Fort du Saint-Eynard from the Col de Vence

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A classic hike from the Col de Vence to the Fort du Saint-Eynard.
The entire route follows theGR®9trail, with no difficulty in finding your way. Wide panoramic view from the summit.

Details

n°241078
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.84 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 614 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 605 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,330 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 771 m
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Photos

The Izon Cross
The Fort and the Isère Valley
Tunnel
Fort covered in snow

Description of the walk

Park in the large car park at the pass.

(S/E) Head north for about 100 metres along the road.

(1) Turn right onto theGR®9(white and red markings). Ignore the paths branching off to the left and right and follow the comfortable but steep trail. Along the way, there are some beautiful views of the Grenoble metropolitan area. After several hairpin bends, you will reach the fort walls.

(2) Continue up the stairs to climb the walls, then descend to go around the fort and reach the entrance.

(3) Walk down the road for a few dozen metres.

(4) Take a gallery that leads to the site of the old batteries.

(5) Return to the fort entrance by going behind the embankment.

(3) Follow the same route back down to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 771 m - Car park - Col de Vence (Isère)
  2. 1 : km 0.13 - alt. 780 m - Start of the trail
  3. 2 : km 2.7 - alt. 1,323 m - Base of the walls
  4. 3 : km 3.06 - alt. 1,321 m - Entrance to the fort
  5. 4 : km 3.18 - alt. 1,300 m - Gallery
  6. 5 : km 3.39 - alt. 1,271 m - Batteries
  7. S/E : km 6.84 - alt. 771 m - Col de Vence car park

Notes

The fort is also accessible by road.

Worth a visit

The fort is open to visitors from 1 May to All Saints' Day.
Restaurant inside.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 20 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Jeffrey38
Jeffrey38
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike without technical or route difficulties.
Beautiful views from the fort and the ridge.
Take the opportunity to make a short detour to the Izon cross.

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tortuetortue
tortuetortue

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There is a car park at the start of the walk.
No difficulty reaching the start of the trail. The path is well marked, sheltered from the sun under trees, all the way to the fort.
We didn't visit the fort as we chose to go on a day when it was closed. 😌.
There were beautiful views all along the way. The effort to get there was well worth it. An incredible view of Grenoble and its surroundings.

Thank you very much for sharing.

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User 27320774

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy route to follow. Beautiful view at the top near the fort.
The fort is open and offers food, but it only opens at noon.
As a novice hiker, I completed the climb in 1.5 hours, completely shaded by trees.

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Mel38140
Mel38140

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 01, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

first time for us, but very good! Well signposted and magnificent views from the top!
We'll be back!

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FlickaPatsy
FlickaPatsy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful and enjoyable hike offering views overlooking Grenoble and superb panoramas, particularly from Fort Saint Eynard.
You can continue this hike by following the ridges (magnificent panoramic views of the surrounding mountains) north-east until the path begins to descend. At this point, you have two options: either turn back, or descend towards Le Sapey and climb back up to the fort via Bordelières and Pillonnières (an additional 250 m of elevation gain).
When descending from the fort towards the car park, you can also take a small path on the left after the fifth hairpin bend (marked with two crossed-out crosses). It passes under the cliff and leads to an ancient hermitage (the hermitage of Saint Eynard-Fayssia from the 6th and 7th centuries), then disappears into the rocks, where you have to turn back because a prefectural decree prohibits continuing for safety reasons (the original cables have been dismantled and the trail is no longer visible) --> 3 or 4 km further and an additional 150 m of elevation gain).

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SEDERONNAI
SEDERONNAI
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very interesting walk. I am discovering this area and this choice perfectly matched our expectations (two amazed Parisians). The weather was superb. We climbed in 1 hour 20 minutes and descended in 45 minutes, which is the only difference from the description, but that's normal.

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jc.chiari
jc.chiari

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike with splendid views of Grenoble and the surrounding mountains.
When you get close to the fort, there's a path on the left that heads north, marked with the GR exit cross, which leads to a really beautiful viewpoint: 360° views of the Chartreuse, Vercors and Belledonne mountains.
After arriving at the fort, the continuation of the St Eynard ridge is charming, with views of the Isère valley and the gas plant above Corenc and Montbonnot... A must-see!

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Gast38
Gast38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful walk, wide path, generally easy.
Very crowded.
It's a shame the fort is closed due to Covid!

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Kristin Koleva
Kristin Koleva

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The course was very enjoyable and doable! I loved it.

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Wingardium
Wingardium

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 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 : Yes

Today's hike took place in very favourable weather conditions: beautiful sunshine and clear skies offering fantastic views from the Vercors to Mont Blanc, via Jocou (Diois), Obiou (Dévoluy), Taillefer and Belledonne...
Admittedly, the climb is steady on a constant slope, but the reward is at the end!
The return (descent) seemed endless!

Once I reached the fort, I extended this hike with another one along the ridge trail to reach the summit at 1,371 metres for a beautiful view of Mont Blanc and Dent de Crolles

Another suggestion: from the top of the stairs (point (2)), take the path on the left (on the way up) for about a hundred metres to the Croix de l'Izon. There is no cross, but there is a beautiful view of Le Sappey and Chamechaude.

There were a lot of people there on this Thursday outside of the holidays and during lockdown (10km): 6-7 cars in the car park when I arrived in the morning, and around 50 when I returned at 3pm!

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Bauchery C.
Bauchery C.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike among the daffodils!

The climb is quite steep, and it took us 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach the gate of Fort Saint-Eynard, which was unfortunately closed. The trail is very well marked on site (yellow).

Thank you and have a nice day.

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nicouber38
nicouber38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The hike is quicker than the time indicated because the climb is gradual.
Very wet weather, so muddy conditions. No view due to fog, but a very beautiful walk!
It's a shame that the fort's restaurant is closed on weekdays at the start of autumn!

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Pauline.Arteaga
Pauline.Arteaga

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Climb through the woods with superb views of Grenoble and then Belledonne.

Please note that the hike is much quicker than described: it took us 1 hour to climb without being particularly fit, so the round trip will definitely take less than 4 hours.

A hike not to be missed!

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Astrid3842
Astrid3842

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The climb takes place in the woods, with occasional clearings offering views of Grenoble. In March, the second part of the climb was snowy and muddy, so be careful not to slip.
It's a steady climb up to the fort, so walking poles are recommended.

The view from the fort is exceptional!

The hike can continue after the fort along a ridge trail leading to Sappey en Chartreuse.

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opale
opale

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful, steady climb through the woods, with a few viewpoints.
At the summit, there is a magnificent panorama of Grenoble and its suburbs, the Belledonne mountain range, the Chartreuse...
the fort is well worth a visit.
For those coming from Savoie, like us, the return journey (by car) is very pleasant
via the Sappey resort, the Col de Porte, St Pierre de Chartreuse and the Entremont valley.

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