The Col du Liorin from Les Sables

A pleasant short route that can be done on foot with children or on snowshoes, depending on the season.

Details

807159
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.14 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 129 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 135 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,243 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,094 m

Photos

Description of the walk

From Bois Barbu, continue south along the main road. At the exit of the hamlet of Les Sables, park in the car park in front of the tourist information signs. Coming from Valchevrière, park in the car park located before the entrance to the hamlet of Les Sables. This car park has around ten spaces.

(S/E) Walk down 50 metres along the access road to Les Sables. Turn right onto the path which initially appears to enter the property, then veer slightly to the left (signposted Les Montauds - Col du Liorin). This path, lined on both sides mainly by rows of ash trees, climbs steadily until it joins a road leading to the houses of Les Montauds. Leave the hotel on your left and take the grassy path that runs alongside the hotel grounds on your left (the stone path also joins the road, but it is less pleasant).

(1) When you reach the road, turn right and continue along this tarmac road.

(2) Pass the Col du Liorin and continue straight ahead (ignore the road on the left that leads to Corrençon). The road ends at a picnic area on the right.

(3) Enter the undergrowth opposite. Descend steadily along this path, ignoring the trails and tracks on either side.

(4) At the signpost on the left indicating the direction of Corrençon, turn sharply to the right.
Continue along this main path, ignoring all the paths branching off to the right and left.

(5) When you reach the forest track, turn right and continue to the crossroads with the road. Follow this road downhill for a few metres until you find a path on the left leading into the woods (signpost indicating Les Sables). Continue along this well-marked path to reach the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,131 m - Bois Barbu station car park
  2. 1 : km 0.71 - alt. 1,178 m - Turn right onto the tarmac road.
  3. 2 : km 1.91 - alt. 1,230 m - Col du Liorin
  4. 3 : km 2.67 - alt. 1,240 m - Opposite the end of the tarmac road
  5. 4 : km 2.9 - alt. 1,238 m - Signpost for Corrençon, on the right at an acute angle.
  6. 5 : km 4 - alt. 1,148 m - Forest track, right for 100m
  7. S/E : km 5.14 - alt. 1,131 m - Bois Barbu station car park

Notes

Wear sturdy footwear despite the ease of this route.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
pierreantoine
pierreantoine

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

pleasant little stroll

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Chout
Chout

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Before point 5, when leaving the path, you must descend to the left before joining the forest road.

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Popeye83 66
Popeye83 66

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A short, easy hike for everyone, suitable for families with young children.

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dougere
dougere

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A short, easy walk, ideal for getting some fresh air.
The only problem is the location of point 4 on the map. Fortunately, the description is very clear, and we turned right at the junction with the sign pointing towards Corrençon. With the app, this junction is further ahead than on the map.

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faber38
faber38

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really cool walk with little elevation gain. A small section is on the road to the pass, but there is no traffic to worry about (we only saw two cars!). The scenery along this road is magnificent!
Highly recommended for families. SUPER
Thanks to those who listed it.

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Celinedrome
Celinedrome

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Short, easy hike to warm up, mostly shaded

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francois_lyon
francois_lyon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very accessible route, perfect for recovering from the Pic St Michel climb the day before!
We did it in reverse, which meant we could do the whole climb in the shade.
Lots of people and cars at the pass (Sunday in July!).
We descended via the tarmac road, which wasn't unpleasant (nice view and a chance to stop at the Auberge des Montauds with its shaded terrace).

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patrickdeullin
patrickdeullin

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The description is incomplete on one essential point:
Just after the start, the signs indicating "3"es Monteaux" disappear.
You must take the path on the right, just after the property. Otherwise, you will embark on another hike to Valchevriere, which is also very pleasant, but not at all in the same direction.
It is urgent to make this correction to prevent many hikers from continuing to make the same mistake.

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Pylh
Pylh

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
A pleasant hike, shaded for most of the way.
No particular difficulties except for parking, but this allowed us to easily locate the start of the trail just to the left of the Petit Bois lodge.

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Christophe PEZET
Christophe PEZET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant drive!
There is a bit of tarmac road to climb up to the pass, where you need to be careful as some cars drive to the picnic area.
Otherwise, it's a very peaceful, easy walk with plenty of shade towards the end.
Perhaps it would be clearer to say that the start is at the Bois Barbu cross-country ski centre rather than "at the exit of the hamlet...".

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alejandramu
alejandramu

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The spot was lovely: shaded, easy for children, as described in the guidebook.
However, we couldn't find the marker described in the guidebook: in the end, we couldn't find the Col du Liorin with these explanations. The map was too vague and the explanations didn't match (from the place called Bois Barbu).
It was a shame, but it was still pretty: we reached the Valchevrière viewpoint from the gently sloping woods.
Alexandra

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arielle&francois
arielle&francois

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The explanations were precise. We didn't do the entire walk, as it's full of trails, so we turned off a little before point 4 on the map, which brought us closer to the starting point on the Valchevrière road. The route is 5 km long. A lovely, pleasant walk when the sun is shining!
Arielle & François

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