The Crossing from Le Casset to the Col du Lautaret

Park your vehicle in advance at the Col du Lautaret car park.
Return to Le Casset and park in the large car park before the hamlet when approaching from Monetier.

(S) Walk through the hamlet and take the footbridge over the Guisane to rejoin the red and white markings of^{the GR®54}, Tour de l’Oisans.
Follow this^GR® route all the way, starting on the mountain pasture track to the Pont du Clot du Gué and then on to the footbridge over the Petit Tabuc.

(1) Continue along the track, which soon becomes a path, until you reach Lac de la Douche.

(2) Cross over the stone embankment. After a steep climb, reach the Plan du Réou d’Arsine, where the slope levels out almost completely.

(3) Leave the^GR® after the shepherd’s hut and reach a crossroads marked by a discreet cairn.

(4) Turn left onto the path leading to the track that takes you to the Arsine lakes and then to the two lakes.

(5) Follow the wide track to the Col d’Arsine to rejoin the^GR®54.

(6) Begin a very gentle descent and reach the crossroads of footpaths.

(7) Turn left onto the path leading to the Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar d’Arêne.

(8) Continue north on this path to rejoin the^GR®54just before the clearly visible weather station. Reach another junction.

(9) Take the path on the right – this is the ‘Sentier des Crevasses’, which skirts the Pyramide de Laurichard. You’ll reach the viewing point.

(10) Continue along this path heading east to reach the Col du Lautaret with ease (E).

There is plenty of water here; simply help yourself from any of the springs that flow upstream along the path.
Shelter at the Alpe de Villar d’Arêne refuge.
(3) Lac de la Douche: the path was relocated to the left bank of the lake a few years ago. The old route through the scree slope ran above the Petit Tabuc torrent, which flows underground along this stretch. The torrent ‘resurfaces’ shortly before the lake, and as it has a very high flow rate, during heavy rain it can sometimes ‘resurface’ much higher up. Crossing at that point had therefore become dangerous, hence the creation of the path on the opposite bank.
(9) Sentier des Crevasses: Please note that this path is regularly maintained by staff from the Écrins National Park; it is in excellent condition and wide, but it is carved out of schist and the gradient is steep. When it rains, it is often eroded by gullies and can therefore be very difficult to navigate. Hikers with little experience of this type of walk should not attempt this route on days of heavy rain or storms.
You are hiking in the heart of the Écrins National Park.
The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a natural, cultural and scenic heritage that is truly unique. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, and certain regulations must be observed within this area. Please familiarise yourself with these regulations on the website whilst planning your hike, in order to preserve this shared heritage.

Monetier-les-Bains and its hot spring.
La Grave and its glacier cable car.