The Durand Farm

Date of your route : May 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Walk near Grenoble with ample parking close to the start.
Beautiful start with a stream, cliff and monument to the Resistance fighters, then the trail is mostly shaded, making it ideal for a hot day.
At the end, there is a beautiful view of the valley.

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Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike near Grenoble, offering beautiful views.
The start at the bottom of the Furon Gorges is quite spectacular.

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Date of your route : May 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A short hike uphill on the way there, with a more challenging alternative for those who want it.
Walk along the farm to find a tiny clearing where you can sit and enjoy the view of Grenoble and the snow-covered Belledonne mountains.
This small clearing is to the left off the path, the grass is flattened to mark the path leading to it.

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Date of your route : Apr 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk above Grenoble. A beautiful farm at the top with stunning views. Most of the walk is through forest. Quite a significant elevation gain but easy for anyone who is used to walking. The path downhill to the left of the farm was easy to find.

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Date of your route : Apr 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Lovely walk.

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Positive points: not many people on this route, hiking in the woods so it's pleasant in very hot weather. Good path
Negative points: no views except when you arrive at Durand Farm, almost constant noise from the road and town
In summary, a training walk, nothing more.

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Hello, some explanations about this route following the difficulty encountered in finding the way back.
The description and map did indeed lack an explanation. Point 4 is (when viewing the route) the meadow overlooking the valley, offering a beautiful view (when the weather is fine) of Grenoble and its valleys. From there, you need to return to the crossroads before the farm. Although this was not specified, it was clearly indicated on the map.
At this crossroads, you need to walk along the fence on your right and you will quickly find the path connecting Pont Charvet and Fontaine. Then take the path on the left and you will find the car park.
I have therefore added a waypoint at the farm crossroads to make this clear.
As for the rating, which you find too low, this type of assessment is very subjective. This is a hike of about 6 km with a 500 m elevation gain. Admittedly, it will be difficult for some but completely easy for others. In this sense, this average rating is entirely appropriate for the majority of hikers, especially in Grenoble and its surroundings, where hikers have few completely flat routes to choose from.
Another point is the noise from motorbikes. Yes, these two-wheeled vehicles take advantage of the beautiful Vercors road to ride, especially at weekends, and as there are around 600,000 inhabitants in the area, there must be a significant number of motorbikers.
Finally, you strongly advise against this route, which is entirely your opinion, but it's a shame because the view of Grenoble and the valleys from the field behind the farm is splendid. This has not escaped the attention of our geocaching friends, as there is a cache in the field and, judging by the items left there, it is a place that is greatly appreciated by many hikers.
Sorry for the long message, and I hope that other routes you find on the site will bring you more satisfaction.
Have a nice day.

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Good evening, everyone, and thank you for your feedback from the field.
I think that, if necessary, our friend Bernardino will revise his description shortly. Let's wait and see...

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Date of your route : Oct 16, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

We never found the end of the circular route where we had left the car, even though we followed the yellow markings as indicated. Fortunately, as night was falling, we came across a very kind lady who took us back to our car instead of us having to sleep outside... I think the problem was that the path was marked to the right after the farm, when in fact we should have turned left onto an almost invisible path. What's more, the difficulty of the route was marked as "medium", but we found it quite challenging (and this isn't our first hike!) Not to mention the motorbikes that kept passing by...
I strongly advise against this route!

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Date of your route : Sep 29, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

There was a lot of noise from motorbikes revving their engines on the climb up to Lans en Vercors.
We spent a good quarter of an hour at the farm trying to find the very discreet return trail, which was only indicated by an old, non-standard sign and marked on the right in the description, when in fact it is on the left when you arrive. What's more, the route encourages you to retrace your steps to find the descent.

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Date of your route : Oct 19, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful hike, but I don't find it easy because there is a significant elevation gain right from the start for half of the route, followed by a flat section and a long, fairly steep descent. I would classify this hike as rather difficult.

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