La Balme Rousse

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike, alternating between magnificent views, passages through the woods and along the cliffs. We loved it. The detailed information in the reviews was invaluable for following the route.

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Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The main difficulty is finding the path through the rocky chaos below the Gournier cave to reach Balme Rousse. Some descents are slippery, more impressive than dangerous, and the rope (on site) is welcome. We meet a few climbers coming from the west.

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Date of your route : Feb 14, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start is always a little tricky to find, especially if you're not familiar with the hike. Otherwise, the route is a bit physically demanding, but nothing insurmountable for regular walkers. Beautiful views of the cliffs and valley. The caves are magnificent and well worth a visit.

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Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thanks to comments from other hikers, we easily found the way. It was more difficult to find the path leading back to Choranche after the magnificent ledges: there are several paths leading to the climbing routes. However, with a map and GPS, it's not too complicated.
In terms of elevation, I estimate it to be 350-400 metres maximum (according to the sensor on my Suunto Vertical watch), which briefly jumped to the underground lake because we were very close to the cliffs.
We didn't find the ledges as narrow as described, and the descent at the rope crossing is more impressive from above than in reality. We did it in dry weather.
It's a very beautiful hike, a little off the beaten track.

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Date of your route : Jul 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A demanding route, which starts off gently and gradually becomes more challenging. We searched for the path to climb up to the terrace. Thanks to the advice of other hikers, we managed to find it. When you return from the cave, the easiest way is to go past the terrace and start the climb on the right at the point marked by a small red triangle on a stone. We did the route on a very hot day, and the two caves are not only very pretty but also a great place to cool off. Be careful on the descents, as they are treacherous, with loose stones that make it easy to slip. A very enjoyable experience!

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

A lovely half-day hike. It's nice to walk along the cliffs and have the chance to see climbers...
Thank you for this guide!

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Date of your route : Nov 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb, challenging hike.
We just did it with three teenagers and everyone loved it!
You don't need powerful lights for the cave... the light from your mobile phone is sufficient.

The only point where you need to be careful not to take a wrong turn is after point 3... the path is at the level of the rock with a red triangle (after the wooden platform).

The views are superb and it's great to walk along the cliff edge :-)
We were able to admire a few climbers.

Thank you for the hike.

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Date of your route : Jul 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, varied hike with many points of interest.

It's a shame that the section along the Presles cliff from Balme Rousse is so rough and unpleasant (the trail is mainly of interest to climbers who need to access their route)... But it does have the advantage of taking us on a circular route and passing along a very pretty ledge.

It's not easy to spot the trail (the junction) that descends to Choranche at point 5... Following the GPS track leads to an impassable trail, so you have to descend a little earlier. We didn't see any signs indicating Choranche.

Thank you!

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Date of your route : Jun 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The hike is simply incredible!
However, there are a few minor inaccuracies in the description. And it's important to note this because, in my opinion, the hike is not sufficiently signposted...
For example, at the crossroads in the bushes, you have to take the path on the left (which goes uphill), the one marked as leading to the cave and the underground lake of Gournier. Once you're there, you have to turn back about 200 metres. There, you'll come back to the famous wooden terrace. When you are facing it, take the small wooded path to its left. You will soon start climbing over rocks. This path is really not easy to spot. I only saw two purple triangles marking the way...
Also, once you arrive at the Balme Rousse cave, I think it's important to point out that the path that "descends" and then runs along the cliff is rather dangerous, in my opinion. There are ropes to help, but I personally didn't feel very safe...
As for the duration of the hike, I did it in three hours with a few breaks (I'm not particularly experienced). I didn't notice the 800-odd metres of elevation gain, and I only came across three other hikers at most.

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Date of your route : May 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. We took the opportunity to visit the Choranche caves during the hike, which are truly magnificent!
Be careful though, as several sections are difficult (climbing/descending with a rope).
The trail is quite busy around the Choranche caves, but very quiet along the cliffs.
Thank you.

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Date of your route : Apr 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I had the opportunity to do this hike in April 2021 within my "10 km radius".
I was already familiar with the caves and had no difficulty finding the path to Balme Rousse (behind the platform).
The short rope section does not present any major risks. It should be noted that there is another cave a few metres below the rope in the stream bed: this is the Ruisseau des Gorges cave. However, I was not familiar with the rest of the route, which is magnificent on the ledges at the foot of the cliff.
As for the elevation gain, I would estimate it to be around 370 m. The village of Choranche is at 278 m and the highest point is roughly at the altitude of the Balme Rousse cave, which is 630 m. So 630-278=352, and we can add 15 or 20 metres of ascent after the ropes. There is no other ascent. This gives a total elevation gain of around 370 metres, which seems more realistic.
Note that my GPS gave me a total elevation gain of 616 m that day...
The moral of the story: GPS devices are not reliable near cliffs.
Here, the hike takes place at the foot of the 300-metre-high Choranche cliffs, and all it takes is for the GPS to record an incorrect point and locate it at the top of the cliff, and the elevation gain is increased by 300 metres...!
The hike is not very well marked, and it's great that there are still places (without being secret) that you have to search for a little, using the description and map
found on Visorando. For me, searching a little (especially here where there is no danger) adds to the pleasure of hiking and discovery...
It's a very beautiful hike, too short, unfortunately, we would like more...

Thank you.

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Hello,

The issue of calculating elevation changes based on estimates has been the subject of much discussion on the forum, see for example here.

In the case of this hike, the problem mainly stemmed from the ridge route. In this type of situation, some points that we think are on the ridge have in fact been positioned next to it, and therefore below it and often significantly below it: this results in a false succession of ascents and descents and therefore an overestimation of elevation changes.

I adjusted the route, which should be done for all GPS tracks (GPS recordings can be inaccurate). I recalculated the altitudes. Result: 849 m of elevation gain, which seems more reasonable than what was displayed before (> 1000 m).

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This is not a comment but a (friendly) question:
Could there be an error in the calculation of the elevation gain?
According to the map, it seems to me that the elevation gain cannot exceed 700 metres. And on this website (http://www.multiactiv.fr/2017/11/chroran...), for example, they mention an elevation gain of 660 metres...

(I haven't done the hike yet.)

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Date of your route : Mar 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

One of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done in the region. The caves are magical, and the views are spectacular!
It deserves its "difficult" rating, as some paths are very narrow and there are a few sections where you need to use a rope to help you along.
As for the duration of the hike, I completed it in 3 hours at a good pace, but stopping quite frequently to take photos.
Be careful at the end of the route, when you have to make the junction to go back down to Choranche, you have to pay close attention, as it's easy to miss the path. It is marked with a cairn and makes a sharp turn to the left.

There was no one there that day, but the passage to the caves must be very busy in summer.

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Date of your route : Sep 30, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant

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