Le Pinet on the heights of Méolans

A beautiful snowshoe hike (or walk in summer) even in heavy snowfall, in a magnificent setting, with the first part in the forest and the second in the mountain pastures.

Details

213226
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Snowshoeing
    Activity: Snowshoeing
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.51 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 6 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 808 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 808 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,271 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,515 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access:
- Coming from Lauzet-Ubaye, cross the village of La Fresquière and turn right (D27) onto the road that descends and crosses the Ubaye towards Méolans.
- Coming from Barcelonnette, turn left (D27) before the bridge and the village of La Fresquière.
At the entrance to the village of Méolans, turn left towards Gaudeissard / Les Besses / Sculpteur. In Gaudeissard, turn left (Les Besses/ sculpteur/ ânes) at the sharp bend and follow this road to the altitude of 1523m (Fme on IGN).
Park on the left after the houses (two or three spaces in winter) or continue to Les Besses in summer.

(S/E) Continue along the path (south-east), past Les Besses and on to the two water reservoirs.

(1) Leave theGR® on your left and take the flat path opposite, heading south. Keep going in this direction until you reach the stream, cross it and follow the winding path to the clearing.

(2) Ignore the path that branches off to the left of the clearing and follow the track to the right (west) until you reach the next intersection.

(3) Take the track on the left that climbs uphill and follow it until you reach the large clearing (near point 1818m).

(4) From there, climb left (south); the path becomes steep for a short distance. You will then come out onto the Roche Bénite mountain pasture. Climb up this beautiful meadow, heading west towards the top to reach an altitude of 2051m.

(5) From there, turn left and follow the ridge south to reach the summit of Le Pinet.

(6) Return to the car park (S/E) by following the same route you took on the way up.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,515 m - Car park at the entrance to Les Besses.
  2. 1 : km 0.49 - alt. 1,583 m - At the end of the meadow, leave the GR on your left.
  3. 2 : km 1.51 - alt. 1,701 m - At the clearing, follow the track to the right.
  4. 3 : km 1.63 - alt. 1,706 m - At the intersection, take the track on the left.
  5. 4 : km 2.47 - alt. 1,810 m - Turn left and climb diagonally up the clearing.
  6. 5 : km 3.32 - alt. 2,048 m - Turn left to follow the ridge.
  7. 6 : km 4.25 - alt. 2,271 m - Le Pinet
  8. S/E : km 8.51 - alt. 1,515 m - Car park at the entrance to Les Besses.

Notes

At an altitude of 1980m, there is the Roche Bénite hut, which can be used for a short break (precarious shelter) with a door facing west; snow may block the opening.

Worth a visit

(6) Beautiful view of the Blanche, Laverq and Séolanes peaks from the summit of Le Pinet.

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

4.6 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
chris05
chris05

Good evening, cathjil
Yes, it's an area that keeps the snow fresh!
Crossing the stream can sometimes be tricky!

Have a good evening
Christian

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cathjl
cathjl

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 18, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Snowshoe hike with a significant amount of fresh snow. Crossing the stream (uphill on the way there) was a bit tricky.

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chris05
chris05

Hello DidRun
Thank you for your positive feedback on this magnificent hike

All the best
Christian

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DidRun
DidRun

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great walk (as of 03/03/2021):
- Road easily accessible by car to Les Besses (parking available after the sculpture workshop).
- We were lucky to have good snow that wasn't icy (no need to put on snowshoes before crossing the stream).
- Apart from three chamois spotted on the plateau before Le Pinet (grazing on the Laverq side), we didn't encounter anyone else.
- Panoramic view from the top of Le Pinet: magnificent!

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chris05
chris05

Thank you, didounebe, for this positive feedback.
Keep up the good work with your hikes
Christian

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didounebe
didounebe

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The climb is physically demanding, especially as the road to Les Besses is icy and it is safer to start from Gaudeissard, which is 1,000 metres higher. But the view is magnificent and the final stretch along the ridges is pure delight. I really enjoyed it, so a big thank you for posting it.

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Stef04
Stef04

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A superb walk in magnificent surroundings.
Please note:

  • We had to park 1.3 km from Les Besses because the track was really icy.
  • A thick layer of fresh snow had fallen on top of a completely frosty surface, making it difficult to walk on the steep sections.
  • The final ridge was impassable due to these conditions and therefore impossible to cross with snowshoes.

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Melanierand
Melanierand

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We tried to do this snowshoe hike but didn't complete it because the snow was very heavy and we were sinking in a lot. It's a beautiful, very remote area (we didn't meet a single other hiker and saw two animals). It's true that when everything is covered in snow, it's not easy to find your way, especially when you leave the forest and reach the alpine grassland.
The view from there is beautiful!

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chris05
chris05

Hello jact2
Thanks for the feedback!
Hope to bump into you on a hike!
Christian

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jact2
jact2

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Taken this weekend during a CAF snowshoeing group outing in Gap.

Despite the rain the day before (followed by a good freeze at the end of the night), which made the access road as slippery as the Pyeongchang bobsleigh track, there was snow, sunshine and a panoramic view.

The final stretch along the snow-covered ridge is definitely worth the trip!

Thank you for this itinerary.

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