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Access from the start: from the village of Arvillard, follow the road to the former Val Pelouse ski resort and park in the large car park at the end of the road.
NB. Closed for a time following a landslide, the Val Pelouse forest road is now open to traffic again.
(S/E) Take the wide tarmac road for about 100 metres, which branches off to the right at the end of the car park. After a left-hand bend, it opens out onto a meadow and leads to a first junction with a signpost for "Val Pelouse 1720m".
(1) Turn right towards Les Grands Moulins and walk up the meadow for about 200 metres, heading towards the edge of the woods, until you reach the second fork with the signpost "Val Pelouse 1740 m".
(2) Turn right into the forest, heading towards "Les Grands Moulins". A good balcony path crosses a wooded area and then, at the edge of the woods, the Grand Charnier, the Pic du Frêne and the Grand Miceau set the scene for the day. It then crosses a wide valley and winds its way through beautiful meadows as it approaches the Refuge de la Perrière.
(3) At the fork leading to the nearby Refuge de la Perrière, stay on the path and continue straight ahead to the next crossroads called "La Perrière" (directional signpost).
(4) Leave the path that climbs left to Col de la Perrière and continue towards Grands Moulins. The path gradually climbs until it forks with the path that leads to Col d'Arpingon.
(5) Take the path on the left that climbs up the southern ridge of Les Grands Moulins.
NB: the direction for Grands Moulins is not indicated on the signs in place (placed on the ground) but is indicated by text and an arrow painted in yellow on a rock lying in the grass.
From there, the slope becomes much steeper. After half an hour's walk, you will reach a small pass that opens up onto the Maurienne valley and the surrounding mountains.
(6) It's another good half hour's walk before you reach the very rocky summit of Grands Moulins, whose secondary summit is marked by a large cairn.
(7) To descend, take the same route as on the way up to the "La Perrière" intersection.
(4) Turn right and climb for about twenty minutes to reach the Col de la Perrière (signpost).
(8) Leave the path that leads to the Gargoton springs and continue on the left (north) to easily reach the magnificent grassy ridge of the Grande Montagne d'Arvillard. At the end of the ridge, a disused hut marks the start of the descent.
(9) Take the wide path on the left, which descends gently down the slope and leads to the meadow you climbed at the start of the hike, bringing you back to the "Val Pelouse 1720m" junction.
(1) From there, follow the same route as on the way up to reach the car park in 5 minutes (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Easy 
