Griffes de l’Ours circular loop and Belles Ombres trails

Warning: the classic hike to the Griffes de l’Ours is traditionally completed by retracing one’s steps from the Griffes (3), along a path that would only warrant a ‘Difficult’ rating if one were not going any further. Our circular route climbs up (6) to the Sangle de Belles Ombres, which justifies a ‘Very Difficult’ rating (very steep clay slope). The section onto the ridge above (9) raises the rating to ‘Extremely Difficult’. See the nearby variants for alternatives of varying levels of difficulty, as you prefer.

(S/E) From the car park, take the yellow-marked path which climbs northwards (signpost indicating the path and the Alpe cross). This path quickly emerges from the fir trees and, after three hairpin bends, joins a wide track at the Cabane de l’Allier, which will serve as a landmark on the return journey. Turn left onto this track and head south-south-west along a gentle slope for about 600 metres.

(1) In a small valley, a small cairn marks the start of the Col des Belles Ombres path (the main path heads under a rocky overhang at the exit of this valley; turn back if you have gone that far). Climb this steep path, which begins with a few hairpin bends and heads generally west-north-west.

(2) When the path veers further north, a spruce tree (see visual landmarks) marks the spot where you leave the Col de Belles Ombres path to take the lower traverse northwards towards the Griffes de l’Ours.

Continue north-north-west along this very easy ridge path. As you go, note a beautiful, jagged limestone formation a little downstream from the ridge path (a short detour from the GPS track). The ridge path then passes through a cirque bordered to the north by a large promontory (detour via the promontory to the east on the GPS track). Les Griffes soon come into view and you reach them after passing through a small grassy cirque.

(3) Pass the shoulder of Les Griffes along the ridge and immediately turn right (east) to reach the summit via its northern side. Turn back to return via the shoulder to the ridge and turn right onto it to continue northwards. From here, the ridge becomes slightly less easy.

After a slightly denser copse of deciduous trees, look out for an ascending track on the left which marks the starting point of the route (6) towards the upper Belles Ombres ridge path. Continue, however, along the lower ridge path, still heading north, to end up beneath a rocky overhang and reach the tip of the promontory marking the end of the cirque.

(4) Turn round to look at the slopes rising towards the cliff to the west (see visual landmarks). In the nearest gully, look out for a cave (visual landmark) before retracing your steps along the path in the opposite direction to head towards the foot of the cave. Climb up to the cave to explore it.

(5) At the cave, head back down (east) towards the lower ridge path a few metres below (see alternative routes for exiting via the top). Turn right onto the ridge path to follow it southwards and go round the spur on which the cave is situated.

(6) In the deciduous woodland you spotted on the way up, follow the very steep track climbing to the right (west). This leads to a sheep pasture directly beneath the ridge cliff and joins the Sangle de Belles Ombres. Turn right onto the path to climb north-east towards a shoulder jutting out from the cliff. Turn right onto this shoulder (east) to visit the promontory which directly overlooks the one visited in (4), a promontory offering a spectacular view of the Sangle, the cliffs and the valley.

(7) Turn back to follow the path generally southwards. Pass once more through the sheep pasture and go round the large cliff overlooking it. Shortly afterwards, Red Discs begin to mark the path (these come from an exit route from the Griffes de l’Ours used by climbers).

(8) Follow the trail, keeping an eye out for the red markings, and after about a hundred metres, just as the trail is about to go round a small rocky outcrop, you’ll notice that the red markings diverge and point upwards to the right.

(9) Leave the sling heading east to follow this red-marked trail (an orange arrow topped with an ‘A’ indicates the same direction), climbing steadily up the rocks and scree. Two fixed ropes in poor condition hang along this route; it is better to use your ice axe in the scree and brace yourself against the rocks to make progress. Once past the steepest section, the path veers off to the left (south-west) and winds its way up towards the ridge along a rocky outcrop (marked by a red line and arrow, then a double fluorescent orange arrow on this outcrop). Do not take this path straight away, but instead head up over scree to the north-west towards what quickly becomes apparent as the beautiful Belles Ombres arch. Return to the path along the rocky outcrop and resume the ascent to the south-west.

Emerge onto this ridge and turn left towards the south-west to follow its line (the trail shows a slight detour towards the neighbouring summit). Stay as close as possible to this ridge, always preferring it to the path set back a little further down. Continue along this open ridge, leaving it only to go round the sharp limestone pavement and karstic caves. Once you reach the forest, return to the clearly visible path to cross a small network of sharp limestone pavements and reach the Col de Belles Ombres. At the very flat pass, head left due east towards the rock (visual landmark) bordered by a wire fence. Cross the fence and turn immediately right to join the path heading south-east at the foot of the cliff.

After a right-hand bend onto a grassy ledge, the path splits into an upper section on a rocky bench and a lower path running through the grass 2 metres below. Unless you fancy crawling on all fours, take the lower path to continue southwards until you pass a shepherd’s shelter beneath the rocks and reach the Alpe path. A short detour via the Alpe labyrinth allows you to see its well-hidden arches; see the alternative routes. Otherwise, turn left onto this path to descend a few wide hairpin bends and return to the junction you passed on the way out.

(1) From there, follow the same route as on the way up to return to the car park (S/E).

Equipment

The ascent to the Belles Ombres ridge is on clay soil, which is often very slippery. The only way to ensure a minimum level of safety on these steep slopes is to use an ice axe; walking poles are of no help here. You should therefore carry an ice axe and, as an extra, telescopic poles so that you can stow them in your rucksack during difficult sections.

Stones dislodged by chamois and ibex make wearing a helmet advisable.

Use of the Visorando app is strongly recommended to compensate for any lack of a sense of direction.

Visual landmarks

A fir tree (or rather a spruce) marksthe spot at (2) where the ‘Griffes de l’Ours’ trail branches off from the path leading up to the Col de Belles Ombres. The ‘Griffes de l’Ours’ trail is also known as the lower Belles Ombres trail.

A photogenic limestone formation marks the route between (2) and (3). It is situated slightly below the ledge.

The climbing routes are typical and make it easy to identify the rock. Its rounded summit is also easily recognisable.

If you decide to take the alternative route out via the cave, you must clearly identify these exits
and the cave itself.

The Col de Belles Ombres is marked by a rock that is clearly visible from the paths passing over the pass.

Water

There are no water sources on this route, apart from at the starting point (S/E).

Dogs

Dogs are not permitted on this route under any circumstances.

Wildlife

Chamois and marmots are abundant in this area, and the earlier you set off, the more likely you are to spot them. On my first walk along this circular route, I spotted these two ibexes, which is quite rare in the Chartreuse (unlike the Vercors, where ibex are common).

Alternatives

There are numerous alternative routes:

1. You can simply turn back at (3) and thus follow the ‘classic’ Les Griffes route.
2. You can take the Sangle de Belles Ombres from below the pass of the same name and descend to Les Griffes via the very steep path marked in red, which leaves the upper Sangle at (8) to descend to the lower Sangle in the grassy cirque just before the summit (3) of Les Griffes.
3. You can exit via the top of the Grotte de l’Ours and thus climb back up to the upper ridge.
4. At the Col de Belles Ombres, you can opt for a direct descent towards (1) by heading due east and passing the point (2) on the way.
5. At the Col de l’Alpe, two arches are hidden in the labyrinth situated immediately to the north of the main path; see the hike combining the Belles Ombres and Fouda Blanc trails to find them.

See also my other routes starting from Pré Orcel: they can all be combined with this one.

Pascal Sombardier isthe inspiration behind this circular loop, as he is for many others; see the excellent *Vercors secret* or his other works (which are, unfortunately, often out of print).