Le Duffre and La Pyramide from Le Vissac

A beautiful hike across two peaks of the Montagne de Laup, offering superb 360° views.

Details

11171560
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.81 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 718 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 707 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,755 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,056 m

Photos

Description of the walk

To reach the start point from Serres, head towards Grenoble and then, on leaving the town, just before the bridge, turn left towards La Piarre. In the village, turn left towards Le Vissac and park after the last house in the hamlet, at the side of the track.

(S/E) Take the stony track to start the hike. It is about 7 km to the Col d’Arron; the track climbs gently. It is pleasant and mostly shaded, offering some lovely views over the Aiguebelle valley.

(1) Continue straight ahead on the track, ignoring the path you will take on the way back.

(2) Do the same at the hairpin bend and carry on.

(3) The start of the climb up the Duffre is marked by a signpost just before you reach the Col d’Arron. Ignore it and carry on until the track turns sharply left.

(3) Leave the track and turn right. The ascent of the Duffre can be started from this point; there are a few cairns to guide you.

(4) At the summit of the Duffre, take the path on the right which descends towards the Pyramide and then climbs back up to its summit.

(5) Descend the other side of the Pyramide, following the ridge to the path on the right marked by a post.

(6) Take this path and follow it down to rejoin the stony track. Follow it to the left until the second hairpin bend, then head back down to the path on the right marked by a red and yellow sign on a tree (GRP® Tour du Buech).

(2) Take the path, which turns into a grassy track a little further on, until you cross the stony track again.

(1) Cut across this track and continue straight ahead on the grassy path to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,063 m - Parking at the side of the track
  2. 1 : km 3.61 - alt. 1,255 m - Track x Path
  3. 2 : km 4.92 - alt. 1,344 m - Track x Path
  4. 3 : km 6.71 - alt. 1,452 m - Start of the climb up to Le Duffre
  5. 4 : km 7.83 - alt. 1,755 m - Le Duffre
  6. 5 : km 8.21 - alt. 1,721 m - La Pyramide (Montagne de l'Aup)
  7. 6 : km 8.92 - alt. 1,546 m - Crossroads - Signpost
  8. S/E : km 11.81 - alt. 1,065 m - Parking at the side of the track

Notes

There are no water points along the route, but there are plenty of fountains available in the village of La Piarre.

At point (6), depending on the season, there may be cows grazing. Please remember to put the electric fence back in place.

Worth a visit

At the Col d’Arron, there is a picnic table and an open shelter, without heating. It is possible to sleep on the mezzanine floor.

The route can be walked in the opposite direction. You can also start this walk from the village of La Piarre and take the tarmac road leading to Le Vissac. This very quiet road forms part ofthe GRP® and will add 6 km to the total distance.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
eric83
eric83

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

CORRECTION: Snowshoe hike on 22/02/26.
We left the car after the hamlet of Le Vissac (after the last house on the edge of the track).
We put on our snowshoes after the first steep climb.
Very good snow cover throughout the route; easy climb to the Col d'Arron (picnic break).
We then climbed to the summit in about 1 hour and 10 minutes with very good snow conditions.
Magnificent 360° view from the summit (Mont Aiguille, Mont Ventoux, etc.).
We didn't do the Pyramid and descended via the same route we took to climb, cutting straight across the slope (zigzagging on the way up).
A very beautiful route and no other hikers that day. Clear skies and bright sunshine, no wind!

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eric83
eric83

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Snowshoe hike on 01/03/26.
We left the car after the hamlet of Le Vissac (after the last house on the edge of the track).
We put on our snowshoes after the first steep climb.
Very good snow cover throughout the route; easy climb to the Col d'Arron (picnic break).
We then climbed to the summit in about 1 hour and 10 minutes with very good snow conditions.
Magnificent 360° view from the summit (Mont Aiguille, Mont Ventoux, etc.).
We did not do the Pyramid and descended via the ascent route, cutting directly across the slope (zig-zagging on the way up).
A very beautiful route and no other hikers that day. Clear skies and bright sunshine, no wind!

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christine.thomas4
christine.thomas4

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 26, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike.
Beautiful views, a nice climb.
Thank you!

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andemie
andemie

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

We missed the path back... In the end, it was 16 km and 808 metres of elevation gain. The summit of Le Duffre isn’t very well signposted...

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bonnemarche
bonnemarche

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Route completed on 20 August 2022, in glorious weather but cut short around 150 metres from the summit of DUFFRE due to a very strong and bitterly cold wind
The signposting for the route to the summit of DUFFRE was difficult to spot due to the lack of landmarks and the age of the signs

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk that I enjoyed from start to finish.
The weather was superb – sunny and cloudless. Magnificent autumn colours all along the route.
I set off from La Piarre, and that was a good decision, as parts of the road leading to the hamlet of Le Vissac were a bit icy.
So I followed the track as described in the guide to reach the Col d’Arron.
Please note: there is an error in the signposting regarding the climb to Le Duffre. It says 50 mins at the signpost just before the pass and 1 hour 30 mins where the track turns left, 300 metres after the first sign. So I climbed up the mountainside following cairns and small paths. It was a steep climb but not particularly difficult, and took me about 30 minutes. From La Piarre, it took me 2 hours 50 minutes to reach the Duffre. Magnificent 360° views from the summit of the Duffre over the Dévoluy, the Grande Tête de l’Obiou, the Grand Ferrand and the Écrins Massif.
A 15-minute snack break.
I couldn’t find a clearly defined path to get back down to La Pyramide, but you just need to spot the one leading up before starting the descent. Once you’ve come down the other side of La Pyramide, the return journey is very quick. The marked path means you don’t have to take the track again. Back at my car at 3.50 pm, which means the whole hike took me 5 hours. 17 km and just over 900 m of elevation gain.

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