Le Pas de l'Âne starting from Monêtier-les-Bains

de fr

This hike will take us to the border between the Serre-Chevalier ski area and the Écrins National Park. The Pas de l'Âne offers an interesting view of the Agneaux mountain.

Details

n°136192
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.69 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 3,327 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 3,307 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 8,209 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4,954 ft
Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Photos

At a donkey's pace

Description of the walk

(1) At the Charvet car park, take the path on the left (GR®54marked in red and white). It climbs through the undergrowth alongside a stream on our right. The path is well marked and clearly signposted. We cross the stream for the first time, then a little further up, a second time, to find it on our right.

(2) When you come out of the woods, you will reach Bachas, the arrival and departure point for many chairlift cables. The Pas de l'Âne is signposted on the right, but I did not follow this direction. Continue on theGR® which branches off to the left and then very quickly to the right and continues along a rather unpleasant track.

(3) A little further up, we leave theGR® to take a track that branches off to the right. It turns into a path and leads us to the Pas de l'Âne. We then enter the Écrins National Park.

(4) Cross the Pas de l'Âne to descend into the Montagnolle valley. This much wilder section is cool and pleasant. Continue without difficulty towards the Grand Tabuc torrent, leaving the path that branches off to the left into the scree and leads to the Col des Grangettes.

(5) You leave the Écrins National Park and continue your descent on a pleasant path along the Grand Tabuc torrent.
Leave the first path on the left that leads to Les Grangettes, then quickly another path on the right and continue to the first footbridge that crosses the torrent.

(6) Cross this footbridge, pass two paths on the left and reach a second footbridge.

(7) Turn right to cross the stream again. The path turns into a track that will take you back to the starting point.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,954 ft
  2. 1 : mi 0.02 - alt. 4,987 ft - Charvet car park, departure point
  3. 2 : mi 2.28 - alt. 7,073 ft - Le Bachas, follow the GR54
  4. 3 : mi 2.8 - alt. 7,530 ft - Take the track on the right.
  5. 4 : mi 3.55 - alt. 8,192 ft - Pas de l'Âne
  6. 5 : mi 4.6 - alt. 6,490 ft - Vallon du Tabuc, exit from the Parc des Ecrins
  7. 6 : mi 6.23 - alt. 5,213 ft - First footbridge on the left
  8. 7 : mi 6.36 - alt. 5,112 ft - Second footbridge on the right
  9. S/E : mi 6.69 - alt. 4,954 ft

Notes

To get to the starting point:

From Briançon, take the D1091 towards the Col du Lautaret.
Drive through Le Monêtier-les-Bains. Just before the sign indicating the end of the town, take the road on the left, then after the bridge over the Guisane, turn left. Finally, take the small road that branches off to the right between two car parks. Drive along a residential area of chalets on your right before arriving at the Charvet car park.

This hike does not present any particular difficulties. Those who are sensitive to vertigo may be a little impressed at the Pas de l'Âne.

Bring water bottles with you, as there are herds of cows and I doubt that the water from the stream is drinkable.

You are hiking in the heart of the Ecrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a rare natural, cultural and landscape heritage. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, where regulations must be observed. Please familiarise yourself with these rules when preparing for your hike in order to preserve this collective asset, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Downloads
Open in the mobile app
Download GPX GPX
Download PDF PDF

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.4 / 5
jefparent
jefparent

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We preferred to do the hike in reverse (and we didn't regret it!), partly to enjoy the splendid climb up the Grand Tabuc valley and then the Montagnole valley, and partly because it allowed us to come back down on the Bachas chairlift.

Machine-translated

Robdo
Robdo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike over varied terrain, climbing through the shade of the woods, which was very welcome, then reaching the Pas de l'Ane via an easy winding path. The descent was a little more difficult due to recent landslides and the melting snow, which had increased the depth of the stream, but we easily kept to our planned schedule.

Machine-translated

polpez
polpez

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, done in magnificent weather.
The scenery is truly picture-postcard perfect.
Nothing to report, except between points 4 and 5: be careful on the path, which disappears just after crossing the Pas de l'Âne, as there have been several landslides in addition to the snowfield. The descent can become slippery and dangerous for about a hundred metres.

Machine-translated

aspttrando
aspttrando

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The climb in the morning in the shade is very pleasant, the descent from the Pas de l'Âne is a little steep... but the valley is so beautiful that you won't regret coming!

Machine-translated

adubout
adubout

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant walk that starts off gently before becoming steeper as you approach Bachas.
Lovely scenery with undergrowth and a stream running alongside.
Disappointment at Bachas when you see crowds arriving on the chairlift (it's best to leave early to get there before the crowds).
The climb to Pas de l'Ane is easy, as is the descent on the other side, although it is steeper and in a superb valley.
At the footbridge (altitude 1,700 m), we turned off towards Les Grangettes to break up the monotony of the trail, which we thought was a nice alternative.

Machine-translated

mauricejeannine
mauricejeannine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Although we didn't go as far as Pas de l'Ane, I'm leaving this comment to let those who, like us, didn't want to cross Pas de l'Ane know that the walk to Vallon de la Montagnolle is very pleasant and offers a lovely route along the Grand Tabuc as well as a beautiful view of the glaciers. We walked along the right bank of the Grand Tabuc to Vallon de la Montagnolle, where we climbed a little towards Pas de l'Ane. We stopped at 2,200 metres and returned via the same route, which was very easy. Do not take the left bank of the Grand Tabuc: we saw walkers coming from that side of the stream (probably from Les Grangettes) and it appears that part of the path has collapsed, forcing them to cross the stream well before the planned crossing point, when the flow was quite strong. Those with long legs and/or daring were able to cross the stream by jumping from rock to rock, while others had to undress to wade across in the icy water!

Machine-translated

cllae
cllae

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

For the lazy ones, I recommend using the Bachas chairlift on the way up, which takes you directly to the GR trail and then the path up to Pas de l'Ane. The climb to Pas de l'Ane is a little steep but not too bad, however, the start of the descent towards Tabuc is challenging and requires a little attention. Once you're down near the stream, everything is fine!

Machine-translated

bernardino
bernardino ★

Some comments are also disappointing. Especially regarding the use of our beautiful language.

Machine-translated

jack71
jack71

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing

spent their time in the forest

Machine-translated

Alibegoud
Alibegoud

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 11, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

It is best to do this route in the suggested direction, as most hikers do it in the opposite direction, going up the Tabuc valley. We took a different route to climb up to the Pont de l'Ane bridge, and the path is easy to follow, following the red Cibouit ski trail and leaving it at a right-hand bend.

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

Walking Circular Sagnières and Grangettes starting from Monêtier-les-Bains

Visorando Member
Boucle des Sagnières et des Grangettes au départ du Monêtier-les-Bains
↔3.42 mi ↗+1,020 ft ↘-994 ft ◔2h 30 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
A very pleasant walk through the woods, offering the chance to discover the chalets of Les Sagnères and Les Chambrettes.

Walking Walking along the Guisane river from Monêtier-les-Bains

Visorando Member
↔4.92 mi ↗+282 ft ↘-282 ft ◔2h 30 ▲Easy
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
This is a walk that could be called an aperitif if done early in the morning, or a digestif if done early in the afternoon. It is of course possible in all seasons, either on foot or with snowshoes.

Walking Monêtier-les-Bains - Vallouise

Visorando Member
Monêtier-les-Bains - Vallouise
↔12.62 mi ↗+3,307 ft ↘-4,285 ft ◔8h 40 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
E10th stage lasting 8 hours, covering 21 km, with 1,000 m of ascent and 1,200 m of descent. A very pleasant stage with no technical difficulty, offering magnificent views of the Barre des Écrins at 4,100 m and the very impressive Pelvoux at 3,900 m. For the more adventurous, there is the option of taking a detour to climb up to Lac de l’Eychauda by leaving theGR® 54 at the Col de l’Eychauda. The stage ends in the village of Pelvoux, which, despite the fatigue, is well worth a quick visit.

Walking The Cime des Conchiers at the start of the Monêtier-les-Bains trail

Visorando Member
La Cime des Conchiers au départ du Monêtier-les-Bains
↔4.05 mi ↗+1,463 ft ↘-1,463 ft ◔3h 10 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
A pleasant walk above the large village of Monêtier, famous for its hot springs and ski resort.

Walking The Conchiers tour via Puy Jaumar

Visorando Member
Le tour des Conchiers par Puy Jaumar
↔4.77 mi ↗+1,588 ft ↘-1,591 ft ◔3h 35 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
A short, unpretentious walk, best done in spring, on foot or with snowshoes depending on conditions, with a good chance of encountering ibex and/or mouflon.

Walking Circular Ibex loop via Puy Jaumar and Puy du Cros

Visorando Member
Boucle des bouquetins par le Puy Jaumar et le Puy du Cros
↔5.54 mi ↗+2,585 ft ↘-2,549 ft ◔4h 50 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
A very beautiful walk that can be done in all seasons. In winter with snowshoes, in spring with a few snowy sections, and the rest of the year with ease! Enjoy the wonderful views over the Serre Chevalier valley above the village of Le Monêtier-les-Bains. Admire the Écrins and the Col du Lautaret at the bottom of the valley. Enjoy the wildlife, keeping an eye out for ibex and marmots. A true paradise where ibex are very numerous at various points along the hike! You’ll pass through mountain ledges, forest, plains, chapels and alpine hamlets.

Walking Arsine Lake

Visorando Member
Le Lac d'Arsine
↔9.61 mi ↗+3,127 ft ↘-3,130 ft ◔7h 10 ▲Difficult
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
The Lac d'Arsine, which has been split in two for several years, nestles in the cirque formed by the Agneaux and Neige Cordier mountains and is a real gem.

Walking Lac de la Douche from Le Casset

Visorando Member
Lac de la Douche depuis Le Casset
↔4.98 mi ↗+1,319 ft ↘-1,319 ft ◔3h 25 ▲Moderate
⚑Departure from Le Monêtier-les-Bains (Hautes-Alpes)
A classic family hike. Most of the trail is in the forest, sheltered from the sun, except at the end of the trail to reach the lake. The trail runs alongside the Parc des Écrins and enters it in places. Please note the National Park regulations, in particular the ban on dogs, even on a leash (see the notice at the start of the trail).

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.