Le Signal de la Grave et le Lac du Goléon

Please note: the description and GPX file are incorrect from Signal (4) onwards! Do not climb back up the Pasquier du Roi off the trail, but follow the path that leads to the Granier chalet (ruins), visible on IGN. The entire route has been marked for two years for the Tour des Aiguilles d'Arves (https://www.tourdesaiguillesdarves.fr/, GPX track available). If you follow the suggested route, you will end up off track and pass by the shepherd's hut, with all the conflicts that this entails.

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
this hike may seem difficult for the average walker, but quite frankly, 15 kilometres with an elevation gain of just over 1,000 metres is within the reach of any self-respecting hiker, so "very difficult" is a gross exaggeration!
As for the route, even without GPS, you can manage as long as you know the mountains well. The only difficulty, in my opinion, will be to avoid descending too low after the Puy Garnier chalet in order to cross the first torrent more easily and, above all, to avoid the rocky "bar", so stay high up. Then, as soon as you see the sign, keep heading towards the pass, which is impossible to miss. Once you've crossed the various torrents and arrived at the Cruq des Aiguilles, the refuge du Goléon is just a formality, as it's signposted.
I did this route with a heavy bag to get to the Goléon refuge... it took a little over 3 hours. After doing the Goléon and the central peak the next day, it took me 50 minutes to get back down to Les Hières the following day. I was alone, so it's always quicker, and I'm a pretty good walker, so I think 6-7 hours including breaks is about right for a small group.
It should be noted that there are no technical sections on this hike and even fewer exposed sections... so it's accessible to many of us, hikers of course, and for my part, I would have done it in both directions and I'm even going back soon for another trek that includes this route...
Even though I already knew it, thanks for the info, gaet63

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

well-marked trail to the Grave sign; from this point, there is no trail! Stay as far to the left as possible, passing above the chalet that is clearly visible from the Grave sign. This avoids an unnecessary descent. After this cabin, follow the animal tracks that branch off to the right of the chalet.

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Date of your route : Aug 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Thank you so much for sharing the route of this hike! It's a magnificent hike, so wild all the way to Lake Goléon, and varied too! Alpine pastures, a summit, mountain passes, fun trails, streams and a lake! We even found a little snow at the Cruq des Aiguilles pass! What a treat, thank you!

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The walking time is slightly overestimated: it took us a little less than 7 hours with breaks and should not be classified as very difficult, unless you are not used to hiking...

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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

✅ One of the most beautiful lakes in the Hautes-Alpes 🥰
🚀 A beautiful discovery here ✔️ https://youtu.be/pGMluW9k7n0
🔥 Without a doubt one of my most beautiful videos thanks to these magnificent landscapes 😎
💥 You'll also discover part of the drive along the Col du Lautaret with the Galibier in the background 👍

I'm taking the hike in the other direction :-) You'll first discover some very pretty hamlets ;-)
The climb is not the easiest, with gradients of up to 35% and a minimum of 15 to 20%.
Once you reach the lake, take the opportunity to go a little higher to see the Aiguilles d'Arves.
Return to the refuge to climb up to the Col du Cruq des Aiguilles (not easy either).
⚠️ This is followed by a seemingly endless descent, but with La Meije in front of you the whole way 😍
The descent is in three stages (20% overall). You can't see stage 2 at the Signal and at the end of the first descent, you think, "Oh yeah, there's still all that to go!" Then there's an uphill section before starting the descent of stage 3.
This long descent is very hilly.
One minute you can see the path, the next it's gone! A GPS track is recommended, even if you can find your way by sight.
Average++ or Difficult--.
However, it's difficult to find the path on the descent from Le Signal and the paths are very narrow.

⛰ 18.0 km 1,172 m elevation gain/loss (I extended the route as indicated)
🌍 All my HD and 4K hikes 🎬 ALL OF FRANCE 💥 #toutelafrance
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1. hiking #let'shike #hautes-alpes #paca #lagrave #lacdugoleon

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Date of your route : Jul 24, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, admittedly a little physically demanding, but it shouldn't be classified as "Very Difficult".
I'd like to make a correction: the Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours Chapel is outside the village, and it's a church next to the cemetery. So you don't pass the chapel during the hike.
The climb up to the Signal de La Grave is over grassy terrain that is quite steep in places.
We didn't go near the arrival point of the ski lift, as we took a path that allowed us to cut across before reaching Côte Rouge. We took a short break before climbing to the top of the Signal de la Grave.
We then stayed on the ridges and descended a little before starting the climb to the Col du Cruq des Aiguilles.
The trail is well marked and after the grassy sections, you come to a sort of plateau.
The climb up the rocky section is very steep but not very long. It's easy to find the trail.
The descent to the Goléon refuge is also signposted, but there are several possible routes once you see the lake. We stopped for a snack above the lake, where there was a fairly strong wind.
The return to Les Hières is not very exciting, and we come across quite a few hikers who have parked at the car park at the end of the track. This hike took us 6 hours and 15 minutes, with an elevation gain of 1,050 metres.

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