Les Pas de la Coche and Les Pas du Pin and beyond from Prabert

This is a classic hike which, after the Pas de la Coche, enters the Belledonne Massif.
Hannibal is said to have taken this route.
There was even a road project between Grésivaudan and Le Rivier d'Allemont; the beautiful track between (6) and (7) is a remnant of this.
Today, the pass is used by shepherds, hikers, ski tourers, snowshoers and even tourist planes at an altitude higher than ours.

Details

3312306
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 13.57 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 6h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 826 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 827 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,079 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,345 m

Description of the walk

Park near the end of the tarmac road at Pré de l'Arc (D 528).

(S/E) Walk slightly uphill along the road or track.

(1) Take the path on the right which joins theGR® 549 andGR® de Pays Tour du Balcon des Sept Laux a little further up, which you will follow until you reach Habert d'Aiguebelle. On the way, you will pass Habert du Muret.

(2) Stay on theGR® 549 andGR® de Pays trails, which turn right. The path now climbs a little more steeply. The route is dominated by a high-voltage power line. Reach the Pas de la Coche and its lake.

(3) Leave theGR® 549 andGR® de Pays trails and the high-voltage power line here. Turn left onto theGR® 738 for a slightly wilder route. Reach the Pas de la Pierre du Pin.

(4) Leave the path that descends to the right and continue towards the Col de la Vache. Proceed at your own pace, depending on the condition of the terrain. For example, stop at the point where you have to cross the stream and where the path turns sharply to the east.

(5) Turn back to the Aiguebell fork.

(2) There are two options at this point:
- descend directly to the car park via the same route you took on the way up.
- or head for Habert d'Aiguebelle by turning right, as shown on the map.

(6) Head west on theGR® de Pays Tour du Balcon des Sept Laux. At the start, the path is a little difficult to see, but it soon turns into a beautiful trail. Follow it for a long way until you reach Pré de l'Arc.

(7) Change direction by turning completely left, heading generally south, and descend for a long way along the track to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,346 m - Car park at the end of the Pré de l'Arc road (D528)
  2. 1 : km 0.09 - alt. 1,347 m - Common fork A/R - Forest track
  3. 2 : km 2.25 - alt. 1,724 m - Aiguebelle
  4. 3 : km 3.61 - alt. 1,994 m - Pas de la Coche - Lac de la Coche
  5. 4 : km 4.52 - alt. 1,997 m - Pas du Pin
  6. 5 : km 5.13 - alt. 2,078 m - Turn around
  7. 6 : km 8.16 - alt. 1,736 m - Habert d'Aiguebelle
  8. 7 : km 11.47 - alt. 1,546 m - Pré de l'Arc
  9. S/E : km 13.56 - alt. 1,347 m - Car park at the end of the Pré de l'Arc road (D528)

Notes

At the start, you can immediately take the hairpin bend in the road onto a stony path that joins the route described above.

From (6), the route is quite long but offers unobstructed views.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
centuryspine
centuryspine
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Completed on 12 October 2025 under glorious sunshine.
A very beautiful route, but we did the circular route via the Col de l'Aigleton and Lac du Vénétier. This adds 200 metres of elevation gain and very few kilometres, and it avoids simply turning back, especially since the ibex like to bask in the sun at the Col de l'Aigleton. The descent from the pass is very steep, but without any major technical difficulty.

The return path between Le Habert and the car park allows you to finish the hike gently with a beautiful view of the valley.

there are two minor drawbacks: the car parks at the start of the hike fill up quickly (although people spread out over many routes in the surrounding area, so this doesn't have too much of an impact on this hike, which is fairly busy without being crowded) and the high-voltage power lines that follow the climb to the Pas de la Coque. This makes doing the circular loop via the pass all the more interesting, as you get to enjoy some truly wild places.

I also have some doubts about the section between Lac de la Coche and the turning point, where I feel that the trail is no longer very "official" (lots of Xs on the path, faded markings)

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PERRY
PERRY

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful excursion for leisurely hikers
Le Habert d'Aiguebelle is worth a detour, a magnificent location.
The Pas de la Coche offers an unforgettable view of La Muzelle

Must-do

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bebert38
bebert38
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, after Lac de Coche, head towards Col de l'Agleton to reach Lac du Vénétier and descend towards the Habert d'Aiguebelle mountain refuge. 5 hours 40 minutes.

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HOZRO
HOZRO

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

THE VIEW FROM PAS DE LA COCHE IS VERY BEAUTIFUL. YOU CAN APPRECIATE THE WILD SIDE OF THE BELLEDONNES.

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Eljay
Eljay

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed at the end of April. Route still very snowy. Small crampons and snowshoes needed to reach the Pas de la Coche. Very enjoyable hike with beautiful views from the top, overlooking the Grésivaudan valley on one side and the Eau d'Olle on the other.

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