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Park your vehicle near the shops along the D66, in the centre of Mens.
(S) Head east up Rue Louis Rippert to the Tourist Office. Pass it on your right, still on the D66, and leave the village.
(1) When the D66 turns left, leave it and go straight on Rue du 19 Mars 1962. Shortly afterwards, at the fork, turn right towards "Le Pigeonnier". Follow this road for a while until you reach the hamlet of Menglas.
(2) When you reach the hamlet, the signposts will direct you to the left without entering the village. Take the time to go around it, going straight ahead and then turning left to arrive at the north-east of the village where you will find your original path. Then head towards "Pierre des Sacrifices" (north-east).
Shortly after Menglas, at a fork, take the right-hand path (the signpost is hidden by vegetation). Follow a tree-lined, very shady path. You will come out onto a meadow, which you climb up, then follow a path that leads to a small pass.
(3) There are no markings here. Ignore the track on the right, which leads to private property (equestrian centre), and also the path coming from the left. Take the track slightly opposite and on the left, which descends.
Follow this track until you come to a small road, which you take to the right (south-east).
It climbs and then makes a very tight hairpin bend.
Further on, in a right-hand bend, you will see a sign on the left indicating "Pierre des Sacrifices" (Sacrificial Stone). Make a round trip (it takes 2 minutes). A sign provides information about this stone.
(4) Turn back. Once you are back on the track, continue to the left, still climbing (since Mens, we have only been going uphill), then take the first path downhill on the left. A sign indicates the direction of "Ser Clapi". A little further on, at a fork, turn left, following the markings, and continue to the hamlet of Ser Clapi.
(5) At the fountain, immediately take the path that descends to the right (north-east).
This path leads to a small tarmac road which, at the hamlet of Souville, becomes a dirt track again. At the next fork, turn right (it is not signposted, but it is obvious) to reach the Col de Saint-Sébastien.
(6) At the pass, you will rejoin the D66 that you left at the exit from Mens. Follow it for about 200 metres on the left (west). Be careful. Stay on the left-hand side, which is wider.
Go around a right-hand bend and when the road starts to curve to the left, leave it by taking a small path on the right that goes uphill (signposted "Bois de la Rouveyre"). Follow this path to a pass where you turn left (south-west): there is a sign for "Mens - Bois de la Rouveyre".
The path climbs for a while, follows the ridge and then descends (from now on, you will mostly be going downhill).
You will come to a crossroads (elevation 1006). Continue straight ahead, and 20 metres further on, take a path that branches off to the right. There is a sign for "Mens - Col de la Croix Charvet". (Note that this "Col de la Croix Charvet" is marked on IGN maps as "small pass d'Hérans"...)
(7) When you reach the pass, take the small road on the left (south) to the hamlet of Arthodon. When you reach this hamlet, turn right onto a small path (signposted Mens-Villette).
When you reach the hamlet of "Villette", turn left after the first building. The official marked route crosses the farmyard (there is no other option... and no dogs...) to join the path that heads south and leads to the D526.
Turn right and 100 metres further on, turn left onto the small path (signposted "Mens-Étang du Marais"). When you come to another path, turn left (south-east, no signposting) to
reach a small road that leads to Étang du Marais.
(8) Turn right and, a little further on, take a small path that branches off to the right. There are no markings. It follows a small stream and is sometimes very muddy.
You will come out onto a street where you turn left. Go straight ahead and, when you come out onto another street (Avenue Roger Brachet), continue on the dirt track in front of you. Looking up, you will see the houses of Mens, which you will reach very quickly.
The walk wasn't difficult. Use your extra energy to explore the narrow streets of this old village in the Trièves region on your way back to your vehicle.
A beautiful hike on wide paths. The start is a bit tough with a nice climb that doesn't last too long. In the hamlet of Ser Clapi, we ate our snacks on the steps of a house after asking permission from the very friendly owner. The climb to the Col de St Sébastien is also quite challenging and makes your legs ache. We cut the route short just before point 7, taking the alternative route because one person had back pain. The Triève is beautiful with magnificent scenery. 14.4 km, 520 m elevation gain, 5 hours 2 minutes.
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