Le Trelod via Dent de Pleuven

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike in the heart of Les Bauges. We set off from the village of La Chapelle and did a circular route connecting the Cornes car park to La Chapelle via the GR trail in the Bauges massif (difficult to walk on due to mud and cow hoof prints) and a short stretch of road: about 3 km extra in total.
A 16 km hike with 1,375 m of elevation gain, which must be done in the direction indicated to avoid the descent via the Dent de Pleuven (slippery, narrow and risky).
The hike is not technical (a few easy climbing steps), but it is challenging: 1,250 m of elevation gain over less than 6 km with sections with a gradient of more than 34%. Crossing the waterfall is easy and not very slippery.
Beautiful flower-filled meadows and, if you look carefully, you may be lucky enough to see edelweiss and chamois.
Magnificent 360° view from the top of Trélod.
No crowds during the ascent. However, there are quite a few hikers at the summit as many make the round trip from the Cornes car park.

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Date of your route : May 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The direction of travel indicated is interesting because the ascent is via the steepest slope. Taking it on the descent would not be very pleasant.
As it was May, we took the recommended equipment: a 20 m rope, two 1.20 m straps (and two quickdraws), and one ice axe. However, we did not use this equipment. We simply had to go around two small snowfields on the summit ridge, on the eastern slope. But the recommendation is very useful: a little more snow at this time of year would be enough to have to cross snowfields on a steep slope.
We parked the car at La Chapelle (around 950 m) and descended to 931 m to start at Les Magnoux. On the way back, when we reached the Les Cornes car park (1203 m), we walked along the road to our car. (Approximately 2.9 km of road between Les Cornes and Les Magnoux).
It was a beautiful sunny day, but unfortunately there were two or three hours of fog at midday between 1950 m and the summit.

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Very busy route : No

It is irresponsible not to mark the path in its most exposed sections, especially in the last part of the ascent in the proposed direction.
Another contradiction: some signs warn that the path is not marked and is reserved for experienced hikers, while others prohibit walking outside the marked paths!

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Date of your route : Jun 28, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Departure at 7 a.m., return at 1 p.m.
two chamois after the waterfalls below Dent de Pleuven, two more to the left of the climb to Dent.
Contrary to the title, the route does not pass through the Dent de Pleuven but at its foot.
Otherwise, remember to cross the stream on the right at wp2 as indicated.
When you reach the scree, do not take the path that climbs to the left, but the one that goes straight ahead, which passes under the waterfalls. That's where I was surprised by a light rain. I continued anyway, but once I had crossed the rock barrier (1600m), the sky was very overcast, so I decided to fall back on the Dent de Pleuven. I found a trail that went to the right and climbed straight up the centre of the grassy slope.
The plants were as tall as me and I was soon wet up to my waist. At the summit, the view was beautiful, even without the sun, from Pécloz to Colombier via Arcluse.
I began the descent to return to my starting point when I spotted a hiker braver than me on the path leading to the Trélod ridge. The clouds had lifted and the rain had stopped, so I followed in his footsteps.
The ridge is not difficult, nor is the rocky summit section. Nothing like Arcalod, for example.
The sun comes back out and I begin the descent towards Les Cornes. At the Chalet des Gardes, I stay on the ridge to reach the foot of the Dent des Portes. The final climb is short and easy, but be careful on the descent (no falling allowed).
This is a variation of the Trélod route with its three main peaks and less than 1,500 metres of elevation gain.
If you only have one car, it would be wise to park higher than Les Magnoux, around Cul du Bois, to avoid having to drive all the way back in one go.

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Date of your route : Jun 28, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Nice hike.
The climb is varied
The climbing is quite fun
Saw two chamois

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It was raining and foggy that day, and we started in the opposite direction, turning back before reaching the summit of Trélod. The path is clearly visible.

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