Crossing the Ranc de Mianoux

A unique circular hike around the Ranc de Mianou via its southern slope and a trail not shown on IGN maps.
What's more, it offers magnificent views and landscapes throughout the route, from the long ridge between La Penne to the westernmost point of Ranc de Mianoux.
The entire route is covered in a circular manner.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.17 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 25 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 778 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 773 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,630 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 931 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Access:
Cross the village of Saint-Julien-en-Beauchêne towards the old Durbon charterhouse and park on the left in the large car park of the communal lodge.

(S/E): With your back to the lodge, turn left and go straight ahead at the next crossroads. Follow the tarmac forest road of Bouriane for 1.4 km until you reach the intersection marked 993.

(1) Continue along the road on the left and drive slightly past the Maison Forestière des Étroits.

(2) The trail starts on the left along the meadow (there is a fountain below the trailhead).
Follow the trail, which turns into a small track. Go up to an intersection and turn left for 20 metres.

(3) Once again, the trail starts on the right in the embankment, immediately cutting across the steep track left just before. Now the trail climbs gradually to an altitude of 1239.

(4) Take the track on the right (downhill) for a short distance and follow the clearly visible path that branches off to the left towards the Col de Guillotier and the Chartreux path.

(5) At the pass, head left towards the small clearing (north). After about 50 metres, you will find the path that follows more or less the contour line. Follow it to the junction with the north-west ridge of the Penne summit (a block painted white with the number 49).

(6) Climb left along the ridge to the summit of La Penne.

(7) Follow the ridge line to the right, due west, and pass the point marked 1614. There is a flat rock on the ground with a white rectangle on a green rectangle (ONF boundary).

(8) From this landmark, descend the steep grassy slope to the left, following the white markings with green lines painted on the trees. You will arrive at the wide Ventabre pass.

(9) Turn onto the slope on the left (south-east), in the beautiful forest, keeping to the right so as not to miss the path that follows.

There are two options from here:
1: The route chosen and described here: follow the path downhill, which quickly becomes a stony track and leads to the main track below Pra-Pinet.
2: Take the uphill path, which quickly leads to a clearing in the forest. Cross the clearing, keeping to the same direction. When you reach the vegetation, the path veers slightly to the left to go around the point with an altitude of 1404. The path is difficult to find, but it is a nice alternative.

(10) Turn right at the descent and follow this track, which turns into a path at the end of the plateau near L'Aupet. After a few hairpin bends, the path leads to a housing estate.
Continue straight ahead. At the next crossroads, take the left-hand bend and, at the nearby junction, turn right to return to the communal lodge car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 931 m - Car park in front of the communal lodge.
  2. 1 : km 1.41 - alt. 1,000 m - Left-hand road
  3. 2 : km 1.8 - alt. 1,022 m - Start of the trail on the left in the embankment
  4. 3 : km 2.33 - alt. 1,114 m - Right-hand hairpin bend
  5. 4 : km 3.17 - alt. 1,232 m - Track downhill to the right
  6. 5 : km 4.71 - alt. 1,403 m - Col de Guillotier
  7. 6 : km 5.48 - alt. 1,465 m - Ridge line "block no. 49"
  8. 7 : km 5.87 - alt. 1,536 m - Summit of La Penne
  9. 8 : km 7.36 - alt. 1,613 m - Steep grassy descent then wooded descent
  10. 9 : km 7.75 - alt. 1,405 m - Pretty collu in the undergrowth, descend to the left.
  11. 10 : km 8.23 - alt. 1,253 m - Track to the end of the plateau
  12. S/E : km 11.17 - alt. 931 m - Car park in front of the communal lodge.

Notes

There is a beautiful fountain and a table below the recess in the path at the start of the trail (2).
Wear shoes with good grip for the descent from point (8).
The average rating can become difficult depending on the hikers' confidence for the descent (8).

Suggested alternative route to the old Dubon Charterhouse by Franck D:

Park at point (1), then at point (2) (after the forest house) continue straight on the path that leads to the old Chartreuse Durbon. Takethe oldGR® on the left, which cuts across more directly to the Col du Pendu, then join point (5) at the Col de Guillotier to resume the route.
On your return from point (10), go to point (4) and then return to the starting point.
The route is equivalent: Average duration: 5h30, Distance: 11.35km, Elevation gain: 778m

Worth a visit

Beautiful view of the Bouriane valley and the Chartreuse mountains.
Lovely panorama from the summit of La Penne.

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 8 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
chris05
chris05

Hello 1950bba
Thank you for your feedback!
What can I say, I did the descent from 8 to 9 in my guidebook with a group of fifteen people of all ages and it went very well. You just have to zigzag like you would on a trail!
Have a great end to the autumn season
Christian

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1950bba
1950bba

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A little scared by the comments about the descent, I thought about taking the route in the other direction.
No problem until around point 9, even though some sections were already steep. Navigating through a sparse forest, we found the line of white and green markings.
But from there, the climb to point 8 was terribly "leg-breaking": no path, just a very steep slope of unstable earth and stones, slippery grass and leaves. Climb one metre, slide down two.
After point 8, the rest seemed easy, except that the GPS played tricks on us between 7 and 5, causing us to miss the fork at 6, then incorrectly locating us far off the trail.
The path between 6 and 5 is narrow, poorly marked and sloping, but never exposed. However, if you stray from it (as the GPS encouraged us to do), it quickly becomes treacherous.
Overall, it was a very gentle descent, as hoped. At times, we even wondered if we would end up losing altitude, especially as night began to fall. Fortunately, we reached the track before it got completely dark.
Time in this direction: 5.5 hours.
Frankly, I can't see myself doing the descent from 8 to 9. I think it's reserved for young hikers with good balance, muscular thighs, flexible knees and strong backsides.
For everyone else, I would recommend turning back once you reach 8. You will benefit from knowing the route and a comfortable descent, and you will still have had an interesting walk.
Thanks to the author.

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chris05
chris05

Hello Demonti05
Thank you for your positive feedback!
Yes, the detour to La Chartreuse is also good for those who have never seen it!
A guidebook is a handy reference for the route, and it's good to make variations during the hike because you can't go everywhere described in a guidebook.
Have a great hiking season!

Christian

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DEMONTI05
DEMONTI05
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We went on this hike on 18 March 2023, and the weather was fine. We didn't follow the suggested route exactly. We preferred to make a detour to "visit" the old Durbon Charterhouse, of which, unfortunately, only a few ruins remain after an eventful history. We picked up the indicated path a little further on, above the charterhouse, passing through the Col du Pendu and then the Col de Guillotier (point (5)).
The hike is very pleasant with a few small but enjoyable climbs that are quite manageable. From point (7), a particularly open spot offering a remarkable view of the mountains behind Dévoluy (Grand Ferrand, Aubiou, etc.), the path along the ridge is superb and, at this time of year, a veritable "highway" for chamois. The presence of multiple tracks would have been enough to convince us, but we were lucky enough to come across two groups (6 then 2) of these magnificent animals.
We "missed" each other (point (8)) when we had to descend the marked grassy slope. Without a sufficiently precise reference point, we continued along the ridge and then cautiously set off along the forest paths that led us to Lus la Croix Haute (sic!). But no regrets, it was a very beautiful day. Thank you, chris05!

PS: the route we took crosses a white zone where it is possible to use a smartphone and, therefore, its GPS function. For the record, a project to renovate the buildings of a former CAF holiday camp (still visible at La Chartreuse) had been launched to accommodate and house people who are sensitive to electromagnetic fields. The project seems to have been abandoned.

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chris05
chris05

Good evening, Lino Paraitil

Thank you for your positive feedback on this beautiful hike!
Keep up the good work with your hiking!

Christian

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Lino Paraitil
Lino Paraitil

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello. Done on 08/09. Up to point 5, steady climb, well marked. A little caution required nonetheless (point 2). After 5, we followed a path in the right direction but a little too downhill for my liking given the description. After a few hundred metres, doubt... Turned left, heading straight up the slope, no other path. A few dozen metres of "flat" ground before descending and coming across the path that climbs to 6. Were we on the right path at the start of 5? Probably.
The view is magnificent and well deserved when you reach 7 and cross the Ranc de Mianou. At 8, a red mark on the rock reinforces the ONF markings. The descent is indeed steep but easy to manage. We found the small pass and the way back without any problems.
A very nice walk
https://img.gg/GI9Hmdd

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chris05
chris05

Hello Franck D
Thank you for your positive feedback, which reflects my view of this hike in every respect.
Keep up the good hiking work
Christian

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Franck D
Franck D

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The Ranc de Mianoux has a truly unique shape, offering spectacular panoramic views like a ridge, but its banana shape also provides different vantage points.
It's worth the effort... it's quite steep when you reach the start of the Ranc.
The descent isn't easy, but if you take care, you'll get through without any problems... You must follow the description carefully, i.e. stick to the ONF boundaries
We took a different route to pass by the old Chartreuse Durbon.

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jo26200
jo26200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 21, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We started directly from point 2 (the forest house) because the climb up the road is uninteresting...

The route is pleasant, but be careful at point 3: it's a hairpin bend! It can be confusing because there's a path that goes straight up... So if you're not careful and think it's a GPS error... you'll find yourself off-trail on very steep terrain (like a wild boar) to reach the path that leads to point 10! This will allow you to find point 4 further along...

Be careful between points 7 and 8, as you will be walking along the edge of a cliff, with bushes hiding the drop in places...

The descent from 8 to 10 is very steep, walking sticks are essential and you must wear high-top shoes with tight laces!

We saw two chamois and each came back with two tick bites!

A nice hike.

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chris05
chris05

Hello bmeleia
Yes, the top of the descent is indeed on grass, but as far as I know, there aren't many other options. I've only been there twice.

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bmeleia
bmeleia

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very interesting hike due to its diverse terrain, with a superb beech forest. A splendid view from the top. But the descent is a little steep and slippery. Make sure you have good footwear.

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nac66
nac66

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The first part of the hike, up to rock 49, went smoothly and the beech forest on scree is very beautiful. But from there, a navigational error led us completely astray. You need to be particularly vigilant around the Pointe de la Penne, as the route, which is not marked in this section, runs through undergrowth, making it difficult to find your bearings. Furthermore, the Ranc de Mianoux (which we crossed from east to west) is at the northern edge of the IGN map, and we hadn't noticed on the next map the presence of a similar ridge, but oriented south/north, on which we got lost. The return journey was complicated by the multiple valleys that open up from these ridges. We had to finish our (long) journey with a 3 km walk along the national road.

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Mal1
Mal1
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Be sure to stay on the path at the beginning between the Guillotier Pass and the ridge, as it is not always clearly visible. You will need good footwear for the first part of the descent (or strong ankles), but it is an easy walk. A very beautiful and varied walk between woods and ridges. Thanks to Chris05 :-)

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