La Sambue

de fr

This challenging hike takes you through a forest of beech and spruce trees. The trail crosses the remarkable Herbouilly lawn. During the descent from Sambue, we spotted a deer. There are beautiful views of the Saint-Martin valley, the Font d'Urle plateau and the Grande Moucherolle, and don't miss the Vierge du Vercors.

Details

n°148257
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.33 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 508 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 507 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,557 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,191 m
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La Sambue
The Herbouilly spring

Description of the walk

The route starts from the Nordic chalet car park.

(S/E) Cross the road to reach the entrance to the Saint-Martin-en-Vercors communal forest at the Porte d'Herbouilly signpost. Head towards Favier following the GR®.

(1) In Favier, turn right towards Chemin de la Pia.

(2) At Chemin de la Pia, leave theGR® and turn right towards Pas de Saint-Martin, now following the yellow-green trail. Look out for the path climbing up the cliff on the right, marked in yellow and green.

(3) When you reach the paragliding launch area, cross it and follow the path that runs along the cliff towards Herbouilly. From this ledge, you can see the Vierge du Vercors, a rock that has broken away from the cliff.

(4) Turn left towards plot 5. At plot 5, turn right towards Les Tenailles. At Les Tenailles, cross the road and take the path opposite towards Herbouilly.

(5) At Herbouilly, cross theGR® trail and follow the signs to the Herbouilly spring. Pass the spring and enter the woods to reach the Pas de la Sambue. From here, look for the yellow-green markings and follow them. Cross an old forest path and continue up the hill opposite. Stay on the path that climbs to the left. You will come out onto a wide path; follow it to the left.

(6) At Pas de la Sambue, take the path on the right towards Sambue. The path climbs steeply, so keep following the yellow-green markings on the trees to stay on track.

(7) When you reach the top of Sambue, follow the ridge path to begin the descent, following the yellow-green markings to Les Girodines. At Les Girodines, turn left towards Pas de l'Âne.

(8) At Pas de l'Âne, turn right onto the path that descends towards the Roybon crossroads. At this crossroads, take the carriage road on the right towards Roybon. Pass in front of the inn towards Porte d'Herbouilly to reach the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,282 m - Car park
  2. 1 : km 0.8 - alt. 1,200 m - Favier
  3. 2 : km 1.01 - alt. 1,213 m - Path on the right marked yellow and green.
  4. 3 : km 1.49 - alt. 1,277 m - Paragliding take-off area
  5. 4 : km 1.97 - alt. 1,312 m - Crossroads
  6. 5 : km 3.57 - alt. 1,287 m - Cut across the GR
  7. 6 : km 4.67 - alt. 1,445 m - Pas de la Sambue
  8. 7 : km 5.21 - alt. 1,557 m - Sambue (la)
  9. 8 : km 6.77 - alt. 1,435 m - Pas de l'Âne
  10. S/E : km 8.32 - alt. 1,282 m - Car park

Notes

It is advisable to wear sturdy footwear. Take care with children and those prone to vertigo, as part of the route passes along a wide ledge where there is a small shelter.
The route has been recorded on my GPS.
There is a spring on the lawn at Herbouilly, but I do not know if the water is drinkable.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

The Herbouilly Nordic site, 8 km from Saint-Martin-en-Vercors, offers the Nordic chalet, with its tightrope walking nets and, for the little ones, the search for the treasure of Roy Bon, as well as the Roybon inn.

At Pas de Saint-Martin, there is a paragliding launch site that we cross during the hike.

The rock known as La Vierge de Vercors, located in Saint-Martin-en-Vercors. Jutting out from the limestone cliff of Roche-Rousse, nature has shaped a rock about twenty metres high and given it a silhouette resembling that of the Virgin Mary.
This rock is quite difficult to locate and observe. Marked on the road below, it dominates the beautiful valley below. Access to the site upstream of the rock offers an unobstructed view of the surrounding area.

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.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
soual26
soual26

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great course, mostly sheltered from the sun!
The first part can be challenging if you have children or suffer from vertigo. Otherwise, there are no technical difficulties.
The crossing of the Herbouilly meadow took place in a field of flowers taller than us.
Various magnificent viewpoints!
I recommend it.

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Framboise07
Framboise07

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A steep climb up La Sambue. Beautiful views. We did it in the suggested direction and enjoyed the hike.

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Jonas N.
Jonas N.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike with many changing scenery and views. Two or three rather strenuous climbs and the occasional rocky parts. Hiking boots recommended, but nothing too crazy.

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Marc0Polo
Marc0Polo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in August 2023 during a heatwave.
A beautiful hike, mostly in the shade and cool thanks to the altitude. The route is very easy to follow - yellow and green markings, plus single or double red markings on the eastern part of the road. Beautiful views of Saint-Martin, slightly less so from the summit of Sambue due to the vegetation. Aerial passage on the Chemin de la Pia, with the sheer cliff just to the left of the path. The climb requires using both hands to scale the rocks on the path. The climb to Sambue is a little steep, and then you walk along the ridge path, which is not very wide, but otherwise there are no particular difficulties.

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pge92
pge92

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike done with my 11- and 7-year-old children on 16 July.
I extended the route by starting from the Plaine Château Julien car park, which added a few kilometres and some extra elevation. We caught up with the hike on the Sambue climb. The hike is very good, varied between tracks and trails and mostly in the shade of the woods. The section on the corniche before the Vierge du Vercors is really great. We lingered on the Dherbouilly lawn to see the two karstic caves, the one facing south at the edge of the track and the one to the south-west.
Thank you for this hike.

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mimosas13
mimosas13

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful extended hike to the Château-St Julien meadow in the centre of the plateau, where a viewpoint offers a magnificent 360° view of the entire Vercors massif. Lots of forest but brief, superb views. The return via the Herbouilly lawn is typical of the wide open spaces of the plateau.

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pnosree
pnosree

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike. Lots of undergrowth. Few viewpoints.

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Yves K.
Yves K.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with a view of the Vierge du Vercors statue, followed by a walk across the Herbouilly plain. The difficult rating is undeserved; it is more of a medium difficulty hike. Keep children on a lead when passing by the statue. The climb up to Sambue is indeed quite strenuous.

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phil13000
phil13000

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 11, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very pretty views, but not for us that day: fog and clouds all afternoon.
To be redone as soon as possible.

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phil13000
phil13000

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 05, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Unfortunately, yesterday we were in the clouds all afternoon.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

In order not to penalise the author, the post has been reduced to a simple message. Agnès L5 will rate it when she has finished it, which will be better.

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bernardino
bernardino ★

Blimey, the interest in this outing is noted: Disappointing. And yet it wasn't carried out, but highlighted as Interesting.
I admit I'm a little confused by these six words.

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Agnès L5.
Agnès L5.
• Edited:

not yet completed, but interesting

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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.