The Saint-Marcellin Spring

Hello.

I am referring to the route entitled ‘La Fontaine Saint-Marcellin’ in the municipalities of Vallouise-Pelvoux and Les Vigneaux, in the Hautes-Alpes.

You describe the route well, but the name you use in the title is incorrect.

Firstly, the French word ‘fontaine’ has replaced the local name ‘font’, derived from the patois word ‘fouent’, which does not mean ‘fountain’ but ‘spring’. Quite a misunderstanding!
Secondly, ‘Saint Marcellin’ has nothing to do with the matter. ‘Marcellin’ was the nickname of one of the owners of land and a rural building at the ‘Montagne de parrapin (1)’, a certain Jean Pierre Combe, known as ‘Marcellin’ of Rif Cros (land registry, sheet A1, 1840).

And this is how the ‘Marcellin spring’ gradually became ‘Font Marcellin’ (previous editions of IGN maps) and then ‘Fontaine Marcellin’ (Geoportal 2026).
However, this did not take into account all those who, unaware of the origin of the name ‘Marcellin’, have sanctified the spring.

The transformation of the ‘spring’ into a ‘fountain’ is acceptable (since, following its restoration, it is more of a ‘fountain’ than a simple ‘spring’ in the process of drying up), although it would be a shame to lose the word ‘font’, derived from the local dialect, in favour of the French word ‘fontaine’. For my part, I shall stick with the original name ‘Font Marcellin’ and will report to the IGN regarding the overcorrection of ‘font’ to ‘fontaine’, which has resulted in a misinterpretation. However, the sanctification is fanciful.

(1) The ‘Montagne de Parapin’, written as ‘Parrapin’ in the 19th century (1840 land register; Joseph Roman), is situated roughly in the middle of the vast plateau between the Couarp hillside and Font Marcellin, the ‘Plateau de Parapin’. Now wooded, it was once farmed, with terraced plots and two farm buildings. The western edge of the plateau above the Couarp offers a magnificent view of the valley and its villages, as captured by geol-alp.com. It is easily accessible off-trail from the shelter.

Reference: “Le Grand Parcher, les Vigneaux – Bois de Parapin”, vallouimages.com.

You could therefore use the title: “La Font Marcellin in Parapin”, explaining the meaning of the word ‘font’ in the local dialect.

I remain at your disposal for any further details about our region.

Kind regards,
Paul B-G
Vallouise-Pelvoux

Website: vallouimages.com

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Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The route is mostly on tracks, very steep until you reach the fountain, and hot on the way back after the cistern.
A beautiful, well-marked trail with spectacular views after the fountain.

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Thank you for your comment; I am truly sorry for the error at (1). As for the elevation gain between (1) and (3), it is 520m over 2.2km, which equates to a 24% gradient. It is certainly quite a challenge, but let’s not forget that we are in the mountains and that, when planning this route on Visorando, all the relevant information is readily available. The diagram clearly shows the gradient awaiting the hiker.
Enjoy the rest of your hike and look forward to more walks in this area, which is highly popular with hikers.

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Date of your route : Aug 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I never managed to find the start, where you cross the stream (point 1)! I had to walk across someone’s garden and go round the back to get onto the path.
You really need to be warned that it climbs very steeply from points 1 to 3! All the elevation gain is there, over 2km... I nearly gave up, and yet I’m fit! Just because of this tough, long climb, I wouldn’t recommend it for children. My own kids would have called child services for less than that
The route is very beautiful, though.
The descent along a narrow, winding path requires caution – it’s slippery...
I was all on my own in early August; the end of the route is entirely in the sun, it was hot, but the walk through the Montbrison forest is well worth it!!!!

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Date of your route : Nov 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike through idyllic countryside. Bear in mind, however, that the 745-metre elevation gain is spread over just over 8 km, so it’s a long, steady climb, but it’s well worth the effort.

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Date of your route : Apr 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk to do in spring or autumn; otherwise, it gets very hot. Although much of the route follows a forest track, this isn’t too much of a problem as the section of the trail leading down into the Torrent du Milieu valley is absolutely stunning.
I found the route description a bit tricky: too many details that led me astray, so I relied solely on the map and that worked better. A lovely hike from a forestry perspective: the track, the aftermath of the fire, the forest hut, the paths created by the RTM over a century ago, the old nurseries at the Torrent du Milieu forest hut (waypoint 4 on the route). Thank you for this hike.

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

We did it in the opposite direction to the suggested route, to make the climb a bit less steep.
The first part of the climb is a bit long on the track, but once you reach the narrow path through the forest, it gets interesting.
The descent also follows a track for a considerable distance, making this hike fairly average overall.
We did the hike from 11am until 4pm, and we got a bit hot.

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

The climb up to the Fontaines shelter is quite steep. On the way back, the track winds its way down in numerous hairpin bends, but you can take shortcuts via footpaths, which shortens the descent. The path back after the Torrent du Milieu is not easy to find.

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