La Tête de Plate Longe

Route starting from Larche for lovers of flora and fauna.

Details

74541
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.69 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,100 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,105 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,776 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,668 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the centre of Larche.

(S/E) Descend towards the Ubayette and reach the bridge that crosses it.
Turn left onto thePR® trail, which quickly climbs into the forest. Follow the signs for Tête de Plate Longe at the first intersection; the return trail arrives from the left at this point.

(1) The path climbs for a long time through the forest in a westerly direction, then south-westerly.

(2) Once out of the forest, the path climbs to Pas des Manzes, where it intersects with the return path and the path on the right that climbs to Tête de Plate Longe.

(3) Continue climbing on a faint path, keeping an eye out for cairns.

(4) Once at the summit, I advise those who are prone to vertigo (and others, for that matter) not to get too close to the edge overlooking the Abriès torrent 1,200 metres below.
Retrace your steps to Pas de Manzes

(3) Turn right at the Pas des Manzes intersection.
Continue the descent through the Vallon des Vaches.

(5) Continue until you reach the fork in the road from the outward journey.

(1) Turn right and follow the same route as on the way up to reach the centre of Larche (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,676 m - Larche Centre - Ubayette (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.76 - alt. 1,783 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 3.16 - alt. 2,322 m - Exiting the forest
  4. 3 : km 3.55 - alt. 2,406 m - Pas des Manzes (2407m)
  5. 4 : km 4.5 - alt. 2,750 m - Tête de Plate Longe (2790m)
  6. 5 : km 7.67 - alt. 2,058 m - Vallon des Vaches
  7. S/E : km 9.69 - alt. 1,677 m - Pont de l' - Ubayette (river) - Tributary of the Ub

Notes

Standard equipment for hiking above 2,500 m.

Worth a visit

The wooded area was full of flowers in early July, with lots of rhododendrons.
Between the end of the woods and the Pas des Manzes, we heard black grouse but did not see them (2).
Just before the summit, you can see many fossilised footprints in the rock, which appear to be marine fossils (4).
At the summit, you can see Lac des Sagnes below on the left and Jausiers and Barcelonnette on the right.
On the way down, at the edge of the woods, we spotted a young chamois resting under a larch tree (5).

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

4.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
pouget yves
pouget yves

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Quite a difficult but interesting hike; the return via the hut is more challenging with a flock of sheep and a rather long descent.

Machine-translated

REG&JJL
REG&JJL

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed on 2 August 2018. Starting from Larche, the climb to Pas de Manzes takes you through a beautiful larch forest. The climb is steep until you reach the cirque before Pas de Manzes. We spotted two vultures before starting the climb to Plate Longe. Magnificent 360-degree panorama.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Ah, OK, thank you for clarifying that.

Machine-translated

marie.heyries
marie.heyries

No mistake on your part or mine!
I mention that the larch trees have regrown their needles (which have not yet fallen) to reassure the person who was concerned about the damage caused by the grey moth.
Happy hiking!

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Marie. Heyries
In October, larch trees tend to lose their needles, unless I'm mistaken
Enjoy your future hikes!

Machine-translated

marie.heyries
marie.heyries

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 08, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike under blue skies.
The larch trees had regained their needles and glistened in the sun.
We saw several chamois and the landscape was magnificent.
However, the climb is tough: you need stamina and strong legs, but the reward is worth it.

Machine-translated

oryx38
oryx38

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A lovely route in good weather. I set off from the Marmottes campsite (bridge and trail along the Ubayette river), saw chamois at the small pass of Font Rate, beautiful view from the summit. The descent from the Pas des Manzes to the Vallon des Vaches requires caution. Thank you for this guide.

Machine-translated

ardechom
ardechom

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike; thank you to the author for this wonderful suggestion.
We saw two chamois and a ptarmigan (which we easily identified thanks to its distinctive call).

Machine-translated

gillesmo
gillesmo

Glad you enjoyed it. Thank you for your comments.

Machine-translated

JC Robert
JC Robert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike!
Once you cross the little bridge over the Ubayette (200 metres from the start), you're immediately in the thick of it: it's a steep climb!
The forest seems to be slowly recovering from the tortuous climb. There are practically no rhododendrons this year, but there are many martagon lilies and huge flower beds.
Superb scenery at La Tête.
The return journey may pose some problems for people with knee problems, especially from La Tête to Plan des Manzes.

Machine-translated

gazok54
gazok54 ★

Thank you, Tadorne, for this lesson on the grey larch leaf roller. What a nasty creature! Luckily, larch trees know how to defend themselves, and next year they will be green again.

Machine-translated

tadorne
tadorne
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

To celebrate the arrival of summer, I went on this hike! The start of the hike from the village of Larche was difficult: the larch forest has been devastated by the larch budworm. Imagine the disaster: trees covered in brown thorns. In 2016, everything will return to normal because the insect only returns every nine years.
That said, after the forest, magnificent valleys await you before the sublime panorama at the summit.
It is a very beautiful hike.

Machine-translated

nini05!
nini05!

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 23, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike in autumn, with a fairly steep climb at the start over a golden carpet of larch needles, then upon arriving at the mountain pastures, a herd of chamois awaits us... and the final panorama is a real reward!

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

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.