The Tour du Pieu

Date of your route : Mar 11, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

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Date of your route : Jan 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

we did the route by climbing up to Le Pieu, then had a very slippery descent on the Col d'Uriol.
the descent was dangerous because it was very slippery after a rainy start to the year (hike on 4 January 2024!)
otherwise, magnificent view from the summit
a word of advice: descend from the summit via the same route and join the route described to reach the Col d'Uriol!
a beautiful hike (850 m) to do when the higher peaks are not accessible!

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Date of your route : Nov 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful route with no particular difficulties apart from two steep hills to climb. Saw a few hikers, mountain bikers and hunters returning empty-handed

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Date of your route : Jul 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

I found this hike disappointing because it was unfortunately too close to civilisation, meaning we had to put up with noise pollution (for 10 minutes I had to listen to the gentle sounds of motocross bikes in the first part, then after point 3 we could hear the noise of cars on the motorway and finally, on the way down, the sound of chainsaws and agricultural machinery coming from Saint Paul de Varces). It was also disappointing because the proposed route simply goes around the forest (it is mainly a forest track, which is less enjoyable than a small path).

I strongly recommend climbing to the top of Le Pieu for a beautiful view of the surrounding peaks and the Grenoble metropolitan area. The ascent is via a very pleasant little trail, accessible just after point 3 (be careful, as far as I remember there are no signs, so you need a map or GPS) which runs along the ridge the whole way.
To descend, you can either turn back or continue along the ridge, but be careful, as at the beginning there is no clear trail to follow and further on the slope is steep and very slippery (not to be attempted in wet weather) and there is still no clearly defined trail, so you have to follow your instincts and your GPS. You will eventually reach point 5.

I'm increasing my rating to 3.5 stars for the interest if you climb to the summit.

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I did indeed tick "easy to follow the route"; I apologise, I was thinking of the very clear signposting When I say that it's not precise enough, yes, compared to other routes, everyone has their own way of writing, for example, turning left twice, I was surprised, but I recognise that it's not easy to write a route. If I had to write one, I think I would do it while hiking, which would be a bit complicated. As a reward at the top of the ridge (I'd had enough, I'm not very young anymore, laughs), I photographed the first gentians. Best regards.

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Hello,
You say you didn't use the description, then in your comment you say it's not detailed enough... Then you give a very good rating for "ease of following the route"...
Could you please specify what the problem is so that I can make a correction?
Thank you for commenting on this route.

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Date of your route : Apr 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
The description of the route is not detailed enough.
We did this hike on 27/4/2023, with a GPS, the distance is 14.9km from the start and return to the car park of the Church of St Paul de Varces and the elevation gain is 726m. It is important to note that there are some very steep descents and ascents.
A very pleasant route with beautiful views of the mountains.

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Date of your route : Dec 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful morning for a Christmas hike. I couldn't resist climbing to the top of Le Pieu. It adds 300 metres of elevation, but it's worth the view. The ridge path branches off to the left two bends after the point (3) on the hike. There is indeed a gate across the path, but it is not locked or padlocked. And I didn't see any hostile messages, so I went through. The climb is very pleasant. However, for the descent from Le Pieu, which starts in a steep forest, don't go if it has rained the day before. I tested it for you, and it was like an ice rink between the leaves and mud. I ended up covered in mud... But I still had a great time.
Thierry

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Date of your route : Aug 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

I confirm that the trail is closed I was a bit late in pointing this out, but luckily someone beat me to it.
I would add that, in addition to the sign, there are two rock walls on the way up and barbed wire at the bottom of the descent.
Someone really doesn't want us trampling on their beloved path!

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The route and description have been modified today due to a private property issue. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the hike is now approximately 2.5 kilometres shorter and has 300 metres less elevation gain.

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I have just checked the Metro trail map and indeed this part of the route no longer appears to be marked, so I will modify the route to prevent hikers from getting into trouble. I will look into the matter as soon as possible, thank you for the information.

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The sign is halfway between points 2 and 3 on the Visorando route,
after a long flat section and before the descent.
At point 2, it says that the path is "newly marked", but we
did not see any markings. Despite this (with the help of GPS), we were on the right path.

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Hello, could you specify where this private property area is located? From memory, the route is fully signposted by Grenoble Alpes Métropole, so it would be useful for me to contact them if part of the route is closed to the public.

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The route now passes through private property where HIKING AND TRAIL RUNNING ARE EXPLICITLY PROHIBITED.

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Date of your route : May 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route through varied landscapes: forest at the start and a beautiful sunny path once you reach the eastern side. The views of the surrounding mountains and valleys are magnificent. The hike itself is not difficult, but the succession of ascents and descents puts your legs to the test!
Contrary to one of the previous comments (which said that you could go directly from point 1 to point 3 to avoid a less interesting section), I enjoyed the first part of the route in the forest, with the sound of the stream. However, the path was very muddy in this rainy month of May. Good shoes are essential!

Please note that it is now impossible to park at the Batou bridge (there are no parking signs everywhere). I parked my car further away, turning right at the junction on the Charrière Chaude road, along a hedge (I wasn't obstructing traffic), but when I returned, I found a note on my windscreen telling me that I was on private property. It is better to park further away, near the village of St Paul de Varces, or to come by public transport.

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