Le Gicon via the Combe des Chèvres ridge and the north face ledge

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An exceptional view from the summit of Gicon!

Details

n°119944
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.68 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 762 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 752 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,075 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,329 m
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Photos

Climbing up to Le Gicon
L'Obiou and the Vercors in the background
The small pass
Le Grand Ferrand

Description of the walk

Leave your vehicle in the Hauts Gicons car park, near a pylon.

(S) Retrace your steps for about 400 metres.

(1) At the buildings, take the first road on the right. This road turns into a track; follow it and, at the fork at around 1379m, take the left track. Continue along this track; it will take you to an elevation of 1516 metres. Follow the well-marked path that will lead you to the hut at an elevation of 1607 metres. I only saw the hut once I had passed it because it is hidden by trees.

(2) Climb up in numerous zigzags as the slope is steep and you will come out on the Crête de la Combe des Chèvres at an altitude of 1788 metres. From there, the view of Lac du Sautet and the Plaine de Pellafol with the Chaîne du Vercors, Taillefer, Belledonne and Ecrins mountains in the background is breathtaking.

(3) Follow the ridge to the right, towards the small "pass" below the Gicon cliff.

(4) Cross the steep slope below the north-east cliff of Gicon. This section requires careful attention. Join the ridge coming from Col de l'Aup.

(5) Turn right and climb up the ridge towards the cliff.

(6) A few metres below the cliff, a clear path allows you to reach the south face of Gicon. From there, it is easy to reach the cairn marking the summit at 2,086 metres. The summit offers exceptional views. The northern part (already mentioned), Le Pic Pierroux and the Faraut range, Le Col de Rabou, Bure, Le Rocher Rond, Le Grand Ferrand, La Tête de l'Aupet, La Tête de Lapras and L'Obiou complete this description.

(7) The descent is on the western side of the mountain pasture. You will quickly find a path that passes near Piéroux (1827m), follow it.

(8) At an altitude of 1659m, it moves away from the cliff, enters the woods, goes around Le Piéroux and joins the path that leads to the climbing site. Turn left and return to the car.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,361 m - Hauts Gicons car park, near a pylon.
  2. 1 : km 0.4 - alt. 1,330 m - Crossroads
  3. 2 : km 2.71 - alt. 1,595 m - Cabane
  4. 3 : km 3.48 - alt. 1,779 m - Crête de la Combes des Chèvres
  5. 4 : km 4.11 - alt. 1,924 m - Small pass
  6. 5 : km 4.51 - alt. 1,925 m - Arête du Col de Laup
  7. 6 : km 4.76 - alt. 2,020 m - South-facing path
  8. 7 : km 5.07 - alt. 2,034 m - Le Gicon
  9. 8 : km 6.46 - alt. 1,657 m - We leave the cliff
  10. S/E : km 7.68 - alt. 1,362 m - Hauts Gicons car park, near a pylon.

Notes

No markings. Only to be attempted in good weather, as some sections require caution due to the slope.

There are no technical difficulties.

Worth a visit

On the way back, stop at Mère-Eglise: René Demaison is buried in its cemetery.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.9 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
TrisranVDB
TrisranVDB

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

This is a challenging hike, with more than half of it off-trail.
The climb to the Combe des Chèvres ridge (after point 2) is more difficult than it looks, with a steep slope and juniper trees. Then, although the ridge itself is not difficult (but it is still off-trail), the passage under the north face of Gicon is impressive, especially with a light dusting of snow to make it even more challenging. It would be easy to be caught out, at the end of the season for example, with the south-facing slopes free of snow and the north-facing slopes still snow-covered.
At point 5, I couldn't find the path marked on the OpenStreetMap Rando map, so I continued "as best I could" (but still off the trail and straight up the slope) to reach the east ridge of the Gicon, where we finally found a path to the summit.
After the summit... still no trail! It only becomes obvious a few hundred metres below. At that point, it becomes good but still difficult, descending straight down the slope.

In short, a beautiful hike with magnificent views on the ridge, at the summit, and on the descent, but a very leg-breaking hike.

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emmanuelsanchez27670
emmanuelsanchez27670

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A hike with truly magnificent scenery.
Much of it is off-trail. The climb to the crest of the Combe des Chèvres is quite difficult. The exceptional panorama is well worth the effort.
Be careful, as it is sometimes necessary to enter a sheep pen. Fortunately, the sheep and their guard dogs were far away.

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Sticot
Sticot
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This was my first hike in Dévoluy, and it turned out to be a real favourite.
The view from point 3 after the climb and from point 4 is sublime.
The background of my profile photo was taken during this hike.
The climb is through grass and can be a bit challenging.
A few vultures watched me at the start of the descent, but unfortunately for them, this part of the trail is not difficult and they did not have the opportunity to feast on my carcass.
Photos taken that day https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XhmNch0ln/

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Wonderach
Wonderach

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike with magnificent views of the Dévoluy, Ecrins and Oisans peaks and Lake Sautet. The hike is not marked along the route, but this is not too much of a problem as you can see the main stages from a distance.
The section where you need to be particularly careful, behind the cliff, is a bit tricky if you're afraid of heights. There are several paths, but they are more like "goat tracks" and very steep, so it's difficult to know which one to follow, but it's doable. Personally, I'm prone to vertigo, but I got over it by looking ahead and not wasting any time! ;-). It took me 5 hours, including quite a few breaks, as there are lots of viewpoints from which to admire the landscape!

Oh yes, at the very beginning of the hike on the path after the tarmac, I also encountered two large sheepdogs in the sheep pen, which kept barking at me. As the enclosure (which is just a piece of netting) was right next to the path and several sheep were huddled together on it, I had to make a small detour underneath. Luckily, otherwise I would have had to give up for fear of seeing the sheepdogs jump the fence.

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Don't be sorry, J. Pierre, it'll be for next time.

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jipe8484
jipe8484

Hello
I didn't go on the hike because of the bad weather on Saturday. Sorry.
J. Pierre Gilles.

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cyrilledegraveson
cyrilledegraveson

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We combined the hike with Petit and Grand Brechon, which makes for a very beautiful route.
The pass before Gicon offers a shaded platform on the east side with an ideal view for a short break. Finding the path to the top of Gicon is not easy, but there aren't 36 solutions!

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ageo
ageo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful afternoon hike. Off the beaten track. Requires good navigation skills and balance. Done with the trail, a Crosscall Trekker X1 and LocusPpro. Beautiful views.

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nonolerobot
nonolerobot
• Edited:

I know La Bergère personally. She has a difficult job and is very friendly to polite hikers (which is not always the case).
You don't have to be an experienced hiker to see that there is no path between the hut and the goat ridges; you just have to look up (a GPS is good, but it's not everything).
As for the descent from the summit of Gicons, west is to the right. And there, unless you jump into the void, you can't miss the path that descends and passes close to Pieroux.
As for the flies and horseflies, neither Visorando nor I can help you.
I am 76 years old and I did this hike in 5 hours, with numerous stops to admire the scenery and take photos, not to mention a snack break. So 4 hours of actual walking seems realistic to me.
Best regards and happy hiking.

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MANUDECABRIES
MANUDECABRIES
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello,
A walk that almost ended badly. On the way up to the ridges (near the hut), just as a flock of sheep was coming down the mountain, we had a big scare when two guard dogs (Patous) charged at us. We managed to handle the situation calmly and coolly. In the end, we made it to the ridges, where the view is splendid. Unfortunately
we couldn't find a path either uphill or downhill (from the cabin to the bottom of the Pieroux cliffs, but luckily the GPS track was good). Despite everything, the landscape was magnificent, but we were eager to get back because we were being devoured by flies and horseflies. Allow 5½ hours for an average walker, not 4 hours.

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jjo
jjo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We combined this hike with the Petit Brechon and Grand Brechon hikes.
Magnificent panoramic views along the entire route.
The path leading to Petit Brechon is now well marked and signposted (mountain biking).
From Petit Brechon to Grand Brechon, the path along the cliff is easy to follow at first, but then disappears (or at least we lost it).
To see the shepherd's hut and his caravan (elevation 1607), you must climb to the summit of the Grand Brechon.

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