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In Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, take the small road heading east from the town hall square. Follow it to the hamlet of Perquelin, go past the village and find a fairly large car park (there is space for around 20 cars).
(S/E) We begin the walk by continuing east along the road. A barrier (fortunately) prevents cars from going any further. We begin to climb, passing two hairpin bends, and arrive at a sort of cirque.
(1) We cross a stream and immediately leave the path to take a small trail on the right that climbs steeply. You can stray a little from the path to take a look at the source of the Guiers (waterfall - round trip). Our path finally leads to a wide forest track.
(2) We turn left and leave this track shortly afterwards (60 m) to take a path on the right. It's a steep climb... There are no problems with orientation, we follow our path which passes in front of a cave, then runs along the foot of a limestone ridge before finally climbing up to the limestone plateau of the Chaos de Bellefont. We leave a path that branches off to the left and come out onto theGR®9, which runs from Saint-Amour in the Jura department to Saint-Pons-les-Mûres in the Var.
(3) We take theGR®9to the left, following the red and white markings, to arrive at the Cabane de Bellefont at the foot of the pass.
(4) From the hut, we can see the beautiful grassy slope that leads to the pass. Turn right, no problem except for the drop.
(5) At the pass, enjoy the 360° view.
From the Col de Bellefont, we can see the rocky peaks of the Granier directly north.
Turn back to the pass.
(4) Once back at the hut, we have two options:
- either return by the same route we took on the way up,
- or return via the Col de la Saulce, a much more regular route and, in my opinion, preferable. It is this second option that is described on the map. In this case, we take the path that heads north-west. It quickly crosses a small scree slope and joins the Col de la Saulce.
(6) We turn left towards Perquelin (there are signs). The descent is obvious and even if you come across other paths, there is little risk of getting lost if you follow the yellow markings. If the season is right and you keep your eyes peeled, you may see some magnificent lady's slippers.
(7) At the intersection, turn right and continue downhill. Cross a stream and you will come to another fork.
(8) Leave the path that branches off to the left and turn right downhill. You will arrive at the cirque where you started.
(1) We continue straight ahead on the road and return to our car park in Perquelin (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Very difficult 
Association / Club / Walk leader
Tourism professional
