Lake and Cross of Belledonne from Allemont

Park at the Tancoutier car park (shortly after a hairpin bend on the road up to Cotteyssard).

(S/E) From the car park, continue along the road for about fifty metres, keeping an eye on the left to find the start of an old forest track heading due west. This wide track is now overgrown with grass.

Take this track and follow it to its end, without ever taking the few narrower paths that join it. The track crosses the Chabotte path near some old signposts and turns into a steep, winding path heading generally north. Blue markers indicate the route sporadically from this junction.

The path veers westwards and crosses the Ferret path at a point where the latter is level. Continue climbing fairly steeply west-north-west until you reach an OBP210 signpost indicating the direction of Les Chalanches (further up the slope) and that of Allemont (from where you have come).

(1) Behind this, another rusty metal sign points towards the Grande Lance de Domène on the right. Follow this steep, winding path (north-north-west) until you reach a level path above the forest.

Turn right (east-northeast) onto this path and continue to the signpost for the Pierre Assise.

(2) If it is already daylight, a detour via the Pierre Assise offers a fine view (10 mins round trip; follow the direction indicated by the sign). In any case, continue along the level path, now heading north then east, until you reach the Cabane du Chazeau.

(3) At the hut, turn north towards Lac de Belledonne, on the^GR® 549 (Red and White). The path leads back into the forest then through mountain pastures covered in blueberry bushes and rhododendrons, arriving at the easy-to-navigate rock formations of Pas du Bessey.

(4) At Pas du Bessey, take the main path heading due west, which runs along the scree and snowfields in the valley below the Barre des Écus. You will reach a signpost.

(5) Leave^{the GR®} and follow the signposted route to Lac de Belledonne (yellow stripes or blue dots, as you prefer – the blue ones are the old routes, generally less well-trodden and wilder) to the north-west, until you reach Lac de Belledonne.

This section is the most difficult part of the hike and is off-trail.

(6) At the mouth of the lake, cross the gabion-lined section over the Ruisseau du Molard to eventually reach a small lake situated 250m further north-north-east. From there, you can either go round the lake along its left bank, or return to point (6) to go round it along its right bank and admire the view of the western end of the lake. If there is significant snow cover (generally until the end of July), you can cross the western part of the lake over the snowfields.

Before doing so, make sure you have clearly identified the route up to the pass; see the photo and the caption for this photo.

From the western shore of the lake, climb up through the snowfields and scree to the west-southwest to go round the base of a rocky promontory and end up beneath a steep snowfield (scree in late August). Put on your crampons, stow your poles in your rucksack and take out your ice axe, even if the snowfield is thin.

If the snow has refrozen sufficiently, ascend via the first snowfield; otherwise, take the gully slightly further to the right, heading west-northwest. Once past the first narrow section between the rocks, aim to reach the middle of the couloir below the pass and ascend it either on the snowfields if they are frozen, or, failing that, through the unstable, sandy scree.

When the slope steepens, continue over the snowfield towards the pass visible higher up.

(7) At the Col de Belledonne, follow the well-marked path to the right (east) leading to the Croix de Belledonne.

(8) Return to the pass.

(7) Continue straight ahead and look out for the small lake, usually frozen over, beneath the hypothetical high-altitude landing area indicated by the IGN.

The route becomes off-trail again.

(9) From the lake, follow the gentle valley that passes another small lake, usually free of ice from mid-July onwards, to descend south-west towards Lac du Bœuf. Approach the lake by descending through rounded rocks, heading for its western shore.

(10) At the lake, take a detour – if you’re up for it – to a small lake situated 100m further north-west (approx. 20m elevation gain), then return to skirt Lac du Bœuf along its right bank to reach its outlet and descend along the right bank of the outlet, aiming for the gentler slopes on the right (west). A few rocks may require you to use your hands or even your bottom to get past, but the descent is relatively gentle.
Head for the right bank of Lac du Bois below.

(11) Once at Lac du Bois, go round it along its right bank to its spillway. Follow its outlet south-southeast along the right bank, initially through scree, until you reach a rocky narrowing less than 200m past the lake. The rocky escarpment on the right is easily crossed and leads onto a steep scree slope.

Descend this scree (south-southeast then south) until you reach slightly less steep grassy slopes. Continue south to reach the bed of the Torrent du Bâton and, after a long flat section, reach its spillway (stone structure). Cross to the left bank of the torrent if you haven’t already done so.

(12) From the weir, follow the overgrown path which winds pleasantly downwards to the south and then climbs back up to the south-southeast beneath the Roche Berchon promontory. Cables (of little use – if used, watch out for metal splinters) secure a crossing over a ravine before the tip of the promontory. Shortly after the promontory, turn eastwards and arrive at a goods lift station.

(13) Cross the facilities (a tin-roofed building and another, less unsightly one) and take the well-marked but overgrown path which heads off level, towards the north-east. After a ravine, this path winds down in very gentle switchbacks to the south-southeast before heading east again. Shortly after a sign reading “This is my land, this is my hunting ground, I shoot with live ammunition”, join the winding path that climbs back up towards the pretty Chalanches hut.

(14) Turn right (west) to descend generally south-east towards Clot des Ayes.

(15) At the Clot, a sign points towards Allemont (east). Follow this route, which is almost level, and you’ll reach a track leading to the Tancoutier car park (S/E).

This hike is ED (Extremely Difficult) and the following information is essential.

Timing and equipment:

To complete this hike safely in summer, it is essential to set off at night or by moonlight to reach the Pierre Assise at astronomical dawn (1 hour before legal dawn) and benefit from the refreezing below the pass. It takes approximately 2 hours from (S/E) to reach (2) (440m/h). So, for a typical legal dawn at 6 am, you need to park your car just before 3 am.

The necessary equipment therefore includes:

• head torch
• crampons and gaiters
• ice axe
• something to rope up with on the snowfield if you’re not alone
• telescopic poles
• long trousers, even in hot weather

Even though the hike is barely over twenty kilometres, it’s best to allow around twelve hours to fully enjoy the scenery.

Difficulty and orientation:

Depending on snow conditions (whether it has frozen overnight or not), this hike becomes more difficult. If it has frozen overnight, it is of average difficulty for Visorando’s ED hikes, as crampons grip well. If it has not frozen overnight, it is at the upper limit of ED: you must know how to use crampons on mixed terrain to cross the Col de Belledonne.

It is also important to note that the descent from the pass is more daunting and difficult than the ascent; anyone unsure of their abilities will find it hard to turn back once they have started.

However, this remains a hike and does not fall within the usual scope of mountaineering.

The key reference photos are those showing the Col de Belledonne, the snowfield below the Col de Belledonne and the lake beneath the helipad.

Water:
Water is plentiful along this route. It is best to use a filter near the marked trails.

Variations:

• The section past the small lake above Lac de Belledonne is not compulsory (you save 5 minutes by avoiding it).
• The same applies to the small lake above Lac du Bœuf, but the time saved is less.
• The descent can easily be made via Lac du Bâton: at the stage (9), instead of continuing down the slope towards Lac du Bœuf, go round the shoulder of the plateau, keeping level, until you reach the point directly above Lac du Bâton. From there, follow the route to Lac du Bâton: descend the snowfields (or scree in autumn) towards the lake and join this route at its stage (8) to descend to its stage where you rejoin our route between (11) and (12). The advantage of this alternative route is that you can make the most of the snowfields for longer and therefore walk in a single line.

Wildlife:
Ibex and mouflon are commonly found in the ‘off-trail’ areas of this route.

Notes:
The town hall and the residents of Allemont have decided to spell the name of the commune with a “t”, and all signs and notices have used this traditional spelling for decades. The IGN and our central government refuse to accept this and use a “d”.

A “bambée” is a Savoyard synonym for a walk, but in practice it is used to describe a long and tiring outing.