The Cassini Cross

de fr

Hike on a historic site chosen by César-François Cassini in the18th century to map the Écrins Massif and other surrounding mountains.

Magnificent 360° viewpoint over the Grandes Rousses, Belledonne, Taillefer, Rochail, Muzelle, Mont de Lans Glacier, La Meije, Aiguilles d'Arves and even Mont Blanc in the distance!
And the resorts of Alpe d'Huez on one side and Les Deux Alpes on the other...

An easy climb but a more... "sporting" descent!

Details

n°2193882
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.48 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 550 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 547 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,369 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,830 m
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Photos

Arrival at the Col de Sarenne
The Ferrand Valley and beyond
The descent to the Col de Sarenne
The Cassini Cross and the Aiguilles d'Arves

Description of the walk

From Bourg-d-Oisans, take the road to Alpe d'Huez. At the entrance to the resort, take the small road on the right signposted Col de Sarenne.
4.5 km after the altiport (at the exit of the resort), park on the right immediately after a bridge over the Torrent de la Sarenne, at a place called Le Sela (hiking sign at the end of the car park).

(S/E) Leave the car park and walk up the road towards Col de Sarenne for about 300m until you reach the signpost (after the hairpin bend).

(1) At the sign, leave the road and take the path that climbs south-west through the mountain pastures to the right towards the Col de la Grange Pellorce.

(2) When you reach the pass (signpost about ten metres to the right), admire the first view of the Écrins massif. Turn onto the path on the left that climbs towards the Croix de Cassini.

(3) When you reach the highest point of the route, the Croix de Cassini, take in the 360° panorama and continue straight ahead on the path to begin the descent.

Be careful! The path becomes very exposed and quite tricky. It runs either along the ridge or on the very steep northern flank, with several rocky steps and sometimes a steep slope. Extreme caution is required!

(4) The most difficult part of the trail is now behind you. Continue along the route to the orientation table and then on to the Col de Sarenne.

(5) When you reach Col de Sarenne, take the road downhill to the left for about 2 km.

(1) Continue straight ahead to return to the Sela car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,830 m - Sela car park. Near the - Sarenne (torrent) - Affluent de la Romanche
  2. 1 : km 0.25 - alt. 1,853 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 1.28 - alt. 2,084 m - Col de Grange Pelorce (2086m)
  4. 3 : km 2.45 - alt. 2,369 m - Cassini Cross
  5. 4 : km 4.04 - alt. 2,036 m - A tricky end to the game
  6. 5 : km 4.6 - alt. 1,999 m - Return by road - Col de Sarenne
  7. S/E : km 6.48 - alt. 1,830 m - Sela car park

Notes

There are no water sources along the route. There used to be an inn at the Col de Sarenne, but it burned down a few years ago and has not been rebuilt. However, there are two sheepfolds that are still in operation during the summer.

As indicated in the itinerary, the descent from the summit is quite vertiginous and tricky for at least the first two-thirds of the route. Good footwear is therefore essential for this part of the hike.
Those who suffer from vertigo or are afraid of heights can turn back at the Croix de Cassini and take the same route back down to the Sela car park.

Another option is to park at Col de Sarenne (large car park) and do the hike in the opposite direction, starting from (5). Perhaps on the way up, the "acrobatic" path will seem less dizzying!
The downside is that the final stretch between the (1) and the (5) is uphill along the road...

Of course, binoculars and cameras are almost essential!

And please, if you plan to picnic at the summit, avoid spreading out right in front of the Cross with your crisps, sausage, camembert, baguette and water bottles! There will surely be hikers who want to take a photo of the Cassini Cross with the Pic Blanc in the background... Thank you for showing good manners on their behalf!

Worth a visit

Below the cross, continuing along the Col de Sarenne road on the descent, you can visit the two hamlets of Clavans le Haut and Clavans le Bas and, a little further on, the typical village of Besse-en-Oisans.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 16781192

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I have done this hike several times, but always in the direction of Col de Sarenne - Croix de Cassini and back via Col de Grange Pellorce. The ridge from Col de Sarenne is very beautiful and the few tricky sections are easy to negotiate on the way up. The return trip by road to the pass is a bit strenuous. The views from the cross are magnificent, and it's easy to understand why the geographer Cassini chose this spot to take his measurements for Louis XV's Great Map of France! A little tip from the geologist: about forty metres from the summit, a geological cross-section summarises the entire history of the Alps!

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Claraazimut
Claraazimut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike with my dog. There was a flock of sheep with sheepdogs at the designated parking spot, but we passed without any problems. There is a car park at the pass a little higher up, which is busier.
A short hike with a few technical sections where you need to use your hands to help you along the ridge. The scenery is well worth it! It's beautiful in the early morning!

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rage2001
rage2001

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Formerly known as Croix de Tournefort, this peak was renamed to commemorate the famous geographer César-François Cassini, whose maps produced in the 18th century are almost as accurate as our current IGN maps!
The first part of the route (from the Col de Sarenne to the summit) is aerial and follows a ridge with a few tricky sections, which are equipped with handrails.
The summit offers a superb 360° panorama of several surrounding mountain ranges (Grandes Rousses, Arves, Taillefer, Ecrins and even Mont Blanc!). The two iconic resorts of Alpe d'Huez and Les Deux Alpes are also clearly visible.
After the summit, continue west towards the Col de Grange Pellorce, just before which you turn right (north) to join the Col de Sarenne road.
The map and photos can be found at this address: https://treksrandos.fr/alpes/isere-38/gr...

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bb66
bb66

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We combined this route with the Alpe d'Huez circular route via the Sarene Gorges (and the pass), which made the hike a little longer. Otherwise, the Croix de Cassini adds height (elevation), interest and therefore views to the whole hike. We had superb weather, so there were no difficulties, even on the descent from the Croix. The climb may require those less accustomed to mountain walking to use their hands.
The full route of around 21 km makes the final climb from Huez to the resort difficult... in full sun without water (don't forget to take a few litres... or tablets).

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Claude R3.
Claude R3.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

The appeal of this route is that it starts at the Col de Sarenne, reaches the summit, descends to the Sela car park, and then returns to the Sarenne car park by road. Better still, leave a vehicle at the Sela car park on the way up to make the return to the Sarenne car park easier.
The descent from Croix de Cassini to the Sarenne car park is strongly discouraged and can be very dangerous on slippery ground.
There are no water sources along the route. The wildlife is limited to numerous griffon vultures flying over the entire area.

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