From the Pas de la Rousse to the Col de Belles Ombres via the Croix de l'Alpe

Start from Pré Orcel, car park at the end of a forest road leading from the hamlet of Les Prés in Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, on the Petites Roches plateau overlooking the Grésivaudan Valley.

(S/E) From the car park, head up towards the fountain and take the Sentier des Gardes on the left, heading south. Follow this level path through the forest for almost half an hour.

(1) At the first scree slope as you emerge from the forest (cairn), turn right, heading due west, onto the steep climb towards La Rousse, following the path that runs more or less straight through the scree and is marked with blue dots. It reaches the foot of the cliff, goes round it to the left and climbs up to the clearly visible Trou de la Rousse.

After visiting the cave, return to the path crossing westwards to tackle the escarpments and slabs rising towards the Pas de la Rousse.

This climb up a steep slope is the most challenging part of the route; the blue dots help you find the right passages: a few exposed steps and two rockier sections where you’ll need to use your hands to climb, first a short chimney in the middle of the slope, then a more stair-like section leading out onto the ridge.

(2) The ridge is now gentle: take one of the paths on the left, following either the ridge line or the western flank, to cross the area known as the ‘Pins Brûlés’ (marks of a fire during a heatwave) up to an altitude of 1,830m.

(3) From this summit with its unobstructed view, retrace your steps to the Pas de la Rousse.

(2) Continue north-east along the path, which makes a wide circular loop to the right behind La Rousse and descends to join the ridge above La Charmille.

(4) Upon crossing a rocky pass, avoid descending left towards the Vallon de Pratcel and climb a few metres to switch to the western slope without losing altitude, in order to minimise the climb through the mountain pastures to the Col de l'Alpe (border marker).

Turn left and climb towards the Croix de l'Alpe.

(5) After enjoying the views over the plateau and the surrounding mountains, head north-east towards Belles Ombres: rather than following the main track in the hollow of a valley, follow the paths that climb along the cliff edge to the grassy peaks overlooking the Grésivaudan. They then descend northwards to reach the Col de Belles Ombres.

(6) Descend from the pass eastwards via switchbacks hugging the terrain until you reach the junction with the track coming directly from the Col de l'Alpe.

(7) Turn left and descend to the Cabane de l'Allier, where you must turn right onto a path leading back to Pré Orcel (S/E).

The ‘difficult’ rating relates solely to the ascent of the Pas de la Rousse between (1) and (2); otherwise, the hike would be easy to moderate as the rest of the route follows well-marked paths or tracks.

Bring a head torch and possibly a helmet if you plan to pass through the Trou de la Rousse.

This circular route can be tackled over a wide season as the eastern slope clears of snow fairly quickly and the snow remaining on the ridge does not generally prevent safe passage.

Avoid climbing the Pas de la Rousse if there is still snow on the eastern face or immediately after rain,

The view of the Alps stretches along the entire ridge, from (2) to (6), particularly from the 1,830m summit (3).

The Trou de la Rousse is easily accessible: it was inhabited in prehistoric times and has been the subject of fruitful excavations. You can explore up to three chambers by heading left on a gentle ascent (there is a brief low point to crawl through on all fours). Beyond that, the vertical shafts are best left to specialists.

If you have a little time, it is worth extending the route further north into the Belles Ombres sector, either via the ridge path or via the slings on the east face (more difficult). See the relevant guidebooks on this website.