Pic Melette from Rabou

From the Rabou car park, 15 km from Gap, this hike is partly off-trail and offers exceptional views of the surrounding peaks.

Details

586184
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 10.38 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 918 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 917 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,050 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,184 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park after the village of Rabou.

(S/E) Continue along the path,GR®93, to the Oratory of Sainte-Roselyne, then leave the GR®. Continue along the track on the right and continue along the Escout forest road. At the first crossroads, follow the track on the right.

(1) Take the track on the right, which climbs steeply through the Chaumasse mountain. Keep heading north, ignoring the vague paths on either side. This will take you to the new shepherd's hut.

(2) Reach the new shepherd's hut at Le Puy (1,600 m). Go around the ruins of the old sheepfold on the left and continue on the right (north-east) on a slightly less steep slope to reach a ridge.

(3) After the ridge (a large tree with a yellow marker), the path follows the contour line to the Col du Ferlieu (1671m).

(4) Leave the marked trail for a while and head right to Pic Melette and back. Climb up the ridge (a few tracks) and pass to the left of the large rock above you (1,800 m). The passage narrows but is not difficult.
Return to the ridge on the right and follow it as far as you can to climb towards the peak (the destination of the hike). The slope is steep up to the summit and you will need to zigzag as best you can.

(5) From the summit, return to the Col de Ferlieu.

(4) Take the yellow marked trail on the right, which was clearly visible during the descent. Join the Route Forestière de l'Escout at an altitude of 1501m.

(6) From this junction, follow the track that descends to the left to the oratory.

(1) Continue along the same path as on the way up to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,186 m - Car park at the exit of Rabou
  2. 1 : km 0.41 - alt. 1,218 m - Yellow marked path on the right
  3. 2 : km 2.24 - alt. 1,605 m - Le Puy, shepherd's hut
  4. 3 : km 2.86 - alt. 1,685 m - Clearly visible tree
  5. 4 : km 3.94 - alt. 1,669 m - Col de Ferlieu
  6. 5 : km 4.86 - alt. 2,050 m - Summit of Pic Melette
  7. 6 : km 7.64 - alt. 1,502 m - Junction with the Escout Forest Road
  8. S/E : km 10.38 - alt. 1,186 m - Car park at the exit of Rabou

Notes

For an easier hike from Col de Ferlieu, do not climb Pic Melette.

Worth a visit

I was lucky enough to see a herd of about twenty mouflons.

 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 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
pierfu
pierfu

Overall rating : 3.5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A lovely circular in 3 hours, including breaks. It's a shame that the overcast weather spoiled the view a little, which is surely the main attraction of this hike.
About half of the route is on sheep tracks, which is a bit of a let-down.

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Claraazimut
Claraazimut

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this hike with my two dogs. At the start, a sign from the shepherd prohibits dogs from 15 April onwards. There is a sheepfold at point 2. Luckily for us, we saw mouflons there and no sheep! The round trip to the peak is very steep, but the view is breathtaking and well worth the effort!

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Juste Guillaume
Juste Guillaume

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, fairly easy hike to the Ferlieu Pass at 1,670 metres, where the going gets tough!
Straight up the slope, as they say :)
The Visorando route description is accurate, so it's difficult to get lost.
No snow during the ascent except for a few patches in the shade just before the pass at 1,670 m.
The hike is estimated to take 5 hours and 25 minutes, but can be done in about 3 hours and 20 minutes, including photo and video breaks.
Magnificent view at the summit, making it clear that this short climb was well worth the detour.

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1950bba
1950bba

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Superb panorama from the summit.
And it's only fair, because the climb from the pass is particularly tough on the legs (and the descent is even worse for oldies like me).
A beautiful hike overall.

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nonolerobot
nonolerobot
• Edited:

I changed the start a little bit, as vegetation had invaded the path, making it a little easier this way.
You can also do it in reverse, which makes everything easier. Be careful when descending from Pic Melette: turn left and, at the start, stay on the contour line (do not climb up)

NONOLEROBOT

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Franck D
Franck D

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Keeping an eye on Pic de Bure for so long is a real treat: truly beautiful views.
As indicated in the description and comments: save your strength for the end of the climb.

By mistake, we did the route in the opposite direction and in the end I think it's better that way.
On the way up, you face (and overlook) Pic de Bure with the sun shining on it: it's the best. The other way, you have your back to it and from early afternoon onwards it's in the shade.
On the other hand, on the way back via the sheepfold, the descent is steep.

I was very surprised to see wild lavender growing at an altitude of 1,800 metres

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isaha
isaha

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The description says to "go around the rock block on the left", but we actually went between the large and small rock blocks (cairn at the exit)

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ed04
ed04

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

This hike is best done in May or October because part of it is in direct sunlight! In addition, at the end of June, the grass is tall and the trail is difficult to find in some places. It is best to have a GPS.
The final climb is demanding, but the view from the top is magnificent

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Dibona38
Dibona38

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful route with magnificent views of Pic de Bure, among others. I didn't follow the trail completely because I wanted to go to Le Puy, so I cut across the slope and descended to Col du Ferlieu to cut across the slope again to Pic Melette.

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AUDO13
AUDO13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Superb hike with stunning views, but quite physically demanding, especially the off-trail climb from the pass to Pic Melette. However, once you reach the summit, it's all worth it.

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Bob13
Bob13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 09, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful walk in the green mountains!
The only slight downside is at the start, where you need to trust your "instinct" as a walker to find the path.
The climb to the peak of Melette... amazing!
For us, it was our first hike back after several months off due to injury...
and what a breathtaking view of the Pic de Bure cirque!

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mapigap
mapigap

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I didn't do exactly the suggested hike, but simply took inspiration from it to do a circular loop with the Bans trail. The section between points 6 and 4 is very pleasant at this time of year because it is shaded. Unfortunately, the section between 1 and 2 is not on very pleasant terrain. I did it on the way down. There are large, slippery rocks and the slope is steep, which makes it challenging. The added bonus: this route gives the people of Gap and Champsaur an unusual view of the Pic de Gleize and the Charance ridges.

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pascalito5
pascalito5

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very beautiful hike; very beautiful final viewpoint; a very steep climb

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