La Pierre Percée from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx

de fr

This is an additional and original way to access the Pierre Percée, a marvel of the Dauphiné region. The site overlooks the entire Matheysine area and offers magnificent views of all the surrounding mountains.
After climbing through the forest, the route opens out onto meadows, and the descent to the Motte d'Aveillans is clear.

Details

n°29079771
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.59 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 379 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 386 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,270 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 899 m
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

La Pierre Percée from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx - 29079771
From the summit
La Pierre Percée
From the summit

Description of the walk

Park in the car park next to the Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx cemetery.

(S/E) Return to the village by following Rue des Quatre Fontaines until you reach a crossroads with several directions.

(1) Turn left onto Rue du 8 Mai 1945, then left again onto Descente de la Chapelle. Cross the main road and continue straight ahead down the path. Walk along the gardens and you will come to another road which you must cross. Continue along the path opposite, which begins to climb, to cut across the bend and reach this road again.

(2) Take it to the left for about 200 m, then take a path on the right that climbs into the forest. You will reach a crossroads with several directions.

(3) Turn right onto the path that follows the ridge line, take it to the right and continue climbing, ignoring the paths that descend to the right and then to the left.

(3) Cross a track, continue straight ahead and you will reach a crossroads of tracks at the edge of the forest. Turn right and you will soon reach the Pierre Percée, slightly below.

(5) Take the wide path on the right. Enter the forest, cross the Ruisseau des Ayes stream, and keep left at the next Y-junction. You will reach another crossroads after the barrier blocking the path.

(6) Go around the hairpin bend, leave the track and find the path that descends to the right towards the power line and follow it. You will come out at the picnic area in the hamlet of Les Taverdons. Continue straight ahead to reach the D113 in the hamlet of La Mayrie.

(7) Cross it, pass in front of a wash house and take the path opposite. At the next crossroads, keep to the right, following the sign for Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx, and stay on this path parallel to the D113 to arrive at the hamlet of Molaret after a slight descent.

(8) Continue slightly uphill, with the Ruisseau de Vaulx stream on your right, to reach the entrance to Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx.

(9) Take Rue des Gantiers, pass in front of the town hall before returning to the crossroads you passed on the way there.

(1) Retrace your steps to return to the cemetery car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 968 m - Cemetery car park
  2. 1 : km 0.29 - alt. 967 m - Crossroads of the circular loop
  3. 2 : km 1.03 - alt. 997 m - D113b
  4. 3 : km 1.92 - alt. 1,125 m - Crossroads on the ridge
  5. 4 : km 3.36 - alt. 1,244 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 4.58 - alt. 1,217 m - Pierre Percée
  7. 6 : km 5.64 - alt. 1,133 m - Crossroads barrier
  8. 7 : km 7.2 - alt. 944 m - D113
  9. 8 : km 9.08 - alt. 915 m - Le Molaret
  10. 9 : km 10.03 - alt. 963 m - Rue des Gantiers
  11. S/E : km 10.59 - alt. 968 m - Starting car park

Notes

Between (3) and (5), the path can be very muddy.
(7) Shelter and water available.

Worth a visit

At La Motte d'Aveillans, you can visit the mining museum, which traces the history of coal mining on the Matheysin plateau.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Chyber
Chyber

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, gentle walk, perfect for getting back into hiking after the winter break. The elevation gain is fairly low, the section through the forest isn’t too long, and you reach the top of the ridge before catching sight of the Pierre Percée (with a lovely view). This is the third route we’ve taken to the Pierre, and this one isn’t bad at all.

Machine-translated

romanche
romanche

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello, we did this beautiful hike, which was long and interesting because it offered beautiful views of the ridges and the pierced rock, but also on the descent to La Motte d'Aveillans (Vercors, including Mont Aiguille and Grand Veymont) and a beautiful view of the snow-covered Senepy. However, I gave it a 4 for reliability because we had a problem at the start, between 1 and 2, which I will describe as it could happen to others: "turn left onto Rue du 8 Mai 1945" OK, then "turn left again at the Chapelle descent" OK, but there is a road on the left before that (Descente du Curé) and you can only see the sign for the Chapelle once you reach the bottom, but it's not the reviewer's fault if the sign is almost illegible. However, there is a problem after that: "cross the main road and continue straight ahead down the path. Walk along the gardens and find a new road that you have to cross." TB. "Continue on the path opposite, which starts to climb, to cut across the bend and reach this road again." So we reach this road and, as indicated, we "take it to the left for about 200 metres and look for a path on the right that climbs into the forest". We find it strange that this road descends without any signs, but anyway... In fact, we met someone from the area who explained that we had to continue along the path uphill to a third road, which was the right one! Thank you in any case for this very beautiful hike. Françoise

Machine-translated

nathalie
nathalie

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Many sections through woodland, which is good in hot weather but less ideal for admiring the view
Suitable for children (who are used to walking)
Easy hike, suitable for dogs
Beautiful panorama at the pierced rock
Easy parking at the starting point
I'm deducting one star for the lack of views and the few sections of road, but this hike is still enjoyable and easy.

Machine-translated

ctou
ctou

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful views.
To be enjoyed in all seasons.

Machine-translated

Pat le breton
Pat le breton

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, easy hike through the woods, certainly longer than starting from La Motte d'Aveillans but much less crowded. Also ideal on hot days (which are sure to be frequent in this region).

Machine-translated

emilie.M19
emilie.M19

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A good route for a hot day as it is mostly in the woods, with a steady climb, not much road, a pretty stone arch and water points for dogs.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Circular route around the three peaks of Conest

Visorando member
Boucle des trois sommets du Conest
↔17.55 km ↗+900 m ↘-908 m ◔7h 35 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This lovely circular route leads to the Conest (or Conex or Connex) summit plateau, which is a vast area of pasture. Although the climb may seem a little long, it is very pleasant and a magnificent reward awaits the hiker once at the top: a 360° panorama offering views of the Belledonne, Taillefer, Grandes-Rousses, Dévoluy and Vercors mountain ranges. The ‘Difficult’ rating is due to the combination of distance and elevation gain, both of which are significant.

Walking Beauregard from Le Villaret and return via Les Arnauds

Visorando member
Beauregard depuis le Villaret et retour par les Arnauds
↔11.61 km ↗+627 m ↘-628 m ◔5h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Jean-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This hike is a real treat for the eyes, with the summit of Beauregard in the Connex offering a sweeping panorama of southern Isère and all the surrounding mountain ranges, particularly the Laffrey Lakes. This circular route also allows you to discover the small, typical hamlets of the Matheysine region.

Walking Peaks of Beauregard and La Peyrouse

Visorando member
Sommets de Beauregard et la Peyrouse
↔7.23 km ↗+342 m ↘-344 m ◔3h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Notre-Dame-de-Vaulx (Isère)
This relatively short and easy hike takes you to two modest peaks offering magnificent views of the surrounding mountains. It also takes you to one of the largest mountain pastures in the department.

Walking Circular route around the lakes of the Matheysin plateau and Pierre Percée

Visorando member
Lacs du plateau matheysin et Pierre Percée en boucle
↔14.54 km ↗+387 m ↘-388 m ◔5h 15 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Saint-Théoffrey (Isère)
A fairly easy hike to discover three of the four lakes on the Matheysin plateau and one of the wonders of the Dauphiné, the Pierre Percée. The route is well signposted and marked, partly in the shade and offering beautiful views of the Matheysin and the surrounding mountain ranges (Obiou, Vercors).

Walking La Peyrouse

Visorando member
La Peyrouse
↔9.75 km ↗+734 m ↘-736 m ◔4h 55 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from La Motte-Saint-Martin (Isère)
This walk in Matheysine offers a splendid 360° panorama of the Chartreuse, Belledonne, Vercors and Dévoluy at the summit. Best enjoyed on a very clear day to get the most out of it.

Walking The three Matheysins Lakes

Visorando member
Les trois Lacs Matheysins
↔11.98 km ↗+227 m ↘-222 m ◔4h 05 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Pierre-Châtel (Isère)
A beautiful hike where, on the way there, you will walk along the shores of the Pierre-Châtel and Pétichet lakes with a short detour to see Lake Laffrey, and return via the Cholonge ridges at the foot of the Grand Serre.

Walking Circuit from Pierre Percée to Lac de Pierre-Châtel

Visorando member
Circuit de la Pierre Percée au Lac de Pierre-Châtel
↔14.72 km ↗+576 m ↘-566 m ◔5h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Pierre-Châtel (Isère)
This circuit, which takes you twice through Pierre Percée, one of the seven wonders of the Dauphiné, allows you to enjoy the view of the mountains bordering the Matheysin plateau and takes you around Lake Pierre Chatel.

Walking La Pierre Percée from Pierre-Châtel

Visorando member
La Pierre Percée depuis Pierre-Châtel
↔5.55 km ↗+285 m ↘-286 m ◔2h 25 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Pierre-Châtel (Isère)
Follow the legend of the Pierre Percée (Pierced Rock) on this short circuit that will take you to one of the seven wonders of the Dauphiné.

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.