Rupt Fourchu Forest via the Vaxelaire Chalet

Walk in the forest with beautiful views. Option to take a pleasant break at the shelter.

Details

6406138
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.86 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 349 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 344 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,006 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 654 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Roadside car park, Chemin du Rupt du Moulin.

(S/E) Head south.

(1) Turn left onto Chemin du Grand Ventron: green cross markings. Reach Chemin de la Creuse and follow it to the left.

(2) Follow the green cross and green circle markings.

(3) At the intersection, turn left towards the red cross markings.

(4) Turn right onto the path towards Chalet Vaxelaire: marked with a red cross.

(5) At the chalet, turn left onto a long, wide path: red triangle markings. You will come to a crossroads.

(6) Turn left onto a small path with a steep start for a few metres: Green Triangle signposting. Once you reach the tarmac road, at a place called La Zimette, turn right.

(7) Turn left at the hairpin bend and follow the green triangle markings to Ventron.

(8) Turn left and keep left at the next junction. When you reach the lake, turn left onto the dead-end road.

(9) Before reaching the end, take the small path between the houses on the left: yellow circle markings. Join the tarmac road (Chemin des Gouttes Dessous) and follow it to the right until you reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 701 m - Dirt car park at the side of the road.
  2. 1 : km 0.43 - alt. 696 m - Chemin du Grand Ventron
  3. 2 : km 1.19 - alt. 773 m - Path on the left
  4. 3 : km 2.54 - alt. 837 m - Antenna
  5. 4 : km 3.54 - alt. 905 m - Wooden shed
  6. 5 : km 4.81 - alt. 1,006 m - Vaxelaire Chalet
  7. 6 : km 6.38 - alt. 939 m - Small path on the left
  8. 7 : km 7.33 - alt. 792 m - Left-hand hairpin bend
  9. 8 : km 8.61 - alt. 663 m - Crossroads
  10. 9 : km 9.13 - alt. 675 m - Dead end
  11. S/E : km 9.86 - alt. 701 m - Dirt car park at the side of the road.

Notes

Possibility to eat in the shelter (table and fire-making equipment).
No water sources along the route.
Wear sturdy footwear.

Route modified on 15/05/2021 at points (2) and (3) following Choun8's mishap (apologies).

Worth a visit

Shelter for picnics.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
tournoux
tournoux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Not too crowded, shame it rained

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>cath
>cath

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did it during the winter with snow. It was really fun. However, we obviously strayed off the route at some point, even though we had the triangles on the trees! Probably a GPS mystery. The paths were passable but not easy because they were slippery with snow and leaves.
We'll do it again. Many thanks to the team.

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lthirion
lthirion

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Apart from the section on the road (at the beginning for us), it is a very pleasant hike with beautiful views of Ventron and the surrounding area.
Be careful, however, on the short section at the end (or beginning, depending on the direction) which is quite challenging on a fairly steep slope and rocky scree.

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Els Beelen
Els Beelen
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, except for the last part, which was along tarmac roads between houses. Most of the hike was in the forest, which is now very beautiful with its autumn colours. The Vaxelaire refuge at the highest point was a perfect place for a picnic. Overall, the hike was fairly easy. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1xWayDxpTWPsZy...

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mschlott
mschlott

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Lovely walk. It's a shame that part of the second section is on a tarmac road.

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tom62470
tom62470

Thank you

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AOSrando18
AOSrando18

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. There is still a lot of snow in mid-March, but the trails are well marked and easy to follow.

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tom62470
tom62470
• Edited:

Hello. The paths taken are clearly marked on IGN maps. We didn't have to climb under any fences. Could you send me your GPS coordinates from the start of your hike?
I am sorry to hear about your misadventure.
I have just modified the route to avoid this area, which can be problematic at certain times of year.
Kind regards

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Choun8
Choun8

Overall rating : 1.5 / 5

Date of your route : May 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

Hello,
we have a problem with this route; it is impossible to reach point 3 without crossing barbed wire fences. We turned back to try to find another way, but we came across more fences.
As we had climbed a very steep slope, we decided to climb over the fence. Fortunately, it wasn't very high (waist height), but it wasn't ideal for getting the children over. Especially as we're not supposed to show them that you can do whatever you want with fenced-off land.
Finally arriving at point 3, we continued but came across another fence. The antenna area is off-limits (there's a sign on the gate of the small house at the entrance to the area, or rather at the exit in the direction of the hike). So once again, we climbed over... we had no choice now.
In the end, we decided to stop there and cut across to return via the forest road.
I checked the downloaded route and the instructions dozens of times, and we were definitely on the right track!

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