The Belvédères de la Roche and Côte Rouge

Starting from Col de Fraisse above Monestier-de-Clermont, visit two viewpoints: La Roche, which overlooks Lake Monteynard, and Côte Rouge, facing the famous Mont Aiguille. On the way, pass by the beautiful beech tree called Arbre à Mimi.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.50 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,138 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,161 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 3,386 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,638 ft

Description of the walk

Park in the Col de Fraisse car park.

(S/E) Continue downhill along the road leading to the hamlet of Tiraillère. A few metres after the hairpin bend, turn left onto the wide track to enter the woods. The track runs parallel to the road at first, then moves away from it along an almost flat path. After a wide circular loop to the left, you’ll reach a crossroads of tracks.

(1) Leave this track on your left and continue on level ground until you reach a new, wider track.

(2) Take this track to the left, then begin a steeper climb to reach, at the top, the ‘Arbre à Mimi’ crossroads, marked by a sign. Turn right to reach this point of interest very quickly.

(3) Return to the previous crossroads and follow the path downhill to reach the crossroads of the tracks again.

(2) Keep left on the track until you reach a hairpin bend on the Route de Tiraillère. Cross it, pass the Ruisseau de Combe Mie and you’ll come to a junction of tracks immediately afterwards.

(4) Take the track on the right and begin the ascent; you’ll emerge at another track junction near a hunters’ hut.

(5) Carry on straight ahead and head downhill to the hamlet of La Roche. Continue along a good path, following the yellow markings and the signposts to reach the Belvédère de la Roche viewpoint.

(6) Return via the same route to the previous junction.

(5) Turn left onto the track, keep left at the next Y-junction and continue on level ground; after a long circular loop to the right, you’ll reach another track junction marked by the ‘Combe Mille’ signpost.

(7) Turn left onto the track blocked by a red and white barrier. Begin a new climb, reach the Col de Maissenas (sign on a tree) and, a few metres further on, come to a crossroads of paths.

(8) Leave this track and turn right onto the path signposted “Combe Rouge”. Continue on a gentle climb through a pleasant woodland to reach the Côte Rouge viewpoint and its orientation table.

(9) Return via the same route to the Combe Mille junction.

(7) Turn left onto the wide track and follow the level path to the Col de Fraisse car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,110 ft - Col de Fraisse car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.6 - alt. 2,989 ft - Trail junction
  3. 2 : mi 0.88 - alt. 2,881 ft - Trail junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.35 - alt. 2,986 ft - Mimi’s Tree
  5. 4 : mi 2.61 - alt. 2,641 ft - Tiraillère
  6. 5 : mi 2.98 - alt. 2,920 ft - Hunters’ hut junction
  7. 6 : mi 3.39 - alt. 2,733 ft - La Roche viewpoint
  8. 7 : mi 4.58 - alt. 3,018 ft - Signpost ‘Combe Mille’
  9. 8 : mi 4.93 - alt. 3,192 ft - Col de Maissenas junction
  10. 9 : mi 5.21 - alt. 3,386 ft - Belvédère de Côte Rouge
  11. S/E : mi 6.5 - alt. 3,097 ft - Col de Fraisse car park

Notes

Please note that there are many trail junctions on this route, so stay on the described route. However, detours are possible to extend the hike.

Worth a visit

Click here for tourist information about this location.

Reviews and comments

4 / 5
Based on 12 reviews

Reliability of the description
3.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 20712181

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The start point isn’t very well signposted. You have to go back along the road to Monestier-de-Clermont, and this isn’t mentioned in the route description.
The section leading to Mimi’s tree could be omitted as it’s of no interest (the tree is no longer there).
There are few signs to guide you to the first viewpoint. The path to the second one is easier to spot.
The views from the lookouts are very beautiful.

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Flopy 58
Flopy 58

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Taken on a cold, windy day with a bit of snow. A easy route, mainly through open woodland, leading to two viewing points with magnificent views that are well worth the detour. Not too much mud.

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User 25946195
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant route that climbs up to an orientation table (on the red coast) with a 360-degree view of Mont Aiguille, Trièves, Dévoluy, Écrins, Vercors and Lake Monteynard.

_ At (1), it could be specified to follow the sign indicating the orientation table.

_ When you start going from 3 to 5 and beyond, it's a good thing I had the Viso Rando trail map because there are lots of paths that branch off to the right or left and it's not always easy to find the right one (it's true, it's complicated because in some cases there are no signs

The route is at least 10 km, if not 11, rather than 6.58 km as indicated in the Viso Rando file.

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Colette Talvard
Colette Talvard

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Belke hike

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Hustache
Hustache

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

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El Renato
El Renato

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Warning! Mimi's tree is now in a sorry state and falling apart.

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ANMATROM
ANMATROM

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 25, 2023
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 two viewpoints, one overlooking the lake and the other overlooking the surrounding mountains.
S
A very pleasant route through the forest, which is enjoyable when the weather is warm.
We came across a few families in the early afternoon, but otherwise saw no one.
AS

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Meupat
Meupat
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Good route with a viewpoint, done with a GPS watch so no mistakes, running, good training, enjoyable.

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casillas
casillas
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 22, 2023
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike. We decided to take one of the many variations of this route for a change and to test our sense of direction, which went without a hitch. However, be careful at km 4 to reach point 3, as the path branches off to the right but is hidden by vegetation and trees, so you have to look for it a little. We had a snack under the tree at Mimi, and the rest was perfect. No one else on this route. 11.5 km with 373 m elevation gain.

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gerelise
gerelise

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In the morning, I went up to see Mimi's tree, then the viewpoints in the afternoon.
a bit warm but there was shade on the way back down
very beautiful view of Mont Aiguille, lovely walk

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marite49
marite49

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Numerous paths without signposts!
But beautiful views

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Yofrommouch
Yofrommouch

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The three of us would have liked more reliable information about the starting point. Col de Fraisse was fine, but after that, where should we go, the road or the path below (we had to choose the latter, which was not mentioned)?
The names of streets or paths within the hamlet of Tiraillère could have been used as reference points for guidance.
The distances were not very precise on the split routes.
What about the instruction "Cross a bend" when you are just going down it on a road?
To climb back up from La Roche to the Col de Fraisse, the relative flatness of the path to Combe Mille is hardly mentioned.

Otherwise, it's a lovely walk.

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