The Belvédère de l'Ecolu

Date of your route : May 05, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a refreshing walk through the woods, fairly easy, well marked as it is a GR trail, and a very beautiful view at the summit.
completed in 5/25, with lots of caterpillars on the trail (box tree moth). I recommend this family-friendly walk.

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Date of your route : Feb 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant, varied and easy walk, perfect for getting ready for spring.

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Date of your route : Sep 30, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route for beginners to trail running.

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Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent day and a route that suited our needs: I am 75 years old and my son (45) carried the picnic.
The light in the undergrowth was beautiful, as were the views. The reviews from previous hikers proved to be accurate: the orientation tables were in good condition. Thank you!

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Date of your route : May 23, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Easy walk in the woods of Les Echelles. This outing offers a beautiful view from the Sainte Madeleine chapel. The route is very suitable for children. The duration is just right. It took us 3 hours (including a snack break).
My GPS shows 8 km without any detours. The trail offers a variety of vegetation and a small stream at the end. Thank you!

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Date of your route : Apr 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant walk in the forest with beautiful views and points of interest with explanatory signs, which we really enjoyed.
It is important to take note of the additional information provided by never4nr. After point 4 and a descent into the forest, there are no more GR markings, only a yellow and green marking, which we followed by turning left at a right angle onto an uphill path to reach the Les Échelles par Combe Noire sign.
Thank you for this route.

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Date of your route : Jun 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, refreshing walk! A nice view at the end.

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Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An interesting hike, particularly on the Béatrix de Savoie loop, as the view from the Sainte Madeleine Chapel is particularly beautiful. The section between the chapel and the viewpoint is unnecessary: it mainly serves to lengthen the hike, but is not particularly interesting (still in the forest, with a less beautiful view of the Chartreuse, in my opinion, but it does allow you to reach an alpine pasture). The walk mainly follows forest trails, with short sections on forest roads.

A few comments on the route:

• The start between the car park and the actual start of the hike is not particularly well signposted: you have to climb up to the cemetery, follow the dead-end tarmac road on the left and take the forest road with a barrier at the end on the right (stage 1). After 100 metres, you will see the first yellow sign (at the point marked 431 metres on the IGN map).
• The section between stages 3 and 4 is not very clear, probably because trees have been cut down recently. Follow the path and the trail to reach a recently cleared glade with several forest paths. Go down to the left and take the second forest road on the right downhill: you will see mountain bike markings and a directional stake at the fork, but more importantly, a yellow sign in the distance on this second forest road (just before stage 4). According to the IGN map, the GR9 makes a detour, which I may have missed. The trail indicates that you should go almost straight ahead, but this is incorrect. There is a real bend to the left and then to the right, as shown on the OSM and IGN maps.
• The Belvédère de l'Ecolu is higher than the track shows, as it is along the road (with two picnic tables, one of which has a broken bench, a single bench and an orientation table support with a missing map).

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Lovely walk with our granddaughters. Just as advertised. Thank you for this wonderful day, Visorando.

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Date of your route : Jan 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk to do in good weather to enjoy the beautiful views from the Madeleine Chapel

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Hello, and thank you very much for clarifying that.
It should indeed be Madeleine, correction made.
Have a nice day

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Date of your route : Sep 30, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A peaceful and pleasant walk with the added bonus of information panels (Sainte Madeleine chapel, millstones); very well-marked trails with scenic viewpoints; it's a shame that the orientation table at the Ecolu viewpoint is broken, only the stand remains...
NB: it is the Sainte-Madeleine chapel and not Sainte-Marguerite as indicated in the description (point 1).

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Date of your route : Oct 01, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A pleasant half-day hike

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Date of your route : Aug 12, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did this hike on a very hot day, it was perfect!

highly recommended for everyone

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Date of your route : Aug 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Thanks to the description of a trip through the woods, I took this walk in summer, on a day when a heatwave had been declared. It was an opportunity to eliminate toxins by sweating, but it was still very pleasant! On the way there, there was a series of short but steep ascents and descents! On the way back, when you turn right just before the chapel, the path descends gently all the way. Just when you think you're about to rejoin the road at the end of the circuit, the path winds its way parallel to it, still in the shade.
Beautiful views and vegetation that is sometimes surprising on a hot day: trees covered with moss.

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