The 45th parallel

Halfway between the North Pole and the equator, this is a fun route for everyone. It is possible to do it on a mountain bike, but be careful in the second part.

Details

168306
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.69 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 211 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 204 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,308 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,141 m

Photos

Description of the walk

When you arrive in Corrençon-en-Vercors, cross the village completely heading south. There are car parks at the foot of the golf course and the lodge (avoid the car park overlooking the golf course, which is reserved for golf course members).

(S/E) From the car park, take theGR®91southwards. This is a stony path that passes between the lodge on the right and a tarmac track on the left reserved for roller skiing.

TheGR® is marked in red and white.

Throughout this first part of the route, which leads to the 45th parallel, follow the signs and arrows indicating this site. Follow or cross the roller ski track in places. The main direction is south/south-west.

(1) At the crossroads, turn left (there is a small chalet slightly higher up on the right). Continue straight ahead, leaving the biathlon stadium on your right.
At Champ de la Bataille, with the golf course on your left, continue along this main track until you reach a crossroads indicating the direction of Chalet du Clarian on your right.

(2) Leave this road and continue straight ahead.

(3) At the Croix de la Messe crossroads, turn right, leaving the next paths on your left and right. In some places, the path climbs steeply and narrows. Pass Les Ravières.

(4) At the Platières crossroads (marked Camp 2), which indicates Lautaret on the right, turn slightly left to reach the 45th parallel site.

(5) Turn around and head back to the Platières crossroads.

Yellow and green markings

(4) Take the path on the left that climbs through the vegetation. Follow the main trail, which is often in the undergrowth. The markings are regularly painted on tree trunks.

(6) When you reach the boundary markers, turn sharply left onto the ascending path. The path is well marked and flat at the beginning, then descends steadily to the Chalet du Clariant. Pass between the statue of the horse and the chalet. Turn left, keeping the chalet on your right. The trail climbs, sometimes difficult to find among the various paths, but follow the yellow and green markings painted on the trees.

(7) At the end of this climb, you will come out onto the main track which descends back to the starting point. Cross the roller ski track twice. At some junctions, stay on the main path.

(1) Turn left and take the path you started on, heading northeast to return to the car park.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,141 m - Car parks near the - Golf de Corrençon
  2. 1 : km 0.51 - alt. 1,164 m - Common junction for outward and return journeys
  3. 2 : km 1.79 - alt. 1,217 m - Start indicating the Clarian inn
  4. 3 : km 2.07 - alt. 1,214 m - Crossroads at the Croix de la Messe
  5. 4 : km 3.03 - alt. 1,263 m - Carrefour des Platières
  6. 5 : km 3.21 - alt. 1,255 m - 45ème parallèle
  7. 6 : km 4.33 - alt. 1,267 m - The sighting markers
  8. 7 : km 5.62 - alt. 1,274 m - Keep to the right when arriving on the forest track
  9. S/E : km 7.69 - alt. 1,141 m - Arrival at the car parks

Notes

The section between the start and (1) is the most exposed to the sun; the return leg is mostly in the woods, except for the section between (1) and the finish.
Bring water and sunglasses.
The tarmac sections and the biathlon stadium are reserved for roller skiing and cross-country skiing training in winter. Take care when crossing these sections.

Worth a visit

The 45th parallel site has plenty of information. A memorial dedicated to the Vercors resistance fighters has been erected here.

(6) This crossroads is worth a stop, as the sighting posts allow you to see the targets on the Moucherolles ridges. Here too, the explanations provided on these posts are useful for understanding these mountain ranges.

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 28 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
User 27005966
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful walk in the snow-covered woods. At the start of the route, the trail was well groomed, but for the last 3 kilometres I had snow up to my knees. A beginner's mistake: I didn't have snowshoes, I set off in my walking shoes.

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gilloua73
gilloua73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

avoid weekends as it gets very crowded.

Otherwise, it's a very nice little hike. Great for children, it's very good and not difficult.

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artmartial
artmartial

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

good hike, pleasant in the forest

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gilberteliane
gilberteliane

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

A short, peaceful walk. Option to make a loop by going back up

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bernardo2607
bernardo2607

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

pleasant hike
no difficulty

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Damiette15
Damiette15

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

No change

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migar
migar

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A nice little loop. We extended it a bit to the Barnier cave.
On the way back, we stopped for a coffee and a lucky hammer and nail at L'Auberge des Clariant (normal for Friday the 13th)

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MATYJAPY
MATYJAPY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This Sunday, the weather was beautiful and there were lots of people at the circuit

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POULIN Gérard
POULIN Gérard ★

Thanks, patball, for this review, which allowed me to revisit a route that has changed significantly since my description in 2015. I have revised the description and added the necessary details.

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patball
patball

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, mostly through woodland (except for the last kilometre), very enjoyable in hot weather . Three useful comments or clarifications
1) At the very beginning of the hike, after the biathlon stadium, when you enter the forest, there is a small path called "illuminés" (illuminated ones) that enters the forest and runs parallel to the path until you reach the "battlefield": a pleasant walk under the pine trees
2) The crossroads at point 2 is now called "Camp 2" (see photo)
3) Before point 5 and after leaving the Clariant chalet, the GPS track veers too far south and does not follow the marked trail. Point 5 is also too far south. The crossroads is called "Les bornes".
Apart from that, we loved not only the symbolism of the 45th parallel but also the views of the Moucherolles.
Thank you to the author for this enjoyable experience.

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gakat38
gakat38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A wonderful little walk in the forest and on the Correncon plateau. A stop for blueberry tart on the way back to the inn was very much appreciated by the children

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gigimam
gigimam

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with few people on this weekday, very interesting culturally, and not difficult

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francette66
francette66

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike without any major difficulties. Shaded sections, which are welcome when it's hot, even in September

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baboutravel
baboutravel
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I really enjoyed this easy walk; we went a little off-trail towards the golf course to avoid the gravel path, which was a little too well-trodden for our liking
The monument at Camp 2 and the 45th parallel were interesting.
the long descent on a wide path is less pleasant after a pretty wild area at Lautaret.
thank you for this Visorando listing

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SCHOEPFLIN
SCHOEPFLIN

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike

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