The Charande ridges from Autrans via Le Relais

An invigorating and challenging hike that alternates between woodland and ridge trails with views of both sides of the mountain.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 16.47 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 722 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 715 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,703 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,039 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the post office in the centre of Autrans.

(S/E) Head towards the ski jumps. At the roundabout, turn left to reach the entrance to the Yellow Village campsite.

(1) After the campsite, at the crossroads, take the track on the right, which climbs slightly to the hamlet of Le Truc.
At the crossroads, take the road opposite and follow it to the next hamlet of Le Bouchet. Go through the hamlet until you reach the intersection of the road and a track that branches off to the left at a right angle.

(2) Follow the signs for Pas de Bellecombe / Cascade on the signpost.
At thefirst intersection, take the road on the right and start climbing.
The waterfall is on your left, just below the intersection.
The track climbs and passes between rocks until you reach a clearing.

(3) Ignore the sign on the left here and follow the sign on the right also indicating Pas de Bellecombe.
The well-marked trail climbs through the undergrowth. Cross a track, take the trail opposite and continue climbing. Leave the stream on your left. Join a wide forest road which is actually the road linking the Col de la Croix Perrin to the Sure resort and is called Route Forestière Barthélémy.

(4) Cross it and take the path opposite. Stay in the woods; this path runs parallel to the road and joins the access to the paragliding launch area on the right, marked by a windsock.

(5) Continue climbing the hairpin bends until you reach the ridge, where the Pas de Bellecombe is located on the right.

(6) Take the path on the left, passing the Pas de l'Ours.

(7) Continue along the ridge until you reach theGRP®® crossroads for the Tour des Quatre Montagnes.

(8) Continue opposite on theGRP® marked in red and yellow, passing the summit of Charande. Then begin a short descent to reach the Pas du Tracollet.

(9) Take the path that descends to the left towards Les Feneys. Be careful here: the descent is steep and slippery. At the bottom of the path, join the Route Forestière Barthélémy and turn left. Pass in front of the Feneys refuge. Follow this forest road until thefirst intersection marked by a sign.

(10) Descend the path on the left, which is quite steep. Ignore the Feneys path that branches off to the right, as it has not been used for years. Join theGRP®, which is also the Combettes path.

(11) Take theGRP®® on the right and follow a series of tight hairpin bends. After the last one, leave theGRP®® momentarily and turn left onto the path which rejoins the GRP®® further on.

(12) Take theGRP®® on the left and continue until you reach the crossroads you passed on the way to the hamlet of Bouchet.

(2) Follow the same route as on the way there to return to the car park at the post office in Autrans (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,039 m - Parking: Village centre of Autrans. Towards - Méaudret (rivière) - Affluent de la Bourne
  2. 1 : km 0.76 - alt. 1,056 m - Carrefour camping
  3. 2 : km 2.05 - alt. 1,117 m - Trail to the waterfall
  4. 3 : km 2.74 - alt. 1,184 m - Clearing
  5. 4 : km 4.49 - alt. 1,448 m - RF Barthélémy
  6. 5 : km 5.93 - alt. 1,547 m - Paragliding area crossroads
  7. 6 : km 6.71 - alt. 1,648 m - The Relais - Pas de Bellecombe
  8. 7 : km 7.51 - alt. 1,641 m - Pas de l'Ours
  9. 8 : km 8 - alt. 1,679 m - GRP crossroads - Charande 1709m
  10. 9 : km 9.14 - alt. 1,636 m - Les Feneys lodge - Pas du Tracollet
  11. 10 : km 10.14 - alt. 1,512 m - Intersection of the track and trail. Towards - Refuge des Feneys
  12. 11 : km 10.86 - alt. 1,394 m - GRP
  13. 12 : km 12.33 - alt. 1,196 m - GR Pays des 4 Montagnes forest trail
  14. S/E : km 16.47 - alt. 1,039 m - Parking at the post office in the centre of Autrans village - Tremplins olympiques d'Autrans

Notes

- Bring with you:
Plenty of water - You won't find any drinking water before the Refuge des Feneys.
Hiking poles, rain gear (poncho).
Good hiking boots (high tops preferred).
Standard backpack contents.

Worth a visit

(Between 1 and 2) In the hamlet of Le Truc, on the left of the square, you will see an old workshop where oxen and horses were shoed.
Local flora.
Alpine pastures.
Landscapes.
(Between 8 and 9) Stop at the Feneys refuge (hot meals, drinks).

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
jeanlouisbergon
jeanlouisbergon


Good evening, Thank you for your review. I started in Autrans because... I was simply on holiday there. And it was a good warm-up before the climb.

I wasn't lucky enough to do it in good weather; there was a thick fog on the plateau that day. But I still really enjoyed the woods.

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Anibac
Anibac

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

We chose this hike because of its moderate climb and shade, given the heatwave. It was a good choice for both reasons.
However, I'm giving it a "good" rating instead of "very good" for two reasons:
- the departure point from Autrans is not very practical. I think it would be better to start from the hamlet of Le Truc (but I imagine that this place can quickly become inaccessible as there are few parking spaces, which is why the suggestion is to start from Autrans)
- at point 9, I couldn't find the path downhill, as the forest had reclaimed its rights. Even with GPS. I therefore recommend continuing along the road for a while and taking the wide path on the right when it appears.
I had a great time and continued to the end at La Molière (I only knew the route via Le Clapier) because the view is very pleasant.
700 metres of elevation gain over 16 kilometres, relatively accessible.
Thank you very much for this hike.

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NHOAREAU
NHOAREAU

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant hike in warm weather, easy route

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NHOAREAU
NHOAREAU

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very pleasant hike, very well signposted

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Tchap87
Tchap87

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A pleasant hike, especially in hot weather as almost the entire climb is in the shade!
Nice view at the top, which joins other more popular trails.
The GPS track is sometimes inaccurate and misleading, especially on the descent, possibly due to changes related to forestry operations.
I recommend it!

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