The Pic de Caramantran circular

The Pic de Caramantran is an extraordinary destination! This hike takes you on a circular route that also allows you to discover the Col de Saint-Véran. You may see ibex and numerous marmots along the way.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.67 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 581 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 581 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,012 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,570 m

Photos

Description of the walk

On the road to Col Agnel, just before you arrive, park in the car park on the left-hand side of the road, opposite the Refuge Agnel.

(S/E) Cross the road and take the path that passes on the left side of the refuge, which is theGR®58.

(1) Continue on theGR®58marked in red and white, cross a gently sloping grassy section and reach the scree slopes.

(2) This is where the real climb begins. Leave the start on your left and stay on theGR®58to easily reach the Col Chamoussière.

(3) Take the path on the left that heads south and climb the ridge towards Pic de Caramantran. This path is a variant ofthe GR®58. You will reach a fork in the path.

(4) Take the left path to reach Pic de Caramantran and then return.

(5) Descend.

(4) On the way back, follow the path on the left which leads to a rocky passage, impressive from a distance but easy to cross. After this passage, continue along the path to reach the Col de Saint-Véran very easily.

(6) Head west towards the Refuge de la Blanche and descend to a fork in the mountain pasture where a sign indicates the Col de Chamoussière trail.

(7) Take it to the right and follow the yellow markings, which are not very clear. Follow the Rif de Rafanel for a while to reach theGR®58.

(8) Take it to the right to return to Col de Chamoussière.

(3) Take the same route back as you took on the way there, towards the Refuge Agnel and the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,570 m - Car park - Refuge Agnel
  2. 1 : km 0.13 - alt. 2,573 m - Pass by the side of the refuge.
  3. 2 : km 0.78 - alt. 2,630 m - The real start of the ascent is the scree slopes after the - Aigue Agelle (rivière) - Affluent du Guil
  4. 3 : km 2.6 - alt. 2,886 m - Col de Chamoussière
  5. 4 : km 3.16 - alt. 3,004 m - Fork in the road
  6. 5 : km 3.27 - alt. 3,009 m - Pic de Caramantran
  7. 6 : km 4.23 - alt. 2,844 m - Col de Saint-Véran
  8. 7 : km 4.77 - alt. 2,744 m - Fork in the road towards yellow marker
  9. 8 : km 5.67 - alt. 2,811 m - Return to the GR58
  10. S/E : km 8.67 - alt. 2,570 m - Car park - Refuge Agnel

Notes

Good footwear is essential for this hike, as much of it is over scree.
There are no water sources along the way.

Worth a visit

(5) Pic de Caramantran: a truly beautiful view opens up here, with the majestic Viso right in front of you. The landscape from here is truly beautiful. It is a 360° view that allows you to see Mont Blanc, Monte Rosa, Les Écrins, and many other peaks.
You will often find herds of ibex in the vicinity of Col Saint-Véran.

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.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
lanusse-cazale georges
lanusse-cazale georges

Hello
I downloaded these tracks for an eight-day trek this summer. I've done this before and was very pleased with the reliability of the track and the PDF of the route. Many thanks for this invaluable help.
Kind regards.
Georges LC

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Netra
Netra ★

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Stunning surroundings, stunning views!

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Claude-Meignen
Claude-Meignen

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, with plenty of wind!
Mineral!
View of the ibex
Beautiful 360° view from the top of Caramantran
The path between the Sr Véran pass and the Chamoussière pass is not easy to follow, but we didn't get lost!
A quick note about our 14-day stay in Queyras:
We went hiking every day: either the Visorando trails, which were no problem, or the "Cheminsdesparcs.fr" trails, which had few markings and very brief descriptions on the information sheets.
We discovered Queyras: beautiful landscapes, beautiful flora (early summer) and magnificent hikes.

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Britanicus100
Britanicus100

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I climbed Caramantran in 2014. I combined this climb with that of Pic Foréant, located on the opposite slope.
I have just transferred my Dailymotion video to YouTube.
Here is the link to the video, which gives a good impression of the atmosphere of these routes, which are among the most beautiful in the Southern Alps.
This hike is an absolute must.

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nojo04
nojo04

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Easy and safe, beautiful views

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lililagardeadhemar
lililagardeadhemar

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 landscape is rocky throughout the hike, but still very pleasant. We saw lots of marmots.
We skirted the Italian border for a few kilometres. And on the way back, we enjoyed a nice local beer at the Col d'Agnel refuge.

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JenFi
JenFi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Do not hesitate to continue towards Rocca Bianca peak, which allows you to continue this superb hike along the ridges with France on one side and Italy on the other. What's more, we saw lots of ibex.

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Mathianto
Mathianto

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Beautiful route
A succession of snowfields and scree slopes. It's not always easy to spot the trail.

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rpauletto
rpauletto

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

On the way back, we couldn't complete the circular route to reach the Col de St Véran because there was a lot of snow and the path was not visible. So we went back down the same way, which was also very nice.

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patsyl01
patsyl01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
A hike that lives up to its description. Beautiful panoramic views and a walk among marmots.
We shortened the hike by cutting across the circular loop without going down to the Blanche refuge to avoid having to climb back up (by joining the Chamossière pass from the Saint Véran pass via a hillside path).
The section on scree was easier than we expected because the path is well marked and has very little slope.

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