Le Grand Roc

Magnificent ridge walk between Mont d'Orisan and Grand Roc. On one side are Les Bauges and its highest peak, Arcalod (2,217 m), and on the other is the Mont Blanc massif, passing through Beaufortain, Vanoise, La Lauzière, Belledonne and on to the Aiguilles d'Arves. A very beautiful hike.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.90 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,061 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,053 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,814 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 809 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Take the Col de Tamié road (D201c) via Frontenex, Tournon and Verrens-Arvey.
There is a small car park on the left of the road, 400 metres after the place called "Sous le Col".

(S/E) Take the wideGRP® trail of the Massif des Bauges, marked in yellow and red, which climbs westwards into the forest. Cross the Propraz and Gorges streams. The slope then becomes steeper and the trail heads north before passing at the foot of the very rugged south face of the Parc du Mouton.
You will then come out onto the mountain pasture and reach the Col du Haut-du-Four.

(1) Stay on theGRP® opposite, then turn left to reach the Chalets du Haut du Four. Continue left, leaving the GRP®.

(2) Return to theGRP® and head south. Climb up through the gap in the forest until you reach the ridge. Continue to the crossroads at a place called La Charmette.

(3) Leave theGRP® and turn right onto the ridge towards Mont d'Orisan.
Note: from here, the Grand Roc route is no longer signposted.
Reach Mont d'Orisan.

(4) Continue along a long path on the ridge, which is full of dips and bumps, until you reach a trail junction.

(5) Continue to the right to reach the summit of Grand Roc.

(6) Descend to the previous crossroads.

(5) Take the path on the right, which quickly winds to the left, to reach the Chalets d'Orisan. Here you will find the GRP®.

(7) Follow the path on the left to reach the Charmette crossroads you passed on the way up.

(3) Keep to theGRP® opposite to reach the Col du Haut du Four crossroads again.

(1) Turn right to return to the car park where you started (S/E) via the same route you took on the way there.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 809 m - Car park after the place called Sous le Col
  2. 1 : km 2.89 - alt. 1,519 m - Col du Haut du Four
  3. 2 : km 3.35 - alt. 1,546 m - Chalets du Haut du Four
  4. 3 : km 3.76 - alt. 1,615 m - La Charmette
  5. 4 : km 4.46 - alt. 1,736 m - Mont d'Orisan
  6. 5 : km 5.28 - alt. 1,761 m - Crossroads towards the Grand Roc
  7. 6 : km 5.84 - alt. 1,814 m - Le Grand Roc
  8. 7 : km 7.36 - alt. 1,585 m - Chalets d'Orisan
  9. S/E : km 11.9 - alt. 810 m - Car park after the place called Sous le Col

Notes

Water source in summer at the Chalets du Haut du Four

This route passes through multiple protected areas, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

(1) Col du Haut du Four: enjoy the beautiful panorama of the Parc du Mouton, Pointe de Chaurionde, Pointe de la Sambuy, Pointe d'Arcalod and Mont de la Coche.
(6) Grand Roc: from the summit, marked by the remains of a wooden cross, there is a beautiful view of the Chaîne de Belledonne, the Bauges peaks, the Vallons de Bellevaux and Orgeval, the impressive east face of Mont Pécloz, Mont d'Armenaz and the Arpette ridge separating these two peaks.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
Rolfran
Rolfran

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The trail from the start to the Haut du Four pass, which was very muddy in May, was dry at the beginning of July. At La Charmette, we opted for the trail down to the Orisan chalet before climbing up to the ridge and continuing to the Grand Roc. This allowed us to enjoy the scenery better on the way down via the ridges.
During the climb, we encountered a herd guarded by impressive but non-aggressive dogs.
A very beautiful hike that I would recommend doing in June to enjoy the exceptional carpet of flowers.

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Charlie 38
Charlie 38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike with magnificent views of La Lauzière and Mont Blanc.

The route is well marked and easy to follow.

I highly recommend it!

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sempervivum
sempervivum

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Snowshoe hike, 30 cm of snow, round trip via Mont Orisan, using GPS. The climb is tough. The section through the forest after point 3 would have made me give up if it hadn't been for the pre-existing trail left by a hiker. Only saw one trail runner... and a chamois. Beautiful ridge trail with views of Mont Blanc and Bauges Intérieure. Completed at a leisurely pace in 7 hours. To be repeated in summer...

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Didine73
Didine73
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The descent between the Orisan chalet and the Haut du Four pass can be daunting for those who are afraid of heights.

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defayet
defayet

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent panorama, part of the route between 3 and 4 is not very well marked.

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Blin
Blin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A steep, continuous climb to reach the Haut du Four pass, followed by a much gentler ascent along the ridge to the Grand Roc, where you can enjoy a truly superb 360° view, including a monumental vista of the Arcalod.
A very beautiful hike without any difficulty (cables, aerial trail, etc.) that I highly recommend to any good walker.

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Bisserain73
Bisserain73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice outing.
Snow between (1) and (4) then between (5) and (7); this complicates things a little, as the GRP or unmarked section is a bit difficult to follow, but with the map, GPS and description, it's manageable.
The panoramic views from the ridge trail are well worth the effort.

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Vagau73
Vagau73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A challenging start to reach the Haut du Four pass. The hike continues without much difficulty (unless the ground is wet, as it was that day, with slushy snow making the ground very muddy).
Unfortunately, we didn't get a view of Les Bauges because the weather wasn't on our side (fog at the summit). It's a beautiful walk with a nice climb to spice up the hike.

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