Tour of Brec Chambeyron

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent! Two days spent overnight at the Chambeyron refuge. We climbed the Tête de la Frema on the second day. On the way up to the Stroppia Pass, we took the blue-red route that cuts across the scree. It is quite rough and the markings are sometimes missing, which makes it difficult. We regretted not choosing the white-red route, as recommended in previous comments.

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Date of your route : Aug 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike with all these magnificent lakes and an exceptional view of the Tête de Fréma. Modified route at the Col de Gypière to return via the Italian side and the Col de Stroppia.

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Date of your route : Aug 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I can confirm the comments below, the hike is demanding but superb!
At the Col de la Stroppia, someone added Stroppia to the back of the Italian "Col de Nubiera (brouillard)" sign, which was a great help.

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Date of your route : Sep 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Done in two days, clockwise. Day 1: leave the car park at 10:30, arrive at the Lac aux 9 couleurs at around 15:00 to pitch your tent (plenty of pitches), at a very leisurely pace. Return trip to the tête de la Fréma in the evening (1 hour's climb) for a superb panorama. We set off at 9.45am on Day 2 and arrived at the car park at 3.15pm. The GPS indicates an effective walking time of 6 hours (without the diversions via tête de la Fréma)...
Tent pitches on the Italian side of Laco Vallonasso.
I have a minor quibble with the critics of the blue and red path through the scree. There were two of us and we each took a different path (blue-red and white-red). Both are very easy. The white-red one takes 15 to 20 minutes longer because it descends further but is still on a dirt path. The other, which is shorter, does go over a scree slope. But it's a stabilised scree slope, not a wobbly scree. The stones form a pavement that is not at all difficult to cross. If you're comfortable with this type of uneven terrain and want to change the ground a bit, there's nothing to worry about (except when it's raining?). Towards the end, the path leaves the scree to join the earth. From here, you can either continue on the blue-red path towards the pass (not done, but seems to return to a scree), or go to the white-red path just next to it (50-100 m) via a well-marked traverse path.
Keep your eyes peeled and take your binoculars: ibex (at the Col de Stoppia, on the French side), marmots everywhere, griffon vultures, golden eagles, ptarmigan, choughs, choughs, accenteurs...

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Date of your route : Aug 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent and demanding day hike. We did it in two days, with a bivouac at the lac des neuf couleurs.
I agree with the comments made by other hikers: the gpx trail takes you through the scree below the Col de Stroppia (red and blue Roberto Cavallero trail markings), and there is indeed a way to go further down - with a bit more ascent, it seems, by following a red and white French GR trail. We only discovered this after the fact, but it was confirmed by other hikers we met in the area. Apart from that, the section through Italy is splendid and very wild.

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Date of your route : Aug 10, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello everyone!
The topo needs to be amended to add that the pass called Stropia is only valid on the French side.
In the sense of this guidebook, this part is located in Italy, so you need to follow "colle de Nubiera" which is the Italian name.
Also, at the start of the ascent, the passage through the boulders and scree is quite complicated and even unpleasant.
There is a "classic" path that skirts this part on the left and joins the same point at the direction signs, which I strongly recommend as you need to keep some energy for the descent from the col...!

As well as the possible alternative route up to La Ferma, I also recommend taking a short break immediately after descending from the Col Stropia, at the Lac du Col du Vallonet - there's nothing like a dip to relax your ankles! A diversion of no more than 5 minutes, but well worth it!

A quick comment on the distance: on my GPS I have 23 km and not the 19 or so announced.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS ROUTE IS MAGNIFICENT!!!

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Date of your route : Sep 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Done in 2 days, with an overnight stay at the Chambeyron refuge.
The route is easy to find, except between points 7 and 9: following the markings, you cross a fairly chaotic section of boulders, so it's not certain that the markings really go through point 8. So it's not certain that the markings really go through point 8. A few clarifications in the route description would remove this uncertainty.
A very mineral world: this is normal, as we're generally between 2,500 m and 2,900 m.

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

Nice tour, a few névés, cut short by the rain.
Very nice hike around Le Brec. Magnificent mountain.

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

From Fouillouse, head for the Col du Vallonnet. This is a beautiful valley and the climb to the Col de Stroppia is steep and strenuous, but the beautiful panorama rewards the effort. We then descend and climb back up to the Col de la Gypiere, which has some tricky sections. A beautiful Italian lake before arriving above the Lac des 9 couleurs. A leisurely descent to the Chambeyron refuge, interspersed with other pretty lakes. Then descent and arrival at Fouillouse after a good day.
Inconsistency between the Visorando route and the route on the ground, as well as the walking time on the Italian signs.
Difficult walk because of the climb over the 2 passes and the duration, but the scenery was up to the task.

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

very nice hike with varied landscapes.
done in 2 days with a bivouac by the Lac des 9 couleurs and an ascent to the tête de Frema at dusk (magnificent panorama).

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Date of your route : Jul 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Very nice hike. Magnificent scenery from the Chambeyron refuge to the Col de Stroppia.

Going as far as the tête de la frema is a bonus. It takes a good hour to get there and back. But the view is exceptional.

The ascent and descent of the Col Stroppia was difficult and long in my opinion. Probably just tiredness...

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Date of your route : Sep 02, 2016
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent walk from start to finish, not to be missed if you're in the region. It's long but well worth the effort, including the section through Italy, which offers a mineral, almost lunar, backdrop that complements the rest of the route. If you don't feel up to it, you can come back down via the Pas de la Couleta without passing through Italy.

If you've got the legs, I strongly advise you to make the return trip to the Tête de Fréma, just above the lake, from the Col de la Gypière. It's steep but the view is breathtaking. The total route, including the ascent, is just under 22km with just under 1,700m of ascent.

There are no difficulties on this route, apart from the length and the difference in altitude. Start early!
The passage through the scree in Italy before climbing to the Col de Stroppia is a little demanding but not very dangerous. Be careful, by the way: the Col de la Stroppia is known as the Colle de la Nuberia on the Italian side (or something similar...). Thanks for the route!

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I called the refuge. They told me that the snow made it impossible to do it on foot.
Too bad
Thanks for your answers

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personally, in summer it's not a problem to do it in 1 day for big walkers (1600m of ascent in total). so in 3 days no problem. But with spring snow, I don't know if it's possible to go back up to the Col de la Stroppia. Personally, I only do 250m of ascent per hour on snowshoes and for me 4 hours of ascent is enough in a day.

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Thank you very much for your quick and comprehensive reply.
I hope it will be feasible, I've already drawn up the itinerary for 3 days. Doing it in three days in complete autonomy already seems difficult. The weather isn't helping matters. Last year we did the Lac de la Muzelle and the Lac de Lauvitel and the Col du Vallon in the Parc des Ecrins, and we felt it physically. But the scenery was well worth the effort. Do you think it's doable in 3 days with average fitness and average 15kg packs?

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