La Draye des Communaux and La Sure

Warnings:
- The IGN topographic map is completely out of date (even the online version is often years behind); there is a wide, vehicle-accessible track (usually closed to traffic) leading up from Carron to the Tunnel du Mortier; the OpenStreetMap hiking map shows part of it; the route follows part of this track on the descent. Furthermore, some of the tracks indicated by the IGN no longer exist or are in an impassable condition. Do not rely on the IGN in this area.
- It is essential to read the ‘Practical Information’ section to find your way to La Draye and gauge the difficulty.

Pascal Sombardier (whoinspired this circular loop as well as many others; see the excellent *Vercors secret*) has pointed out to me that there is a much easier alternative to the direct ascent between (1) and (4). Instead of turning right at (1), continue along the track to the south-east, and follow the approach route described in the Draye de Seblou approach guide on Pascal’s blog (you’ll need to download the PDF). Please note, the Draye de Seblou is a much tougher climb.

(S/E) From Carron, do not go through the barrier on the forest road but take a forest track on your right that climbs steeply into the forest between two huts (heading south-west).

(1) Just past these huts, turn right onto the Chemin des Bœufs (actually a forest track) for less than 100 m.

(2) Take the first forest track branching off to the left, heading south-west (note: there is another one a little further on heading in the same direction; see practical information). This track crosses the forest road near some small cairns. Continue climbing south-west along the track, which eventually disappears into the forest. Keep climbing in the same direction, following a few cairns.

(3) Cross the forest road where two cairns mark the route on either side of the road (the cairns are marked with fluorescent red; the top one is very small). Continue climbing in the same south-westerly direction, over increasingly steep terrain littered with moss-covered boulders. Near the edge of the forest (the cliff is partially visible), you’ll arrive beneath huge boulders from a rockfall.

(4) At the boulders, turn left to climb a slightly less steep slope towards the mouth of the gully and the scree descending from it. Head for the foot of the cliff. At the mouth of the Draye des communaux (marked Draue on the IGN map), climb straight southwards and (very) steeply up the path, using the few rocks and grassy patches for support as best you can (see photo).

(5) When you reach the rope, follow it to get past the rocks, then climb to the right onto a grassy ledge, still following the rope (and some old cables). Step onto the top of the cliff where a good path joins. Turn left onto this path, heading south, and follow it through the undergrowth (numerous cairns) until you reach a clearer area, bordered by sharp limestone pavement.

(6) A large cairn marks the junction of the path branching off to the right (west) towards the Gouffre Berger. Follow this path to the chasm.

(7) The gouffre is situated in the middle of a sharp limestone pavement bordered by trees (see photo). Retrace your steps back to the large cairn.

(6) Turn right (south) onto the cairn-marked path. Continue along this path until you reach the^GR® 9.

(8) At^{the GR®} 9, a yellow sign points towards La Sure on the right (west). Follow this direction along the red and white marked^GR®; pass a junction coming from the left to turn north and follow the sharp limestone pavement. The path turns west again and arrives at the hamlet of Malatra.

(9) Turn right towards La Sure, as indicated by the sign at Malatra, staying on the^GR® which is now a track running along the top of the Autrans ski slopes. At a signpost, leave the track to head towards La Sure (north-east) and reach the edge of the cliff.

(10) At La Sure, continue along the path heading west along the cliff face, towards an emergency telephone relay, and rejoin the track. Turn right onto this track and, after a hairpin bend, turn right onto the^GR® 9 to follow the sign for La Buffe (signpost). The path continues along the cliff towards La Buffe (see alternative routes) until it reaches the top of Le Mortier.

(11) A sign points towards the tunnel. Follow the path towards it until you reach the tarmac road to Les Feneys. Walk down this road for 500m to reach the entrance to the Mortier tunnel. Go through the tunnel until you emerge above the Isère valley. Turn right onto a track (blocked by large stones to prevent traffic). This track does not appear on IGN maps. It follows the foot of the cliff, initially heading south-east, then takes two hairpin bends before continuing down a long, gentle slope that passes the Seigneurets ridge. The track veers south to reach a junction at a hairpin bend.

(12) Do not continue in the direction you came from, but take the hairpin bend to the left towards the north, staying on the track, and this will lead you to the next hairpin bend.

(13) At the circular bend in the hairpin, turn left onto a forest track that descends more steeply into the woods. This is the old Chemin des Bœufs, marked (faintly) in blue. Continue along this path until you cross the forest road again.

(14) Cross the road to continue along the Chemin des Bœufs. Cross the forest road a second time to reach a junction with another logging track. Turn right (south) to go down this track and return to the original crossroads.

(2) Follow the route you took on the way there to return to the Carron car park (S/E)

Difficulty: the presence of a fixed rope at the bottom of the draye allows this route to be tackled as a hike. Without this rope, it would be a climb of at least grade 4b, and this does not fall within the scope of Visorando. If the rope is missing, turn back. At present – 2 August 2018 – the rope is securely fixed to bolts and quickdraws to prevent wear and tear. Knots and circular loops every 75cm provide a good grip. The rope is dynamic (elastic). Even with this rope, the hike remains extremely difficult, as the ascent between (3) and (5) takes place on very steep terrain, with no path, and sometimes over unstable scree. On this type of terrain, you must look for the few rocks anchored in the ground to use as footholds and do not hesitate to leave the scree to find more stable ground, whether on rock or a grassy ledge.

Direction:
(The left bank refers to the left side of a river or valley when descending)
There is no path leading up to the Draye des Communaux; at most, there are a few cairns, and it is easy to lose track of them. If you do not have the Visorando app, the easiest way to reach the point (3) without fail is to climb straight up on one side of the Fournel valley floor (for example, on its left bank). Once you reach the track near (3), simply turn left to find the cairns. The same applies when going from (3) to (4): after veering slightly right along the left bank of the valley, simply turn left when you reach the edge of the forest, go past the large rock(s) and climb up to the communal path.

Near Carron, if you have mistakenly taken the forest track leading up to Les Seys (you’ll realise this because it leaves the south-westerly bearing to head due west), there’s no need to turn back. Continue along this track until you reach the forest road. Cross this and follow the valley up until you reach the road again. Then follow the directions for the first alternative route below, following the road southwards to the cairns (3).

Equipment:

• Trekking poles are very useful on the climb up to the draye, but you’ll need to be able to stow them in your rucksack to climb along the rope.
• Long trousers help prevent scratches from the vegetation during the climb through the forest.
• As this hike passes at the foot of cliffs and through a steep gully, a helmet is recommended to protect against rockfalls triggered by chamois or other walkers.

Water:
There are no water sources along this route.

Alternatives:
If the Carron barrier is open, it is possible to drive up to the point marked 877m on the IGN map. In this case, you reach the cairns (3) by continuing on foot along this forest road, generally heading south-east after passing the hairpin bend (you pass by the (14) – see the map). On the way back, at (14), turn left onto the forest road to descend to the hairpin bend.

At (11) you can extend the walk with a detour to the summit of La Buffe (1 km return, barely 100 m elevation gain). Coming down from La Buffe, it is possible to head directly towards the Isère valley side by crossing the Pas Mortier (elevation 1555 m on the IGN map). A series of grassy ledges and a short, easy climb down a chimney lead to the disused tunnel road. If you follow this road down, you can return via the Chemin Fontrasset (see map).

Notes:

• A Draye (sometimes drovers' road) was a passage for herds in the Alps, but it is unlikely that herds could ever have passed through here.
• The word ‘Sure’ indicates a cliff. It is found at Les Deux Sœurs in the Vercors (a corruption of ‘deux Sures’) and at La Grande Sure, a peak near the Chartreuse.