Le Brousset and the Durance Valley

Park in the car park alongside the Route d’Italie, opposite the church on the other side of the road.

(S/E) Facing the church, turn right to walk alongside the road, then turn right again to reach the ice rink, where the path bordering the Bois du Prarial begins. At the three-way junction at the end of the second water reservoir, keep to the right.

(1) Take the path that climbs to the right: the one on the left, which slopes gently downwards, leads to the Collet Vert. Follow the valley up to a flat area at an altitude of approximately 2,070 metres, where several paths meet.

(2) With your back to the Bois du Prarial and facing south, take the path furthest to the left, which runs halfway up the slope of the Brousset. There are stunning views of the Chaberton and the summit of the Loubatière. Continue to the next junction.

(3) Take the path that climbs to the right up to the start of the Rocher chairlift. Navigate the right-hand bend and carry on to the top of the Brousset chairlift.

(4) Head down towards the headwaters of the Durance. Enjoy the stunning view of the cirque at the headwaters of the Durance and the fortifications overlooking them opposite. You can make out the Fort du Janus.

(5) Carry on to the right, ignoring the access to the water reservoir, and continue the descent to the confluence of the springs.

(6) Begin the final downhill section along the left bank of the Durance.

(7) Carry on along the forest track. There is an alternative route at this point: see Practical Information. Reach the hairpin bend to the left.

(8) Leave the track and take a path on the right which runs alongside the Chalmettes télémix. Pass the tennis courts on your right, cross Rue du Bois de Sestrière and continue straight ahead to reach the télémix departure station.

Turn right, go under the bridge on Rue des Chalmettes and continue straight on to reach the departure car park (S/E).

No drinking water available. Shelters at the chairlift stations. Standard hiking kit.

(7) There is an unmarked alternative route to the right: rather than following the forest track shown on the route, which is a bit monotonous, walk along the Durance on the right-bank path, marked with black dashes on the IGN map. You can take a short break here. Then rejoin the route at (8).

Saint-Maurice Church: this church was built in the 18th century and features a lantern on the south-east-facing façade of the bell tower. The oil lamp was used to guide travellers towards the Col de Montgenèvre in conditions of reduced visibility.

On the Brousset path: you soon reach a moraine plateau (see photo with additional comments) which opens up the horizon to the north-north-east as far as Mont Chaberton, which rises to 3,131 m (Italian engineers levelled the summit by 7 m to build an artillery battery there). It was destroyed during the Second World War by French artillery positioned behind the ridges overlooking the cirque of the Durance’s headwaters! This destruction operation required months of preparation and absolute secrecy to deploy the French batteries and carry out the ballistic calculations made by officers from the École Polytechnique to ensure the shells hit their target! The flora is abundant and varied (see photo), with plenty of burrows, particularly in the wind-felled woodlands.

Nearby

(1) A lovely walk to the Collet Vert, where pillow lavas rise to over 2,500 metres. They alone are worth the detour and… the effort involved: the final slope is a bit steep, sometimes over scree, but not dangerous. They are very easy to spot thanks to their characteristic shape, formed along mid-ocean ridges at depths of several thousand metres. Through plate tectonics and the Alpine orogeny of the Tertiary period, these solidified magma flows were thrust up to this summit; their exposure at the surface is unique in the world. Continue the hike to Le Chenaillet and possibly further. It is a challenging hike that takes just under a day.

The military fortifications mentioned are open to visitors on certain days. Enquire at the Montgenèvre Tourist Office, which also organises a tour of the blockhouses, bunkers and a French dam belonging to the Maginot Line – a very interesting tour led by a local historian.