Mont Rachais via La Bastille and Mont Jalla, returning via La Tronche

Park in the Esplanade car park near the Porte de France, or along the Quai de France, or, on the other side, in the Art Museum car park.

(S/E) To the left of No. 60 Quai Perrière, take Rue Maurice Gignoux, which passes under a building’s archway and leads to the Musée Dauphinois and the Rabot student accommodation.
Pass the entrance to the Musée Dauphinois, located at the third bend in the road, and continue uphill.

(1) About a hundred metres past the museum, take the street on the right. Pass the former Dolomieu Institute (under renovation until 2022) then the Institute of Alpine Geography (a large, abandoned building, covered in graffiti and squatted in) and continue straight on to join the Bastille track which climbs up from Porte Saint-Laurent.

Follow the red and white markings on this path uphill to the first bastions.
Cross them via underground staircases, passageways and vaulted walkways to reach the fortified curtain wall, which offers beautiful views of the city.
Continue to follow the red and white markings to reach the Bastille, between the upper cable car station on the left and the restaurant on the right.

(2) Go straight on and pass under the north-west gate to the left of the Chasseurs Alpins building. Follow the road which descends slightly then climbs gently alongside the car park situated slightly higher up on the right.
Turn right at the end of the car park, then turn left at the sign for Mont Jalla onto the wide, stony path, which is closed by a barrier and overlooks the Père Gras restaurant on the right.

Continue uphill on this track (five hairpin bends), ignoring all the paths branching off to the left or right. At the first hairpin bend, follow the track to the left signposted towards Mont Jalla.

(3) You’ll reach a platform where various elements of the Mountain Troops Memorial are located. Enjoy the beautiful views over the Isère valley and the Vercors. Head back the way you came, ignoring the fairly wide path leading straight ahead as well as the first path on the left, and take the second one, also on the left.

(4) At the signpost indicating, amongst other things, the Relais de Roche-Bise, continue straight on and follow the^GR®9route (red and white markings). The path runs through woodland and quickly gains altitude.
Ignore all paths to the left and right marked with red and white or yellow prohibition crosses. The path opens out, runs alongside a fence and offers fine views over the Haut-Grésivaudan valley and the Belledonne range, then turns back into a track. Keep going straight on.

(5) Take the path on the left signposted Mont Rachais. Follow this path to the ridge and continue to the right towards the summit.

(6) From a rock at the summit of Mont Rachais at 1,046 m, admire the view over the Haut-Grésivaudan and the Belledonne range. Unfortunately, there is very little view towards the Chartreuse due to the trees. Continue straight on along the path which descends gently through a beech forest.

(7) At the crossroads, take the path on the right (which is not signposted) and descend to a large building in good condition, which you go round to the left of. Follow the access path to the building on the left, then take the path on the right about 150 m further on.

You’ll come to a track; follow it to the right. At the first hairpin bend, about 200 m on (a place called La Bergerie), leave this track and take the one that continues straight on to Bec Aigu.

(8) Leave the track at the sign for “La Tronche Mairie” and take the path that descends to the left. Follow it down the numerous hairpin bends to the Bec de Corbeau crossroads.

(9) Take the path opposite, which quickly turns left on the descent and is signposted “La Tronche Mairie”. This path is quite steep and eventually leads to the first houses on Chemin de Noyarey. Follow this road to the left until you reach Chemin de la Vierge Noire.

Follow this road to the right for about 350 m downhill until you reach Chemin du Coteau on the right. Follow this new road for 470 m until you reach the start of a path (signposted) leading down to the left.

(10) Take this path, which leads onto Chemin de la Basoche; turn right onto this road and follow it to Chemin Saint-Jean (the road leading to La Bastille). Turn left and head downhill to La Tronche Town Hall.

(11) Turn right and head down the Grande Rue (D512) to the banks of the Isère (Quai des Allobroges) and take the first bridge on the left (Pont de Chartreuse). From the bridge, views of Mont Rachais and Saint-Eynard can be seen by turning your head to the left.

Follow the Isère along its left bank to admire the view of the buildings on the opposite quayside, at the foot of the Bastille.
Take the third bridge on the right (Pont Marius Gontard) to return to the starting point (S/E).

Bar-restaurant at La Bastille (open weather permitting) and a souvenir shop also selling drinks to the right of the cable car station entrance.
A few metres past the viewpoint (8), there is a fountain on the right on the downhill path.

The tracks and paths are always clearly visible, easily passable and pose no particular danger. However, there are a few sections on rocky ground which can be slippery in wet weather. The path following the ridge of Mont Rachais can also be quite muddy.

Please note that Mont Rachais is never signposted before the point (5)

From the point (9) and more specifically from the junction with the Chemin de Noyarey, it is possible to descend directly to La Tronche Town Hall via paths that cut straight across the slope between the houses. However, as the first section is quite steep, I felt it was better to stick to the less steep streets for the rest of the way to give your joints a break!

There are several routes up to the Bastille:
- Via the Jardin des Dauphins at the Porte de France.
- Via the Musée Dauphinois (the route taken on this itinerary).
- Via the Montée de l’Orme, which starts at the Lion Fountain.
- Via the Porte Saint-Laurent.
- Via the cable car gondolas.
In all the above cases, you arrive at the cable car’s upper station and the panoramic restaurant.
Note that the route via the Jardin des Dauphins is the most original, as it runs both through and along the fortifications!
- By road from La Tronche town hall
This route leads to the car park located above (and to the north of) the Bastille site.

At the Bastille site, head up to the restaurant’s roof terrace for views stretching from Mont Blanc to the Vercors, leave the children at the adventure park (tree-top adventure course), visit the temporary exhibitions, and head to the Mandrin Caves...

At the Mont Jalla site, as well as the view over the Isère valley, Grenoble and the Vercors, you can also see the various monuments and information boards about the Mountain Troops and the remains of an old cable car that was used to transport materials for the Vicat cement works