The Cave of the Fifty Donkeys

A very pleasant route along the banks of the Clarée with the discovery of a historic cave.
(Please note: the path through the Ravin des Sables is currently completely destroyed, so it is advisable to reverse the direction of the hike to reach the cave.)

Details

43490
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.44 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 533 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 532 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,652 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,375 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park your vehicles in the car park at the entrance to the Rosier campsite (S/E).
Turn left and cross the road opposite the Rosier fountain.

(1) Take the Promenade et Randonnée trail (PR® yellow markings) indicated by the sign to the left of the fountain.
Climb gently through the meadows and then into the forest overlooking the right bank of the Clarée.
Join a wide forest track, cross the Rivet torrent before descending slightly to the Serre district of Val des Prés.

(2) Undertake a short climb then a descent to reach the Granon chalet road.

(3) Take it on the left, turn right at the next crossroads and continue on this track until you reach the footbridge that crosses the Clarée.

(4) Then tackle the steep climb (still following the yellow markings and signs), cross the D994g road and finish the ascent at the cave.

(5) Begin the descent on the left bank of the stream, reach a large meadow and then start another climb in the woods (markings and sign, see Note in the Practical Information section) to rejoin a track. Descend to the right to reach the junction of the direct path to Val des Prés.

(6) Take this path, which starts on the left (signposted Val des Prés 40').
Continue along this path until you reach the edge of the road, but stay on the path on the left.
Reach the Draye bridge at the entrance to Val des Prés.

(7) Before the bridge, take the path that runs alongside the Clarée river and leads to Le Rosier and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,375 m - Rosier car park on the edge of the &gt - Clarée (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.11 - alt. 1,378 m - PR road junction
  3. 2 : km 2.07 - alt. 1,416 m - Le Serre
  4. 3 : km 3.64 - alt. 1,418 m - Crossroads on the Granon chalet road
  5. 4 : km 5.6 - alt. 1,421 m - Claree footbridge
  6. 5 : km 6.58 - alt. 1,602 m - Grotte des cinquante ânes
  7. 6 : km 7.6 - alt. 1,547 m - Crossroads sign Val des Prés 40'
  8. 7 : km 9.51 - alt. 1,400 m - Pont de la Draye
  9. S/E : km 11.44 - alt. 1,375 m - Rosier car park on the edge of the Clarée

Notes

No water source.
Shelter in the cave. This cave served as a shelter for the valley's quadrupeds during the invasion of the valley in 1815 by the Piedmontese-Austrians, as these animals were kept away by the inhabitants. As there were a large number of donkeys, this name was given to the cave.

Note: hikers who follow this description with the IGN 3536OT map will not find the route indicated in the Description section on the map, even though the trail is particularly well marked.

Worth a visit

Névache and its valley.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
pitre8
pitre8

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Done, as advised, in the opposite direction due to the rockfall under the cave.

Presence of Sabot de Vénus (https://inpn.mnhn.fr/espece/cd_nom/94041) at altitude 1489 Lng 6.67558 Lat 44.97360

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migar
migar

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

First hike of the season in Clarée, too many people in the upper valley, so we went to see if there were any donkeys left. In fact, we didn't do the suggested route (too long for a warm-up), we only went up to the cave. Erosion has caused quite a bit of damage, but the cave is still intact.
The area is lovely, the lavender is in bloom and smells wonderful.
It's best to have walking sticks, as the path is sometimes slippery because of the stones. It's not dangerous, but you can slip sometimes.

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stef35
stef35

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

walkway passage OK today

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Microbe123
Microbe123

Many thanks for your reply!

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Hello
I added this note following the storms of 2016, which completely devastated a large part of the middle Clarée valley. These storms also caused the Pécé trail to collapse, which you were unable to use on another outing.
However, your comment about repairs is entirely justified, but repairs require manpower and, above all, in these areas, the public authorities have to make choices, and these two access routes are probably not considered a priority.
We wish you all the best for your future hikes in the beautiful Clarée valley.

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Microbe123
Microbe123

Yes, but I was hoping that since 2013, the trail had been redeveloped!
What's more, I wasn't too keen on doing the return trip via the same route!
Have a good day.

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Thank you for this comment, which nevertheless warrants a remark on my part. It is clearly stated in red in the introduction that access is impossible in the manner described.
Enjoy your future hikes.

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Microbe123
Microbe123

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

I can confirm the major landslide after crossing the D994g: it is impossible to access the cave, whose entrances can be seen approximately 20 metres away. Disappointing.

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beber05
beber05

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Avoid points 4 to 5 when accessing the cave, as the path has collapsed at the top of the route.
Can be done from Val des Prés but it is a long route.

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manu4x405
manu4x405

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did the walk – anti-clockwise – and it was a very pleasant surprise. You can tell how much work and research you put into it. Thank you, and thank you to our favourite app, without which the walk would have been limited to an hour.
Regarding the sand ravine, a safe route across it begins to emerge about 100 metres downstream (elevation 1,500)
Best regards
Marie and Manu

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gras.raymond@orange.fr
gras.raymond@orange.fr

we do them during the month of June

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Many thanks for this important feedback, but:
- on Wednesday 26 July (when I learned of the collapse of the path in the Vallon des Sables), I mentioned that it would be advisable to reverse the direction of this hike. This also implies that the circular route is difficult to complete, as I only refer to the cave in this warning.
This is mentioned in red in the introduction to this outing.
It also appears in the first message at the bottom of this forum.
As for the inaccuracy of the description and route from (4), I am very sceptical on this point. The signs indicate the cave and there is only one path.
But once again, thank you for your message and your vigilance.
Anecdote: While hiking in Névache these days, I noticed each time I drove by that many vehicles are parked in the car park on the side of the road leading to the cave. It would also be a good idea to send this message to the municipality of Val des Prés so that they can take action on this route.

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bibi
bibi ★

Thank you for your feedback. If you have any additional information to clarify point 4, we would be grateful to receive it and will endeavour to incorporate it into the description.
Kind regards

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come
come

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The torrent has severely disrupted access to the cave. This area has become difficult to navigate.
The description of the hike is unclear at point 4.

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michelebl
michelebl

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

What a wonderful discovery, this cave!

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