The Head of Louis XVI

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with a magnificent view at the end. We did this hike with our dog 🐶. Nothing to add for humans, it was great, so focus on the dogs: a long, physically demanding hike with some tricky sections with small, protruding stones/rocks, especially on the descent. Your dog needs to be reasonably experienced. We also had a parish-specific to Brittany, very unpleasant encounter with some patou dogs, which could have ended badly if our dog had reacted. The alpine pasture schedule posted at the bottom is clearly not followed by the shepherds, as it said they would not be there until September.

The hike is still sublime in every way

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Date of your route : Jul 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike covering only a few kilometres but with some fairly steep sections offering magnificent views of the Ubaye, Lake Serre-Ponçon and the Blanche mountains in particular, with sections through forests, large mountain pastures and a beautiful finale to the summit overlooking the Ubaye valley.

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Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. The first part is through the woods. A beautiful section along a balcony. The final climb is a little steep but not long. Superb views throughout the hike and a 360° panorama at the summit 🤩
For your information, the locals have provided a field in the hamlet of Les Clots for parking cars, as well as dry toilets. The track leading up to it is damaged, so be careful if you have a low-clearance vehicle.

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Date of your route : Jul 21, 2025
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 no particular difficulties, including a climb through a shaded forest.

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Date of your route : Aug 19, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful, challenging hike, but not too difficult. Varied panoramic views with a beautiful reward at the summit.

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Date of your route : Aug 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, well-marked trail with a pleasant section through the woods in hot weather, and the view from the summit is a superb reward. The descent is a little more tiring on the knees on the rocky sections.

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Date of your route : Jul 25, 2024
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. The climb is continuous and steady, except for the last stretch, which is a little steeper, to reach the ridge and follow it to the summit.
Panoramic view from the top: Lake Serre Ponçon, all the way to the peaks of the Gap region, Séolanes, and the Barcelonnette valley.
Worth doing again

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

Beautiful hike and magnificent view of the Ubaye Valley.

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Date of your route : Jul 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed in beautiful but cool weather early in the morning. From the large car park at Les Clots, the start is well signposted.
The trail climbs quickly but pleasantly in the shade to 1,850 metres. Then you find yourself in pastures,
and the trail is easier at first. We encountered marmots and five chamois. Then the trail climbs steeply through typical mid-mountain scenery. The view from the summit is splendid. The descent is not too difficult. The trail is well marked.
This is the most beautiful hike I've done in the area this year. I'm very satisfied with this day.

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Date of your route : Aug 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Quite sporty and very enjoyable! The last kilometre is the hardest, but the finish and the view are worth it... pure bliss!
I don't have a great sense of direction, but you can't go wrong on this hike.
There's a small stream between the source and the summit, which my dog really enjoyed!

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Hello pieroblanc,
Thank you for pointing that out. The altitudes have been recalculated.

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Date of your route : Jun 14, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The technical data sheet appears to contain errors regarding the highest and lowest points.
The correct values are 1,418 metres at the lowest point at the car park and 2,408 metres at the summit, as indicated on the attached map.

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Date of your route : Sep 11, 2021
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, but quite physically demanding as it is almost entirely uphill. Pack light if you don't want to suffer too much, and remember that there is a water source about a third of the way up where you can refill your bottles (I drank two litres on 11 September, which was a hot, sunny day).
At point 1, be careful: the barn on the left, which is in poor condition, should not be confused with the ruined chalet.
The ruined chalet can be seen after the alpine chalet, which is in excellent condition.
Between points 1 and 2, after passing Mont Rond, you come out of the woods and arrive at the valley where there are two chalets, one of which is used as a sheepfold: there are sheep and three Patou dogs.
These two chalets could have been included in the description.
Once at the summit, the view is well deserved and I share my picnic with the sheep that come to join me.
On the way back, the three Patous spotted me: one stayed in the middle of the flock and the other two came to meet me. Follow the instructions on the signs along the route: stop and let the dogs get to know you; it only takes two or three minutes for them to assess you.
I should add that you should not look an animal in the eyes or stroke its head: these are gestures of provocation and domination that they do not like and which may upset them.
After these Patous had checked me out, I found them to be very friendly, well-trained and even intelligent, so I was able to continue my walk back through the flock (which was on both sides of the path), at a slower pace so as not to scare the sheep, and also to enjoy this very pleasant encounter.
As for Visorando's question: "In your opinion, was this route very busy?"
The real answer is: yes, there were a lot of sheep...

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Date of your route : May 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike. The trail climbs up an unlikely but beautiful escarpment. From the false pass to the summit, it was snowy. I had to break trail through snow up to my thighs! Very good memories!

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Date of your route : Oct 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this hike at the end of October, and the summit was covered in powder snow.
No difficulty finding your way, the markings are clear.
No particular technical difficulties, except for the last 500 metres in the snow.
Superb view from the summit.

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