The Saint-Marcellin Fountain

A circular route through the Bois de Parapin, passing by the Saint-Marcellin fountain with a breathtaking view of the superb south face of the Tête d'Amont.

Details

318229
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.69 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 703 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 702 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,721 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,155 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park in the hamlet of Grand Parcher in the commune of Vallouise.

(S/E) Take the road uphill heading north-east, pass the chapel and reach the crossroads.

(1) Continue in the same direction, leaving the path on your right (this will be your return route). Follow the Grand Parcher stream, cross it and take the path on the left. You will reach another junction at elevation 1333. Continue right along the wide, stony track with grass in the middle to reach another junction at elevation 1507.

(2) Stay on the wide track, alternating between forest and meadow sections, until, after a steep climb, you reach the Abri des Fontaines, on the left of the track.

(3) You will then come to a good path and, a few metres further on, reach the Fontaine Saint-Marcellin. Begin a steep descent requiring serious caution, which ends at the crossing of the Torrent du Milieu.

(4) Continue the descent, which becomes easier. Return to the track at the fire-fighting reservoir. Turn right and stay on this track until you reach the Torrent du Milieu again.

(5) Cross it, start a new climb opposite and, via two hairpin bends, join a new wide track. Continue to its end, where it becomes a path again.

(6) Take the path on the left to return to the junction where you started.

(1) Turn left and, following the route you took on the way out, return to the car park (S/E)

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,155 m - Grand Parcher car park. Near the - Gyronde (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.22 - alt. 1,192 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 1.45 - alt. 1,506 m - Elevation 1507
  4. 3 : km 2.45 - alt. 1,710 m - Fontaines shelter
  5. 4 : km 3.96 - alt. 1,450 m - Torrent du Milieu
  6. 5 : km 5.92 - alt. 1,158 m - Torrent du Milieu
  7. 6 : km 8.15 - alt. 1,224 m - Path continuing along the track
  8. S/E : km 8.69 - alt. 1,156 m - Grand Parcher car park

Notes

The main paths we take are far more heavily used than the adjacent ones, which makes it easier to find your way.
There are also plenty of signposts clearly indicating the directions.

Shelter at the open hut before the fountain.
Saint-Marcellin fountain.

Worth a visit

Vallouise and its surroundings: a highlight of the Ecrins Valley.

Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4 / 5
Jhk
Jhk

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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.

Machine-translated

bernardino
bernardino ★

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.

Machine-translated

StefPulko
StefPulko

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

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!!!!

Machine-translated

JLJ#cONSTANT#
JLJ#cONSTANT#

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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.

Machine-translated

patembrun
patembrun

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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.

Machine-translated

Richard1329
Richard1329

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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.

Machine-translated

focoubl
focoubl

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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.

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.