The Gorges de St-Pierre and the Tour de la Femme Couchée

Date of your route : Oct 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A weekend to complete the loop, 2½ hours from Villars Heyssier to the Congerman refuge (Bénédicte and Alain were fantastic!) and the next day a climb up to the Pisse en l'air plateau; the trail was very faint, so it took some effort to find the right path, but then it was smooth sailing to Ondres... A beautiful loop.

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Date of your route : Aug 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful gorges to discover, we spent a night at the Congerman refuge,
with exceptional wardens, thank you for your welcome, with a very good meal. The refuge is
very well maintained.

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Date of your route : Jun 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike. We did the 4.5-hour route. The elevation gain is very gradual, so it's not too strenuous. Views of some beautiful waterfalls. Be careful on a few tricky sections, especially after the Congerman refuge towards Chabannal. Avoid in very hot weather as some sections are in direct sunlight. The forest is very pleasant. I'd love to come back and do the full loop.

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Date of your route : May 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb tour with breathtaking scenery. A truly spectacular sight. We stopped at the Congermann lodge for a snack. We even spotted some chamois. The rest of the hike was supposed to take us to the Chabannal lodge, but we had to turn back because the snow that had fallen the day before prevented us from continuing. A pity, but there's always next time.

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Date of your route : Oct 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent, varied landscapes. Vertiginous gorges, lush forests. We had a lovely encounter with some chamois. We went to the Congerman refuge for the night. Our hosts treated us like royalty. Adorable people. We ate well, slept well and, above all, had a good laugh. Thank you to Bénédicte and Alain.

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Date of your route : Oct 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I didn't know this area.
Quite a splendid location.
Very few people.

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Date of your route : Aug 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

day 1: We climbed up to the Congerman lodge via Chabanal. Superb hike in the gorges, followed by a pleasant climb through the forest. After the Chabanal fork, there are a few tricky sections; sure footing is recommended.
Overnight stay at the lodge: a warm welcome, home cooking... thank you to Bénédicte and Alain (*****)
day 2: Climb to Petit Coyer, 800 m elevation gain.
Then we followed the trail described in the guidebook (1,400m descent from the summit) to reach Villars Heyssier via Orgeas and Ondres...; a little tiring in the heat.
I would leave a car near Ondres if I were to do it again.
Without the detour via Petit Coyer, the circuit can be completed in one day.

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

At a certain point, the signage has changed

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Date of your route : Aug 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

great hike, but not for those who are afraid of heights. One minor drawback is that the car park at the start of the trail is not accessible by car due to lack of maintenance, so you have to park along the roadside, even though there is a large car park nearby. Is this a deliberate decision on the part of the local council not to maintain it?

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Date of your route : Jul 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fabulous hike alternating between wooded, gentle areas, impressive cliffs, arid sections and pools where you can cool off!
For physical reasons, we didn't take the risk of doing the whole loop this weekend.
After the St Pierre gorges, we turned off at WP3 to climb up to the Chabanal hut and complete the loop to the Congerman hut. We were pleasantly surprised to discover another very aerial route in the ravines between two forest trails.
The beer and blueberry tart break at the Congerman hut is well worth it, and the welcome is very friendly.
We then descended through the gorges. And for those who are put off by the return trip, you will appreciate these gorges seen from above with a different light than on the way up.
There are no particular difficulties. A hiker in the group who is prone to vertigo got through without any trouble. In addition, much of the hike is in the shade of the gorges or undergrowth.
However, you need to be careful at all times and the ravines can be difficult to cross in wet weather.
The only downside is that the car park after the village of Villars Heyssier was inaccessible without a 4x4, as a 100-metre uphill section was completely washed out
In summary, a gorge that is definitely worth the trip

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Date of your route : May 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

a beautiful walk along impressive cliffs at first, then back into the forest. Easy route. Lack of signage at times. Not very busy at this time of year.

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Date of your route : Oct 05, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful hike done in the opposite direction of your route
we parked in Villards Heyssier, a very pretty village, and descended via Le Plan (1,175 m) towards the Ondres bridge (1,400 m)
we went back up towards the Cabane de l'Orgeas (1,991 m) – a shame – then the Congerman forest hut (1,864 m)
the St Pierre gorges and the chapel of St Pierre
No difficulty for us at 75 years old, fairly wide path in the gorges, we thoroughly enjoyed this very varied route, forests, ridges, canyons, magnificent landscapes, and as a bonus, mushroom picking on the descent before the gorges.
the most beautiful hike we've done in the region.
highly recommended

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Date of your route : Jun 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike, completed from 2 to 4 directly. 18.7 km with 950 m of elevation gain.
Start from the car park 1.5 km from the village. Passable track
Impressive gorges for those prone to vertigo, but no difficulty. Wide trail, steady climb.
Refuge (point 2) open in July and August.
Descent facing south in the sun: warm

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Date of your route : May 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was a beautiful hike on a grey day, which didn't always allow us to fully enjoy the beauty of the site. We did a variation of this route by taking the path to the Chabanal hut (where we spotted some chamois in the Saint-Pierre ravine) and then passing by the Congerman lodge. As the weather was turning threatening, we regretfully decided to head straight for the Baisse de l'Orgéas rather than climbing up to the Pisse-en-l'Air plateau.

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Date of your route : Sep 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, even for people over 70 (my wife is 74 and I am 72). We walked for 6.5 hours with a picnic
including a 15-minute break at the huts.
The return route was well signposted and offered different scenery. We didn't meet anyone else.
Highly recommended.

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