The Dromont tour

Hike in the Vanson national forest, with a view of the hills.

Details

n°247073

Creation:
22 Apr 2016

Last update:
12 Nov 2022

Last review:
22 Dec 2025

Activity: Walking
Distance: 11.64 km
Average duration: 4h 40
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 482 m
Descent: - 476 m
Highest point: 1,149 m
Lowest point: 686 m

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Préalpes de Digne
District: Saint-Geniez (04200)
Start/End: N 44.213489° / E 6.068119°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3339ET, 3340ET
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Description of the walk

Access: To get to the start of this hike, at the roundabout at the northern entrance to Sisteron, head towards La Baume, cross the Durance and turn right. Head towards Entrepierres then Vilhosc; continue on the D17 road to the Pont de la Reine Jeanne (end of the tarmac road). Continue on the track opposite for 3.7km (this is still the D17, but it is awaiting resurfacing) and leave your vehicles in a lay-by on the right after a steep climb.

(S/E) Retrace your steps for about 100 metres and take the^GR®6on your right, climbing through the forest to Rocher de Sivayau, continuing on the GR^®.

(1) You will see a renovated house on the right and reach a track with a wooden sign for^GR®6Saint-Geniez. Once on the Saint-Geniez plateau, you will have a view of the Trainon mountains, the Jouère mountain and the Monges.

(2) Continue along this track until you reach the tarmac road, which you follow for 500 m to point 1103 on the map.

(3) Leave the road on the right and continue for 500 m until you reach the PR^®.

(4) Turn right and walk for just under a kilometre to reach Chabert.

(5) Go behind the house and follow the track for 500 m. A path branches off to the right, keeping roughly level for a kilometre before descending towards the ruins of La Grange Neuve.

(6) A path branches off to the left. Follow it and, at the next fork, continue to the right.

(7) The path becomes very steep; this is the only part of the hike that requires a little caution (hiking poles are recommended). The slope levels out to join a forest track that passes through Abros and leads back to the cars (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 686 m - Edge of the unpaved D17 track. Near the - Vançon (rivière)
1 : km 2.48 - alt. 1,092 m - Renovated house
2 : km 3.41 - alt. 1,074 m - Junction with paved road
3 : km 4.08 - alt. 1,103 m - Leave the road
4 : km 4.84 - alt. 1,117 m - On the right, at the PR
5 : km 5.98 - alt. 1,148 m - Chabert
6 : km 8.24 - alt. 960 m - Ruins of the Grange Neuve, path on the left
7 : km 9.06 - alt. 875 m - Be careful, the descent is a little steep
S/E : km 11.63 - alt. 689 m - Edge of the unpaved D17 track

Notes

Hiking poles recommended.

Worth a visit

At the end of the tarmac road, the Queen Jeanne bridge crosses the Vançon river, connecting the hamlets of Saint-Symphorien and Vilhosc (see Wikipedia)

At (5), ask the farm owner if they can open the door to the Dromont Chapel for you. Once you have visited the chapel, climb to the top of Dromont in just over a quarter of an hour for an exceptional view.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5

Based on 21 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5

Route interest
4.3 / 5

User 28228335

22 Dec 2025 at 09:42 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Dec 22, 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 with interesting views. The route is well marked and easy to follow. Please note that to reach the start of the hike, you need to follow a stony track, which is fairly well maintained but requires a high-clearance vehicle.

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Partir

16 Feb 2024 at 08:23 3600

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful route with stunning views of the surrounding mountains and varied landscapes. You can start the hike further along, at the large car park at the end of the long track, near the river. (You will come back here anyway if you follow the route).

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Roland1fois

20 Oct 2023 at 17:07 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant walk. We did it differently, in the same direction but starting from Saint-Geniez, with a picnic at the bridge and then back up to Saint-Geniez.

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roath05

16 Apr 2023 at 12:37 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 16, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, not very busy at this time of year. The descent to Vanson is a bit steep, so it would be better to follow the mountain bike detour (we were a group of seniors) or take the track from the chapel.

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mimibob04

12 Nov 2022 at 07:59 3600 • Edited: 12 Nov 2022 at 08:14 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hiking buddies from the 04
A beautiful parish-specific to Brittany autumn hike.
We parked in the small car park at the Roman bridge over the Vanson, about 5 km from the Queen Jeanne bridge. The D17 is now clear.
We followed the trail to visit the hamlet of Abros and its chapel, then climbed up the PR trail, passing Charnes. After a ruin, we took a more or less marked path on the right that leads to Le Sabot and then to Rocher de Dromon. We returned via the GR 6 trail.
This is a little-used but magnificent route, offering panoramic views of Les Monges, the Géruen ridge, Le Trainon, the Aigues-Champs ridge, Le Gourras, etc
https://www.visugpx.com/rD0ZdjOYmc

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Ness

17 Oct 2022 at 13:57 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Wonderful hike, beautiful autumn colours, the climb is a bit steep though 😁 but once you reach the top, the view is magnificent!

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babebibobu

14 Sep 2020 at 08:32 7200

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We started the hike at the Chabert car park and climbed up to the Dromont rock (since the planned start point on the map is difficult to reach due to road works)
So we started by descending towards the stream.
Do not do this hike during a heatwave, as you will be climbing at around 1 p.m.

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ericmanosque

29 May 2020 at 13:31 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

the unpaved track is closed after 2.4 km due to subsidence. Parking is available at this location. Continue 1.3 km on foot to reach the starting point.

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bilune

13 May 2019 at 11:49 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A very beautiful hike ending at the magnificent St Geniez plateau, where we are treated to a superb panorama.
After the Dromont chapel, the descent is a bit daunting, passing through a park with scree slopes, until we discover the Vanson torrent with its turquoise waters. Not disappointed!

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mapigap

12 Feb 2019 at 19:30 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful forest trail starting with a view of Les Monges. The arrival on the plateau with a view of Le Trainon is very pleasant. Be sure to make a detour to the Dromont chapel, a very pleasant spot sheltered for picnics. The view on the descent to the green Vanson is magnificent. On the way back, the Pont de la Reine Jeanne bridge is worth a look. A very nice idea. Thank you.

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tracésrandos

15 Oct 2018 at 14:01 7200

I haven't done the hike yet, but I'll be sure to let you know what I think if I ever do it.

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henri57

14 Sep 2018 at 21:58 7200

Hello,

Thank you for your comment.

we didn't complete the entire hike because it took us quite a while to find the starting point.

Starting point: N 44°12'48.6 / E 6°4'5.2

In this specific case, there is only one solution:

Use the Visorando GPS app or a GPS device.

See you soon!

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villaretto

11 Sep 2018 at 23:06 7200

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

we didn't complete the entire hike because it took us quite a while to find the starting point.

The part we did was quite nice. But I'm reserving my opinion until we've done the whole walk.

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garfield1956

17 Jul 2017 at 01:53 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello,
i don't know when the walk description was written, but there have been major changes at the start of the route. The road is blocked well before the official barrier. Following a series of landslides, the gravel road is cut in two places, meaning that the path to take is on the left after parking your car (there is a clearly visible sign). The second and final negative point in the description is the PR (public footpath) to take on the right after 500 metres of asphalt road towards St-Genier. It's not very clear, I didn't see any paint marking this path and, after about 1 km, I took a path on the right towards the Dromont rock that could be seen in the distance, i found myself with no path and at the edge of the ridges, and I had to cut across everything to get to the houses next to the chapel (Chabert, I presume), so I think we should have turned left where I had seen a small pile of stones about 20 metres away and then turned right towards Chabert.
So, despite these two minor incidents, the walk was beautiful and enjoyable, with a quick dip in the Vanson next to a cool spring.
Thanks again to the whole Visorando team

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Eric04

15 May 2017 at 07:59 7200 • Edited: 15 May 2017 at 08:09 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very pleasant drive with varied scenery.
Access by car is via a very smooth forest track from a place called "Pont de la Reine Jeanne", no need for a 4x4!
For the blocked track, simply park just before the landslide; you can easily walk through. Allow an extra 30 minutes walking time to return to the starting point (15 minutes each way) on a pleasant track.
Total duration of the hike: 5 hours, including a 20-minute snack break and a short detour to the chapel.

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