Col de Néal

Col de Néal and the nearby lake are part of many routes on the site. This very easy double circular path allows you to discover them and enjoy the chalets and mountain pastures that precede these places.

Details

4014345
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.13 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 623 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 609 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,541 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,968 m

Description of the walk

Park in the dirt car park after the Brunissard campsite.

(S/E) Take the path at the end of the car park, which follows theGR®5. Cross the forest road that leads to the Eychaillon and Clapeyto chalets. You will reach a new car park at a place called Le Pré Premier.

(1) Leave the road and theGR® and turn left onto the footbridge over the Torrent de la Rivière. Walk along the meadow, following the yellow markings. Pass close to the hillside reservoir and then begin an easy climb between woods and mountain pastures to reach the small pass crossroads.

(2) Keep to the right, pass in front of a chalet and rejoin a wider track. Turn left onto a path marked with yellow markers and rejoin the track leading to the chalets. Cross the hamlet of Clapeyto chalets. Then leave the track to the left and climb an easy slope leading to Montagne de l'Agnelil.

(3) Continue along the good path, still marked with yellow markers, through the mountain pasture, then make a wide left circular turn to reach the Col de Pansier.

(4) Then cross an area of small lakes: Gogoul, de la Favière and Marion to reach Col de Néal.

(5) Stay on the trail to quickly reach a crossroads. Take the yellow-marked trail on the left and begin the descent. Steep at first, then easier, this descent leads to another crossroads in the mountain pasture.

(6) Keep left on the yellow-marked trail to return to the small pass crossroads you passed earlier.

(2) Turn left onto the path you took on the way up, but then stay on the wide track. Find the road leading to the chalets, turn right and cross the Eychaillon chalets. Then find theGR®5and its red and white markings. Begin the descent via wide hairpin bends to reach the Pré Premier crossroads.

(1) Continue along the same route as on the way up to return to the dirt car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,968 m - Dirt car park after the campsite
  2. 1 : km 0.4 - alt. 2,045 m - Pré Premier
  3. 2 : km 1.65 - alt. 2,202 m - Le small pass - Junction of the circular
  4. 3 : km 3.22 - alt. 2,358 m - Montagne de l'Agnelil
  5. 4 : km 4.44 - alt. 2,480 m - Col du Pansier (2251m)
  6. 5 : km 5.43 - alt. 2,504 m - Col de Néal (2509m)
  7. 6 : km 6.88 - alt. 2,350 m - Bosse crossroads
  8. S/E : km 10.12 - alt. 1,982 m - Dirt car park after the campsite

Notes

(2) Beautiful fountain with cool water.

Worth a visit

(5) You can also descend to the right for a few hundred metres to reach Lac de Néal.
(5) You can also continue on to Col de Lauzon and Pic des Esparges Fines

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 10279648

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pretty route with various lakes and not too difficult

Machine-translated

NicoReyrieux
NicoReyrieux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, magnificent mountain pastures around the Clapeyto chalets. Picnic break by Lake Neal, spectacular detour to the Lauzon Pass for the view. Steady climb without too much difficulty.

Machine-translated

User 2193251

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

One of the most beautiful trails starting from Brunissard. From the Pra Premier car park, there is an easy climb before arriving at the Clapeyto chalets, followed by a superb hilly landscape with a few lakes and a pleasant smell of peat. A picnic by Lake Neal is a must.

Machine-translated

YannickV
YannickV

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike, only the return via the track is uninteresting. This can be avoided by taking the same route back. Despite the warning sign, it is easy to park in the car park about 100 metres above the one suggested. Avoid the climb between the two car parks, which is not very interesting, and you will find information boards about the cirque.
The route occasionally deviates from the marked trail but rejoins it, particularly on the descent.
There is a small scree slope on the descent, which should be assessed by those who are afraid of heights, but it does not appear to present too much difficulty.

Machine-translated

MB belco
MB belco

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pretty walk with small mountain lakes. You can extend the walk to the Lauzon Pass in 15 minutes just for the view.
Personally, I prefer the return via Selle Vieille, as the road is uninteresting.
Enjoy your walk!

Machine-translated

Floren
Floren

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike with beautiful scenery.

Machine-translated

User 19143516

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Nice loop with beautiful panoramas.

Machine-translated

bernardino
bernardino ★

Hello, and thank you very much for this information, which I have included in the description and layout.
Have a nice day

Machine-translated

ferrierfsal
ferrierfsal

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A little information about this hike. At point 5, there is no longer a yellow cross on the left to continue, but a passage for the descent marked in yellow.
And at point 6, you can stay on the same yellow-marked trail instead of going up a little to the right and crossing the stream to reach point 2.
A very beautiful hike to do in this direction. We were lucky that there weren't many people around.

Machine-translated

eb91
eb91

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 05, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful walk today, climbing up to Neal Pass via the recommended descent route.
There were lots of people on the descent between the lakes.

Machine-translated

contemple
contemple
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful route, undertaken in somewhat gloomy weather with an almost wintry atmosphere at the pass, but ultimately even more beautiful because of this (especially the lakes near the pass, which were half frozen). A wide variety of ecosystems along the route. The snow cover at the pass forced us to take a shortcut back from the pass (luckily, a group with a guide was there and we followed them to take the best route through the snowfields... thankfully).

One of our TOP 5 in the region

Machine-translated

LaureH
LaureH

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

beautiful hike

Machine-translated

Domdt08
Domdt08

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful landscapes, a series of lovely little lakes.
However, it is quite crowded.
One section is a bit tricky because it's off the trail but used by most hikers. Might take you by surprise...

Machine-translated

nomisimon
nomisimon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike. The return route from Neal Pass follows a path that is currently being repaired. It is a little longer than the original route, but very pleasant, wide and with a steady gradient.

Machine-translated

max83160
max83160

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On the way there, we did not go via Eychaillon, preferring to head for small pass to rejoin the route, avoiding the track. A beautiful hike with landscapes coloured by the numerous rhododendrons in full bloom (end of June)

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.