La Clarée with its banks and the Débaret waterfall

Discover La Clarée from the right and left banks.
A pleasant walk, sometimes a little difficult but so enjoyable in the cool air.
A route close to the river, with flowers and vegetation depending on the season.
And, of course, the beautiful and impressive Débaret waterfall.
You start by walking through part of an authentic village, with its weathered, exposed timber houses.
Then, get up close and personal with nature at its most charming.

Details

1476274
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.34 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 258 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 256 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,824 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,597 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park at the top of Ville Haute, along the road.

(S/E) Turn right to go downhill and reach the small square in front of the church after walking a few metres towards Névache.
Turn right and head towards the bridge over the Clarée.

(1) Cross and continue on the right along the well-marked red and yellowGRP® trail around Mont Thabor.
Climb this slightly steep path for a short while. This narrow but charming path winds through a very peaceful setting.
Continue on to reach the Débaret waterfall.

(2) Stay on this path to reach the Rately bridge. Do not cross it, but continue along the wide track until you quickly reach a crossroads.

(3) Leave theGRP® here and take the path on the right, crossing the Gardiole stream. Continue walking through the woods to easily reach the Pont de la Souchère bridge.

(4) Turn right and, after a few dozen metres, you will see this majestic mountain in front of you.
After crossing the Clarée, join the D3011 road. Turn right onto it until you reach the Verney chalets crossroads.

(5) Turn right onto the path leading to the Verney chalets.

(6) Take a path on the left, which is somewhat difficult to find in front of the buildings, to rejoin the D3011.
Pass in front of the Sainte-Anne and Sainte-Barbe chapels.

(7) Turn right and go around the small hill on the left towards the river.
You will come to a small, unmarked stony path, a delight of stone and almost untouched vegetation.
Continue along this narrow path towards La Clarée.
Go down a steep path and pass in front of the Débaret waterfall to reach the Débaret power station further on.

(8) Descend along the edge of the Clarée and then return to the path. Continue on the right.
Turn right onto the D3011 road, near the Saint-Benoît Chapel, to return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,622 m - Ville Haute car park
  2. 1 : km 0.36 - alt. 1,599 m - Path on the right after the bridge &gt - Clarée (rivière)
  3. 2 : km 1.97 - alt. 1,687 m - Débaret Waterfall
  4. 3 : km 3.02 - alt. 1,786 m - GRP trail crossroads
  5. 4 : km 4.15 - alt. 1,808 m - Pont de la Souchère
  6. 5 : km 5.03 - alt. 1,776 m - On the right is the path to the Verney chalets.
  7. 6 : km 5.39 - alt. 1,753 m - Chalets de Verney
  8. 7 : km 6.1 - alt. 1,769 m - Carrefour Sainte-Barbe
  9. 8 : km 7.18 - alt. 1,642 m - Débaret factory
  10. S/E : km 8.34 - alt. 1,622 m - Ville Haute car park

Notes

You are in the middle of nature, you will find neither water nor food.
Wear sturdy walking shoes as you will encounter rocky and slippery sections.
(8) Débaret power station: Take the time to read the small sign attached to the house.

Worth a visit

Visit the picturesque hamlets in the area.
These are the locations in the region where the television series "Alex Hugo", starring Samuel Le Bihan, was filmed.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
mfg06
mfg06

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

to be done before the first snowfall, as some sections of the path remain in the shade and are frozen for several hundred metres.

Machine-translated

PUBOL
PUBOL

Thank you for your comment

Machine-translated

VCANET
VCANET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant short hike, allowing us to breathe in the fresh air when the weather was too uncertain to go up into the mountains.

Machine-translated

PUBOL
PUBOL

thank you for this advice
i think the waterfall is a great idea

Machine-translated

VirginieL
VirginieL

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk from Névache on the way up, but the descent is less interesting. It's a good idea to push on to the Foncouverte waterfall to make it more interesting.

Machine-translated

PUBOL
PUBOL

thank you for these comments
i was there last Thursday,
it was really hot,
the car park before entering Névache was a good idea
despite that, there was a lot of traffic,
a few cars and shuttles going both ways every 10 minutes

Machine-translated

Entrechaux
Entrechaux

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, mostly through woodland, returning along the road (which is a shame), but the directions on the website are not always easy to follow. Magnificent valley.

Machine-translated

PUBOL
PUBOL

thank you for your comments, which make me want to go on this hike in summer

Machine-translated

Marisol
Marisol

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a lovely, easy walk, starting in the village of Nevache, then heading into the forest. There are lots of flowers, especially martagon lilies in one particular area. Beautiful views of the Clarée river and the waterfall all along the way. On the way back, part of the route is along the road. I lost my way for a moment and crossed a field full of flowers, which made me want to buy some honey. We pass by some beehives. I recommend it.

Machine-translated

PUBOL
PUBOL

thank you for these interesting details

Machine-translated

Walker39380
Walker39380

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, easy hike with magnificent scenery: meadows with a beautiful variety of flowers, a magnificent waterfall (the Clarée was "very full") and views of the valley
Note that at point 2, the path has been washed away by a torrent, but a passage above is clearly marked (in both directions if you do the hike in reverse)
We were able to park in the large car park at the entrance to the village (free at this time of year (28 June)) and enjoy the pretty little village.

Machine-translated

PUBOL
PUBOL

thank you for your comments
yes, the mountain is becoming increasingly popular
but the scenery is still magnificent

Machine-translated

Claraazimut
Claraazimut

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely, easy hike along the Clarée. Part of the path has collapsed near point 2, but the path goes over the top. The section on the road is a bit long and there is quite a lot of traffic. The valley is busy...

Machine-translated

Stephane.Seche
Stephane.Seche

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike, but be aware that during the summer months, you must park opposite the campsite in Roubion. This adds about 5 km to the round trip. Shuttle buses are available, but you have to be willing to squeeze into a bus... We preferred to walk along the Clarée.

Machine-translated

souchen
souchen

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, especially the uphill section near the river. However, in summer, for an extra hour and a half at most, and if you are unfamiliar with this valley, you should definitely continue on to Foncouverte from point 4, especially in the morning when there are fewer people.

Otherwise, yes, the section before the Débaret waterfall must have changed when taking the path earlier rather than the road. As for me, I followed the GPS and cut across. At this time of year, it's not too much of a problem.

It's also difficult to find the path to get back on the road at point 6: you have to turn at the beginning of the hamlet and go over the top.

The only catch is that you have to be very careful to follow the trail that makes a short detour towards the waterfall, otherwise you'll miss it, which is what happened to me, and my companions, who were a little tired, didn't want to go back up, especially as it's the steepest part of the circuit. Finally, the waterfall can also be seen on the way there and isn't worth Foncouverte anyway.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.