From the small pass, follow the well-marked path opposite, which descends slightly and passes below and to the left of some boulders. Head north-west, keeping to the right and above the bottom of the cirque. Turn to head south-west, then make two hairpin bends, one to the right and one to the left, to reach the Col d'Ardens (not named on the IGN map).
(5) Continue southwest, then head west across the scree. Climb up to reach an unnamed pass.
(6) Continue southwest and descend in hairpin bends to the clearly visible Lac de Tavaneuse. Go around the lake on the right and cross the stream that flows out of it.
(7) Keeping the stream on your right, head north towards Prétairié. Pass the Chalets de Tavaneuse (in ruins). Begin the descent and pass close to a waterfall. Descend steeply in hairpin bends to a fork (sign).
(8) The path on the right is very steep (shortcut) and mostly runs through scrubland: take the pleasant, open path on the left, which heads north-west.
(9) At the trail junction, turn right (east-northeast) and pass under the Chalets des Serranants. On an alpine trail, descend more steeply and, after a hairpin bend to the right, you will find the end of the shortcut you ignored earlier.
(10) Continue descending along the mountain track to the Prétairié car park, the end point of the hike (E).
Very beautiful hike, very few people from Lac des Plagnes but lots of people from the other side (from La Prétairié). I didn't go down to La Prétairié but climbed up to the pass and Roc de Taverneuseuse (1 hour 10 minutes from the lake, one way), but it's worth the trip for the 360° view (Les Dents du Midi, Les Blanches, Mont Blanc, etc.). Impressive.
Visorando member
Easy 
Moderate 
Very difficult 
