The Col d'Hurtières circular route via Vararey and the Goulet d'Hurtières

Date of your route : Oct 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, but not always on marked trails
The GPX track was very welcome

Machine-translated

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

.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, thank you!
We enjoyed the contrast between the forest at the start, which was still airy with sparse vegetation, and the open mountain pastures.
We still found snow in several places, but it was still passable. The walking sticks are indeed useful.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : Sep 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful circular route completed in glorious weather. The path was less obvious at point 4 (exiting the forest). But it was fairly easy to find your way with the explanations.
Near the Col d'Hurtières, the cows clearly didn't want to share their domain , so I moved on quickly...
The passage through the Hurtières gorge was less exposed than I had expected. In short, a superb walk, and without too many people in the middle of the week, which was great! Magnificent landscapes.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello, lovely hike.
For the starting point at the Col de La Charmette, there is a sign at the bottom of the pass saying that it is currently closed, but there is no barrier (however, the car park at the top was full when we went up!). You must use the GPX track, as there are no signs or markings and it is easy to get lost. The forest is pretty, but quite long. Bring walking sticks, as it is a bit steep in places. The Varavey meadow is very open and pretty. At this time of year, there is no grazing yet, so there are lots of crocuses! The view of the ridges is superb, with a sublime 360° panorama all the way to the gorge. Quite a few deer with their fawns graze on the grass just below the trail. However, there are already quite a few hikers at this time of year. In summer, the trail must be crowded.
The forest on the way back is very sad. The ground is very dry, and the trees have fallen or been cut down deliberately. It's a shame.

Machine-translated

Date of your route : May 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The Hurtiere Pass is magical.
This hike is a must!
For information, read the previous review, which says it all, especially about the usefulness of walking poles.
I can confirm that the narrow passage is not a problem, except for those who are very prone to vertigo, and even then, because the steep section is very short, is uphill, and does not require the use of your hands.
For us, it was difficult to follow the path between 3 and 4, which is not very visible at this time of year and has no signposts. We arrived directly at the pass without seeing Vararey. Then, after the narrow passage, in the beautiful sharp limestone pavements, due to a moment of inattention, we ended up at the Pas de l'Âne, which is difficult to descend.
But we were delighted with this outing.

Machine-translated

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

Superb hike, magnificent! Done without any problems with a 9-year-old child.
I had my phone with GPS and an IGN map to help me find my way. It's really helpful in some places to reassure yourself.

I would add a few details:
At point 3: there is a sign that is not very visible, a little high up (2-3m), which indicates the Hurtières gorge to the right. At this point, you should actually continue straight ahead.
From 1 to 4, the forest, mainly deciduous, is really beautiful and pleasant.
At point 4, the scenery changes to rolling, hilly meadows. Between points 4 and 5, there are continuous markings all the way to point 5. You just have to make sure you don't lose them. But if you do get lost at this point, it's not a big deal; you just have to climb up the valley to reach the Col d'Hurtières.
At point 5, we made a round trip to the Bannettes refuge. There is a spring and very basic toilets. And the path is worth a look for the view of the valley. It takes about 15 minutes to get there on an easy, almost flat path.
At point 6, strangely, the "Col d'Hurtières" sign is not in the same place as on the IGN map...
Between 7 and 8, it's really beautiful, breathtaking! Being slightly prone to vertigo, I had to sit down to enjoy the scenery, otherwise I would have lost my balance!
The descent after the narrow pass is quite surprising. It crosses a sparse coniferous forest. The rocks and tree trunks, cut on either side, give it an end-of-the-world atmosphere, very different from the climb.

Machine-translated