La Griffe du Diable and the Grand Colombier from La Grange d’en Bas

From Seyssel, head up via Corbonnot to Gignez, then turn left onto the road to Sur Lyand and the Col de la Biche. Pass the Sur Lyand chalet and then the Croix de Famban, then descend to the Grange d’en Bas, where there is no parking; the car park is just beyond, at the edge of the forest on the climb up to the Col de la Biche.

From Valromey, head up via Brénaz to the Col de la Biche, cross over to the other side and park just before the forest exit.

(S/E) Return to the junction at La Grange d’en Bas.

(1) Take the path that winds its way up to the south-east through the forest to the Sur Lyand ridge, at En Famban near a bend in the road at Golet des Faies.

(2) Take the path that follows the ridge southwards to a small plateau, where the slope steepens to reach the first peak of the Griffe du Diable ridge.

(3) The ridge path passes several high points as it runs alongside the mountain pasture, then, after a rockier section, descends to the Col de Charbemènes.

(4) Ignore the paths branching off to the right and then to the left, continuing straight on southwards to begin a steeper climb through the forest towards the Crête du Colombier, which you follow from the top of the climb to the cross, enjoying the unobstructed views.

(5) Reach the pass and turn right to descend towards Les Granges du Colombier, first along the road and then down a direct path towards Les Granges. As the road is tedious and used by cyclists travelling at high speed, it may be more pleasant to take a clearly visible path that descends parallel to the road, about ten metres below it.

(6) Turn right towards the Col de Charbemènes and after 100 m, take the second path on the left which descends along the left bank of the Maharaja, enters the forest, then becomes more damp in a forestry work area before ending in the rocky stream bed at the junction with the Novelle. In the event of a storm and a swollen stream, the lower section can be tricky; in this case, you can stay on the forest road that runs at the foot of the Col de Charbemènes and descends towards Arvière.

(7) Cross the stream and join the forest road opposite, heading north to the car park on the Route d’Arvière, passing the Daubrée fir tree.

(8) Head towards the Chalet d'Arvière opposite, to the north.

(9) At the junction with the Vallon d’Arvière, turn left to climb up to the site of the Chartreuse d’Arvière.

(10) After visiting the site if you wish, retrace your steps to the start of the path towards the Source de Saint Arthaud and the Arvière viewpoint. The spring is shortly afterwards on the right, then the path climbs towards Sur Hergues and veers left towards the viewpoint.

(11) Rather than returning to the IGN trail, which disappears, head straight left on your way back from the viewpoint along a path that leads to the edge of the mountain pasture. Walk up this gently sloping pasture, skirting the edge of the forest, to the Grange de Falavier, which you go round to the left to reach the pastoral road and the next junction. The route via the spring and the viewpoint is pleasant but less straightforward to follow. You can avoid this section by staying on the sheep track that climbs from Arvière (towards L’Hergues) to the Grange de Falavier .

(12) Turn sharply left to climb a steep slope up to the Rochers Blancs ridge at an altitude of 1364 meters. Turn right to follow the path to a water reservoir in the mountain pasture, then climb up to the right to rejoin the ridge, which you follow to the left up to the summit of L’Hergues. From the 1364m altitude, it is also possible to turn sharply right straight away to find a path that follows the ridge to the summit.

(13) Continue straight ahead, northwards along the ridge, then descend its western flank to reach the road at Golet de la Biche.

(14) Turn right onto the road (difficult to avoid except by taking a long detour further north), pass the Col de la Biche then descend for about 350 m to the car park at La Grange d’en Bas (S/E).

No particular difficulty; this circular route can also be tackled from the Arvière road, or even from the Grand Colombier road.

There are numerous ascents and descents, but the total elevation gain remains reasonable.

The views all along the three ridges you’ll traverse are magnificent, taking in the Jura and, above all, the entire Alpine range, from the Chablais to the Grandes Rousses, passing, of course, by the Mont Blanc massif, situated directly opposite.