The northern ridges of Mont Saint-Eynard

From Le Sappey-en-Chartreuse, climb up to the ridges of Mont Saint-Eynard, which offer beautiful panoramic views of the Belledonne mountains, the Dent de Crolles and Chamechaude.

Details

239904
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 12.75 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 857 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 850 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,596 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 988 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the car park opposite the Sappey-en-Chartreuse Tourist Office.

(S/E) With your back to the car park, cross the road (D512) and head for the Le Sappey Église sign a little further to the left. Continue along the street towards Fort Saint-Eynard, pass the town hall and you will reach the La Charmette crossroads.

Red and whiteGR®9signposts
(1) Continue along the road, passing the cross-country ski centre car park on your right. Continue for a few metres, then pass the start of the snowshoe trails on your left and, just after the access to the cross-country ski trails (Les Combes), you will reach the La Croix du Rocher signpost.

(2) Take the path opposite that descends towards Fort Saint-Eynard. Go around a house and cross a stream. Go back up into the forest to find the Les Fontenettes signpost.
Continue straight ahead, ignoring a path on the left and following a path that branches off to the right. Walk alongside the adventure course and continue to a crossroads.

(3) Turn left until you reach the Téléski du Grand Sommard signpost. Turn left towards Fort de Saint-Eynard on a path. Pass the next two paths on your left and turn right to climb up the ski slope. Follow the edge of the woods, pass a path on your right and continue climbing. The path then zigzags up the ski slope and veers to the right. Cross the ski lift and 100 metres further on, turn left and follow the path uphill.
Another 100 metres further up, leave the path and follow a trail on the left (incorrect route). Return to the path, cross it and continue straight ahead until you reach the Pré du Plat marker.

Unofficial red markings
(4) Follow the trail to the left that leads to the ridges, offering beautiful views of the Belledonne Massif at times, but be careful of the cliffs. Reach the Pas de la Branche.

(5) Leave a small track that descends to the left and the Pas de la Branche trail, continue straight ahead on the trail. Reach a large open space which is the highest point of these ridges (1489m).

(6) Continue on the same path, which will take you through a series of small ascents and descents in areas that are sometimes quite wild. Reach a path (cairn) with the Dent de Crolles on the right and Chamechaude on the left.

Red and white markings for theGR®9
(7) Turn left onto the path that climbs up to the Emeindras de Dessus marker. Continue straight on towards Habert de Chamechaude and arrive at the Emeindras de Dessus chalets. Join the marker below the chalets.

(8) Leave the path on the left and continue straight ahead towards Habert de Chamechaude.

(9) Pass the Col de l'Emeindras and continue straight ahead on a very steep section. The path becomes easier when it turns south-east and joins the Habert de Chamechaude signpost above the chalet.

(10) Turn left and descend towards the chalet in the direction of La Charmette. Pass the chalet and follow the path, which crosses the forest tracks several times, until you reach a T-junction.

(11) Follow the track to the right to quickly reach a crossroads. Continue straight downhill, join a path coming from the left then one coming from the right and continue to the Pied de Velouse signpost.

(12) Continue straight downhill (south-west) along a sunken path, pass the Montjalat le Haut and Le Bruchet signposts and continue towards Charmette.
At Jaillières (fountain on the left), leave the road that branches off to the right and continue straight ahead on the path, which will widen. Further down, you will come to the tarmac road and the Charmette signpost.

(1) Turn right and follow the path you took on the way up to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,004 m - Tourist Office car park
  2. 1 : km 0.14 - alt. 1,005 m - La Charmette
  3. 2 : km 0.3 - alt. 1,000 m - La Croix du Rocher
  4. 3 : km 0.77 - alt. 1,022 m - Turn left onto the adventure trail
  5. 4 : km 2.13 - alt. 1,329 m - Pré du Plat
  6. 5 : km 4.12 - alt. 1,342 m - Pas de la Branche
  7. 6 : km 5.66 - alt. 1,450 m - Highest point of the ridges
  8. 7 : km 6.8 - alt. 1,468 m - Turn left onto the GR9
  9. 8 : km 7.42 - alt. 1,418 m - Emeindra de Dessus
  10. 9 : km 8.05 - alt. 1,384 m - Col de l'Émeindras
  11. 10 : km 9.31 - alt. 1,588 m - Habert de Chamechaude
  12. 11 : km 10.15 - alt. 1,418 m - Turn right onto the track
  13. 12 : km 10.99 - alt. 1,266 m - Pied de Velouse
  14. S/E : km 12.75 - alt. 1,004 m - Tourist Office car park

Notes

Parking is available at the cross-country ski centre car park, very close to the town hall.

Worth a visit

A habert is a small alpine hut originally intended as a shelter for shepherds; nowadays, they can be used to accommodate hikers. Most often, they are "solid" constructions; they are not chalets. This name is used locally in the Chartreuse and Belledonne mountain ranges.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 19 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
Chorenkryg
Chorenkryg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, mostly in the forest, very enjoyable in hot weather. The trails are easy to walk on, and the route is fun, flowery and peaceful. A few trees need to be cut down on the ridges. Amiral H

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Chorenkryg
Chorenkryg

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 23, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

beautiful hike, mostly in the forest, very enjoyable in hot weather. The trails are easy to walk on, and the route is fun, flowery and peaceful. A few trees across the ridges need to be cut down.

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Bibi et Gre
Bibi et Gre

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a very beautiful route with views all along the way. There are always a few people at the pass. The rest of the route remains magical.

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thierry Grand
thierry Grand

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

a superb loop with no difficulty other than the repeated ascents and descents!
chamois above Habert de Chamechaude!
superb views of Belledonne and Mont Blanc

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nom
nom

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 01, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy, pleasant hike.
But I still managed to stray from the path by mistake for a few metres. You have to stay on the ridge (5-6).
There are indeed a few fallen trees on the path, but they don't really pose a problem.
There are lots of hikers (not all of whom are on the same route as us) admiring Chamechaude.
Thank you.

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denrem
denrem

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike alternating between ascents and descents, hampered on the Grands Crêts ridge by numerous fallen trees.
The gloomy weather prevented us from enjoying the views.
Most of the hike takes place under a canopy of vegetation.

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philou57
philou57

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike undertaken on a windy day with strong winds blowing vertically up from the valley.
Throughout the entire walk along the ridge, it spared us (passing overhead), even though the furious noise it generated
was very impressive.
be careful at the Passo della Branche (5) and Passo del6, where fallen trees can cause you to stray from the path!
(The app alerts us when we stray too far... perfect)
you need to quickly rejoin the small path that runs along the ridge...
Very beautiful view of the upper Emeindras covered with blue gentians, crocuses, Siberian squills and peatland.
Fantastic views throughout the 7-hour hike, with plenty of breaks for photos and snacks.
Magnificent!

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glouby25
glouby25

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed by four fairly good walkers in about 5 hours and 15 minutes, including a sandwich break.
We managed to lose our way two or three times: once at the start before the tree-climbing spot, then on the ridges before the clearing (small rockfalls had blocked the path?), and then just before point 7 near a fence...
Apart from that, it was a very beautiful hike, even if it starts off tough with the first climb following a ski slope!
Thank you for the route

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robinmoulin
robinmoulin

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with varied landscapes and terrain. We camped at the first point of interest.
A few comments about the trail along the ridges: -At times very close to the edge, so not recommended for children or people who suffer from severe vertigo.
- The trail is no longer marked on the last third and requires some navigation skills.

Thank you for this route and all the associated information.

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Capu_ds
Capu_ds

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 27, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Great hike, very wild! The only difference was between the distance here (12.75 km) and my watch (16 km). But it was a great hike, even though there was still snow, so luckily other people had already been there

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Jocelyne P.
Jocelyne P.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful hike, best done on a clear day, as for us the ridges were shrouded in cloud, so we didn't get any views! We'll try again in summer, when the weather is dry and sunny.
Thank you for this route.

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pierre maillot
pierre maillot

Hello, I'm planning to do it next year, so I'll let you know what I think afterwards!
Thank you to Visorando for all these wonderful hikes.
Pierre Maillot

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Ange Heureux
Ange Heureux

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2017
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did the loop in the other direction. That way, the climb is more gradual. The views are truly superb, overlooking the various mountain ranges and valleys. It took us almost eight hours, but we took the time to have a picnic and do a lot of geocaching. In any case, this hike is really worth it, with plenty of shade and a cool altitude.
Thank you.

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micho
micho

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Signposting and description are fine. This is a walk best done in summer as you are often in the forest

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pierre.nassif
pierre.nassif

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 24, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed on 23 April 2017
A very beautiful hike, best done in summer as there are many shaded areas to protect you from the sun. The long stretch along the ridge is truly magical. Difficulty and time as advertised (being alone and a good walker, it took me less time). The trail is well marked throughout.
Thank you for this hike!

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