The Col de la Buffe from La Palud

Parking is available on either side of the D526 near the sewage treatment plant in the hamlet of La Palud, situated between La Paute and the Col d’Ornon.

(S/E) Head towards the bend, cross the bridge, then take the path on the left starting at the roadside: there is a signpost. Follow the stream, which has left signs of flooding, and pass the first hairpin bend.

(1) A few dozen metres further on, take the path on your left which starts with a hairpin bend, without being led astray by the wide track leading to a barn and a meadow.This yellow-marked path then heads north-east into a beech forest of century-old trees, leaving no room for confusion.

(2) At the junction, turn left to begin a series of hairpin bends where you can appreciate the work of our forebears in the dry-stone walling, as well as the old, enormous tree trunks, their exposed roots holding the earth in place on the second bend, signalling the approach to an old, abandoned hamlet in the Taillefer massif: Le Puy d’Oulles. The climb is steep in this section: 20 per cent!

(3) Then follow the signs for “Oulles”. A little further up, as you continue along the yellow markings, a signpost on the left indicates the Crête de la Brèche (1,730 m) 1.2 km away: a possible round trip with an additional 300 m of ascent. Carry on straight ahead and, at the junction, take the wide, tree-lined path which opens out further on to the village of Oulles and Le Cornillon. This unique path has been carved out of the rock, and its left-hand side is a white cliff face that glistens in the morning sun. Continue to the next fork.

(4) Look up to spot, high up on the left-hand side, a wayside shrine perched above a rock. Ignore the path on the right leading down to Oulles (signposted) and keep left on the main track, which follows the contour line towards the Combe du Collet. Continue until you reach a junction with a signpost indicating a multitude of directions

(5) Leave the path you have been following and take the one climbing to the left towards the Col de la Buffe, signposted as 1.2 km away. You are now entering the Taillefer Natura 2000 site, and there are 300 metres of elevation gain remaining to the Col de la Buffe. The first third of the climb is through woodland, whilst the final 200 metres are out in the open across the mountain pasture. With the sky in your sights, a path winding through the valleys, gentians, a barren landscape, two trees… A small plot of land with a high fence stands out in this area and raises questions. It is, in fact, there to protect a local spring. Continue to the pass, which marks the highest point of the hike.

(6) A 360° view is a must here: the Taillefer (2,857 m), the Col d’Ornon, the Col d’Ornon ski runs, the Grand Armet (2,791 m), the Tête des Fétoules, the Meije, the Râteau, a glimpse of the Aiguilles d’Arves, the Grandes Rousses (Alpe d’Huez), the Grand Galbert, and so on. Then head towards Ornon to descend via the GR® 50: marked with red and white signs. The Grenonière car park and the village of Ornon serve as landmarks on this very steep descent, which eventually leads onto a wide track.

(7) Head down to the left towards the car park. The stony track overlooks a sheer schist cliff face which you cannot see if you take the shortcut along the path. Old black slate quarries, cut into steps and in operation in the 17th century, remain visible on the left-hand side of the track you are following: see the viewpoint marked on the IGN map. Continue to the car park and head down to the hairpin bend.

(8) Head down the path opposite to reach the mast and its small outbuilding situated on a bend.

(9) Head down the path opposite towards the village of Ornon: restored houses, a washhouse where you can quench your thirst, a church and its thick surrounding wall. Make your way to the church.

(10) Turn left onto the path: signposted ‘la Palud’. Walk through a meadow where the gate is open, despite the presence of livestock, which has taken refuge in the forest during this summer period. About 400 m further on, stick to the path heading uphill: the path heading downhill, which might seem to cut this small detour, is a real quagmire. Head towards La Palud Village and walk down to the D526.

(11) Continue carefully to the left along the D526 departmental road, watching out for cars and the many cyclists climbing the Col d’Ornon. Return to the car park at the sewage treatment works (S/E).

Water sources: Ornon village and La Palud village.

(3) Le Puy d’Oulles (1,426 m) is a former hamlet of which only the walls remain. It was inhabited by mountain dwellers and farmers who made their living from livestock farming and working the nearby slate quarries. Rural depopulation gradually emptied this isolated hamlet in the 18th century.