La Grande Autane circular

Date of your route : Sep 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Having climbed to Lake Cédéra the day before, I was in good shape to tackle a second hike classified as "difficult".

I left the Rouanne Haute car park at 7.30am and climbed up to the Col de Combeau (2,303m). I was tempted to go to the Petite Autane and back, but that will have to wait for another time...

I walked along the ridges for an hour and 15 minutes to reach the summit of Grande Autane. After the last flat section, look out for the cairns on the right. I had to use my hands to help me over the last few metres to reach the summit.
Except for a hiker with her dog and me, there was no one else around. Superb views of the Champoléon Valley, the Sirac, the Valgaudemar, part of the Barre des Écrins, the Petite Autane and the Dévoluy.

I took an hour's break to eat before starting the long descent along the ridges to reach the Col de la Rouanette (2,403 m). The path is sometimes poorly marked, but it's impossible to get lost, you just have to stay on the ridges.

There is a long descent to reach the car park, but you can save time by cutting across at several points to reach a sheepfold before rejoining the original trail.

A beautiful but fairly demanding 17 km hike with an elevation gain of around 1,200 metres. It took me 7 hours 45 minutes, including a 1½ hour break.

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A very beautiful hike! A pleasant climb up the Col de Combeau, then steeper along the ridges with a superb view at the summit, despite the sea of clouds that day. The descent along the ridges on the Col de Rouannette side is very beautiful (a little steep at the start) but obviously best avoided after rain. The descent after the pass is very gentle and pretty. Thank you for the suggestion. The paths and tracks on the ridges are clearly visible.

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Date of your route : Jun 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike, but it requires a good level of fitness.
You must stay on the path along the very long and beautiful ridge.
In my opinion, you should also do this hike in good weather conditions.
It took us between 7 and 8 hours with all the stops, especially for photos.

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Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The climb is more technical than the ridge sections on the way down! In both cases, you need to stay as close to the ridge as possible, and after the summit you will quickly find a path and cairns, so there are no real navigation difficulties or risks. The time indicated is greatly overestimated. At the top, there is a magnificent view of the Ecrins and Champsaur.

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Date of your route : Sep 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Last part in the rocky area with a steep slope; it's not clear where the path is. Otherwise perfect, much less time than expected :-)

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Date of your route : Jul 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very enjoyable hike thanks to its diversity and the ease of following the route. However, it does require a good level of fitness (for information, I am 68 years old). The walk along this magnificent and very long ridge is very pleasant... Best done in very good weather conditions, especially for the arrival at the summit, which in my opinion requires a certain amount of confidence...
Allow between 7 and 8 hours depending on how many stops you make...

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Date of your route : Oct 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike with superb passages along ridges and crests.
The heavy rains of recent days have damaged the Rouanne Haute forest track. The track was cut off at an altitude of about 1,500 metres (shortly after the Oratory). That's where we parked. We joined the uphill trail a little above marker "1", at altitude "2022 m", using the "Balcon de Rouanne" trail that passes under the Chau Belle.

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Date of your route : Sep 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike along the entire route.
The climb up to the Col du Combeau is not particularly difficult. However, the ascent to the summit of the Grande Autane remains quite technical at times, with some fairly steep gradients.
The descent along the ridge to the Col de la Rouanette is also technical, especially at the beginning.
The climb to the summit and the descent require a certain amount of agility and experience of mountain hiking. The drop can be impressive at times on the north side.
The panoramic views along this route make you forget the difficulties.
Thank you for this beautiful off-the-beaten-track route.

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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

Hello
My husband and I did this hike in August, and I wanted to point out that part of it is very tricky, even downright dangerous: the climb up the Col du Combeau, which takes about an hour. It's a ridge trail with a drop on one side and the other side extremely steep and slippery (crumbling rocks and stones and loose soil). The trail is no longer marked, and it's very difficult to see. We got a little lost, and I think it would be easy to get into trouble. Fortunately, there are cairns that helped us find our way (I would like to thank those who placed the cairns, as without them it would have been problematic for people who are not experienced mountaineers). On the way back, we discussed this with mountaineers from Chabottes and Pont du Fossé, who were very surprised that this access route was suggested because, given the difficulty, they do not recommend it at all.
On the other hand, the descent via the Col de la Rouannette is entirely passable along its entire length, which means that it is possible to do the hike but return via this pass.
Take care and always be careful!

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