Le Saut du Laïre

Discover the Marmottes de Prapic.
This easy, gentle hike is ideal for all the family. As well as the valley's magnificent scenery, it's also an opportunity to meet marmots almost without fail.

Details

37644
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.97 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 378 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 378 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,888 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,530 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Leave your car at the car park at the entrance to the village of Prapic, which is closed to traffic.

(S/E) Take the road leading to the village. In the centre of the village, follow the Saut du Laire signs, taking the road on the right.
On leaving the village, a dirt road leads to the first climb, which lasts 600m until the Saut du Laïre path splits off to the left and the Plateau de Basset path to the right (calvary).

(1) The walk continues on a very gentle slope in the Drac valley. A slightly steeper climb leads to the Chapelle de la Saulce. Continue for about 150m to reach a crossroads.

(2) From here, leave the path on the right that leads down to the torrent and take the path on the left. The Saut du Laïre is in sight, especially the waterfall. After 800m, a final climb brings you to the Saut du Laïre bridge.

(3) After a short break, you can return by taking the path to the left of the bridge opposite Prapic to descend along the torrent.

(4) Cross the Drac and 400m further on, the main path is rejoined.

(2) Turn left, pass the chapel and return to the crossroads at the calvary.

(1) Turn right along the same path back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,530 m - Car park at the entrance to Prapic
  2. 1 : km 1.1 - alt. 1,631 m - Calvary
  3. 2 : km 3.47 - alt. 1,800 m - Carrefour de la boucle
  4. 3 : km 4.35 - alt. 1,881 m - Saut du Laire
  5. 4 : km 5.09 - alt. 1,789 m - Drac (rivière) - Drac Noir-Drac
  6. S/E : km 8.97 - alt. 1,530 m - Car park at the entrance to Prapic

Notes

A fountain at the exit of the village in the direction of the Saut du Laïre and a fountain at the arrival of the Saut du Laïre.

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

The Ecrins 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 with flags painted blue-white-red, where regulations must be respected. Please take note of them when preparing your walk, to help preserve this collective asset, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Worth a visit

There are many other walks in the area.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 100 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
suzie0405
suzie0405

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We went hiking in the snow, with very few people around. We set off at around 9.30am and were only overtaken by people on ski tours.
We had a picnic at Saut du Laire in 60 cm of snow, in the sunshine and with no wind.
Very pretty snowy landscapes.

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JIPS
JIPS

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent landscapes and villages
Superb hiking

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christophe13930
christophe13930

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A superb hike that lives up to its description, easy even with children.
Well frequented on a Sunday in mid-September.
The village is worth a visit.
An inn allows for a different way of organising your Sunday stroll

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User 9707725

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2025
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 that takes you through an enchanting valley populated by marmots (about twenty of them, seen on the way there around 10:30 a.m., a little less on the way back), and leads to a magnificent cirque and the famous Laïre waterfall. A few steep climbs, a pretty chapel along the way, a wide and very passable path, very clear signs. I did it in mid-September in beautiful weather, with a few small groups of hikers, but not the large crowds described in the summer months. I started the hike early so that I could have lunch afterwards at the Prapic inn, which I highly recommend, as it is delicious. The village itself is also worth a visit. In short, a superb day of discovery in this little corner of paradise.

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SPITNOLAN
SPITNOLAN

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This route is classified as easy, but I consider it moderate due to the length of the fairly steep descent in the last part of the trail. Hike in the magnificent setting of a valley ending in a cirque surrounded by peaks, complete with a waterfall overlooked by a wooden bridge.
The path is actually a good quality road and the end of the route consists of arranged stones that make walking easy and enjoyable.
Marmots were always present. Ne

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HENRYD57
HENRYD57
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike done in stormy weather. Despite advice to turn back (a few drops of rain), we went all the way to the end and didn't regret our decision at all. We saw lots of marmots several times and enjoyed magnificent scenery from the start (a pretty, typical village) to the end (a spectacular waterfall and beautiful mountain pastures in what I would describe as a cirque).
There are a few climbs (and therefore steep descents), but otherwise it's a beautiful trail (even used by Alpine cows).
Pushchairs are not recommended, even all-terrain ones.

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User 18869076

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The sections marked as difficult are really steep. Not recommended for those with a weak heart. The view of the mattes was a treat; it was busy but never crowded. A very nice walk.

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User 24816392

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Specify that there are steep sections

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doume3851
doume3851
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

This was a hike I had already done a few years ago. The landscape was still magnificent, with lots of water in the Drac and the roaring, impetuous Saut du Laïre. Unlike the first time, we didn't see any marmots. The rhododendrons, just beginning to bloom, made the landscape even more beautiful.

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User 21108127

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very nice walk with no major difficulties except for a much steeper section before the chapel. Marmots were present as we passed. Beautiful scenery.

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Yvette Gontard
Yvette Gontard

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent, fairly easy walk, superb scenery

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Fred1972
Fred1972

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The guidance was perfect.
A hike on what was probably the last day of autumn, with magnificent weather
(incidentally, the first snow flakes fell 2 days later).
A pleasant hike without too many difficulties, with larch trees ablaze with autumn colours.
A RAVI visitor

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avig193984
avig193984

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

In September, a less popular circuit.

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Ninaam
Ninaam

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A fairly short and magnificent hike, if you stop at the Saut; but the Saut du Laire opens onto a cirque that offers many possibilities for extending the walk.
The river, the Drac Noir, offers sporting fishing opportunities (fly-fishing for the fanatics) in an exceptional setting.
To top it all off, on the way back to Prapic, there are some nice bar-restaurants offering refreshments and ice creams that are much appreciated after the effort.
I recommend this tour

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YannickV
YannickV

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Magnificent scenery, but unfortunately with a group of hikers every 200 metres. The good news is that dogs and drones are banned and controlled by the park rangers.
A good dozen marmots were spotted, but you have to pass before 10am to hope to see one.
The difficulty is moderate rather than easy, and the rocky climbs and slippery descents are difficult for young children.
If you climb a further 150m above the gîte du Laire, you will have a wide view of the high pastures.
Many hikers come back down via the Basset plateau, which has the advantage of making a loop.
Allow a little time to wander around the village of Prapic. At the auberge, the local grilled lamb and homemade blueberry tart are delicious.

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