Nan Gorges - Gerlette Waterfall

Pretty steep-sided gorge through which the Nan torrent flows. You can take a dip in the torrent in summer. A wooded trail that is lovely to stroll along.
This hike can be split into two parts. In summer, only the gorges are interesting, as the Gerlette waterfall may be dry. Best done in spring when the waters are flowing freely.

Details

n°132082

Creation:
07 Jul 2015

Last update:
–

Last review:
06 Mar 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 11.77 km
Average duration: 5h 40
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 809 m
Descent: - 804 m
Highest point: 939 m
Lowest point: 282 m

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Vercors, Dauphiné
District: Cognin-les-Gorges (38470)
Start/End: N 45.169298° / E 5.413183°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3134SB, 3235OT
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Description of the walk

Parking
There are several parking options in Cognin-Les-Gorges:
- Parking on the main road
- Small car park near the post office on Place de la Fontaine
- Small car park on the road to the old church at the foot of the mill (my itinerary starts from this car park)

The Nant Gorges
(S/E) From the car park, head towards the old church and take the street on your right. After a short while, the street turns into a wide path that follows the Nan. Feel free to leave the path to get closer to the stream, as this will allow you to explore it better. After a while, the path turns into a trail that you simply follow. The only tricky section is equipped with footbridges and a handrail.

(1) When you reach a fork, you can return to the Nan by taking a short detour to the right. Back on the trail, turn right. The trail will continue to climb and eventually join a small road. Follow it to the right until you reach the mill.

(2) The Moulin marks the end of the gorges. You can either continue towards the Gerlette waterfall or start the return journey along the same route (it is also possible to return by road, but this is not detailed here).

The Gerlette waterfall
(2) To continue towards the Gerlette waterfall (may be dry in summer), at the intersection, leave the road to Malleval on your right and take the dead-end road opposite. At the first hairpin bend, take the small path between the track and the road. This path joins the road a little further on. After the hairpin bend on the left, take the dirt track that branches off completely to the right. Continue to a left-hand bend.
About 250m after the junction, take the small path that branches off to the right towards Malleval, the start of which is not very visible. Follow this path to a small bridge.

(3) From there, a path branches off to the left and climbs up the Gerlette to the waterfall.

(4) Continue along the path, which has a few fords, to reach the bottom of the cirque.

(5) Begin the return journey along the same route to the car park (S/E).

To return, follow the same route.

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 283 m - Cognin car park (optional)
1 : km 1.83 - alt. 574 m - Access to Le Nan
2 : km 3.13 - alt. 674 m - The Mill
3 : km 4.85 - alt. 843 m - Crossroads with waterfall
4 : km 5.36 - alt. 793 m - Gerlette waterfall
5 : km 5.98 - alt. 925 m - Bottom of the cirque
S/E : km 11.77 - alt. 283 m - Cognin car park (optional)

Notes

There are a few fords to cross to reach the Gerlette waterfall.

Worth a visit

The old village of Cognin-les-Gorges is typical of villages in the Dauphiné region.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5

Based on 46 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5

Route interest
4.7 / 5

TrisranVDB

06 Mar 2026 at 19:36 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike without being extraordinary, broadly divided into three parts:
- the lower part of the Nan Gorges, very pleasant with regular access to the stream;
- the junction between Nan and Gerlette, between points 1 and 4, not particularly interesting, especially the two sections of road;
- the ascent of the Gerlette, wild and superb.

In summer, there's clearly no point in going beyond point 1.

The path (along the Nan) is theoretically prohibited by municipal decree, but it has been well maintained as I didn't notice any signs of rockfall. In my opinion, there is nothing to prevent you from using the path today, but you should be aware that you are sometimes under cliffs and that rocks may fall (which is normal).

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rando38150

15 Nov 2025 at 13:44 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I checked out the route and, as I said, everything is fine according to the person who mapped it out. One small issue: on the day I checked it out, the route was closed on the advice of the local council. Apparently, there had been a landslide near the handrails. We met someone from the council who reminded me of this; he was maintaining the route. Despite this, we continued to the waterfall, taking precautions. Everything went well. I hope that everything will be back to normal in the coming days. A beautiful hike in this autumn season.

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Luna Gaia

07 Jul 2025 at 10:18 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Three quarters of this hike takes place in woodland and more than a quarter along the Nan river, so even in hot weather it is pleasant. However, be careful as there is quite a significant elevation gain and if it has rained the day before or in the previous days, it can be slippery.

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Tbo

04 Jul 2025 at 16:00 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this tour on 4 July 2025 with my 14-year-old daughter. We left at 9:30 a.m. and returned at 2:30 p.m. That makes it a 3-hour ride.

It was hot, but most of the walk is covered, which is nice

The scenery is stunning and the GPX track is easy to follow. Swimming in the icy water at the end is invigorating

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DRUG38

07 Jun 2025 at 09:03 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did a loop from the waterfall, heading to Malleval and then back down to Cognin.

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JAJOU

06 May 2024 at 01:29 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful site. Beautiful gorges and view of the Isère valley

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anais10anais

30 Apr 2024 at 21:16 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Tested with our children aged 6 and 12, but only the first part. Superb! And deserted at this time of year.

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sempervivum

30 Apr 2024 at 21:15 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2024
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

The hike through the gorges to the waterfall is superb, with a magical atmosphere created by the moss-covered trees along the stream. Ideally, this hike should be done in spring when the water flow is good, and in the morning when the light is best. When the snow melts or after heavy rain, the ground is slippery at the end of the trail with four fords to cross, so walking sticks were very helpful. There is an alternative route on the way back via Les Belles and Le Chapeau de Napoléon, but it is not particularly interesting. I didn't see a single hiker on this route, which took me six hours using GPS tracking

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Deuxpattes

18 Mar 2024 at 11:14 3600

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike starting from the village of Cognin-les-Gorges and continuing through the gorges carved out by the Nan River with its many waterfalls. It was a constant source of wonder.
There was some tarmac, but not that much in the end, and we were so absorbed by the landscape that we didn't even notice it. What's more, there was very little traffic.

Many thanks for this post!

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nulle

02 Oct 2023 at 11:08 7200 • Edited: 02 Oct 2023 at 23:47 7200

Hello

Visorando does not have the Gorges du Nan walk, returning via the Buddhist monastery of Montchardon. That's a shame. I subscribed for that and now I'm paying for nothing

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CHRISBAR

25 Sep 2023 at 16:01 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, no difficulty, I only did the first part in the gorges, which was really nice 👍👍👍

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CHRISBAR

25 Sep 2023 at 15:59 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Beautiful hike, no difficulty 👍👍👍

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delph26

19 Sep 2023 at 13:34 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Took 5 hours and 15 minutes with a picnic and a detour to the river. With two 10-year-olds and a teenager, no problems.
The first part up to the mill was very pretty

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Rémy S

27 Nov 2022 at 11:34 3600

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

GPX 5/5
Scenery 5/5 at the start, but the further you go, the less interesting it becomes, 3/5 at the end.
Difficulty: none in summer, so 5/5; in autumn, 1/5. Some sections, especially after the falls, become tricky.

After that... I don't like the sections on tarmac at all. And I like the return sections even less. So, it's a shame that it's not a loop that goes through the fields at the end.
But it's still okay.

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Hibiscussafi

22 Aug 2022 at 15:25 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

MISSING SIGNS towards the top of the circuit, we had to feel our way

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Author

polo38
20 Walks

Visorando member

District: Vienne (38200)

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