Pas des Bachassons and Pas de la Selle

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A pleasant circuit on the eastern flank of the Vercors, which will take you close to the Hauts Plateaux nature reserve and Mont Aiguille.

Details

n°67856
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.95 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,953 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,949 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 6,398 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,668 ft
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Photos

Towards the Pas des Bachassons
Mont Aiguille
Le Grand and Le Petit Veymont
Ibex next to the Montaveilla hut

Description of the walk

Once you have passed the village of Saint-Michel-les-Portes, continue along the road until you reach the car park just before the tree-top adventure park.

(S/E) The route starts on a good road that is open to vehicles but prohibited to motor vehicles. Continue until you reach the adventure course.

(1) Leave the Mont Aiguille trail on your left and continue straight ahead along the right bank of the Ruisseau des Pellas.
The road becomes a trail and the slope becomes slightly steeper. If you are visiting between mid-May and mid-June, keep an eye out on both sides of the trail for lady's slipper orchids. After a few switchbacks, continue climbing through the forest. The trail now climbs into a valley that gradually narrows. Cross the scree. Reach the Pas des Bachassons, a small trail that winds through a narrow passage along a trickle of water.

(2) Enjoy the fountain. Look for a trail that branches off to the left on hilly terrain. There is a wide view of the high plateaus, the Grand Veymont and Mont Aiguille. After 5 minutes, the trail descends. You will see the notch of the Pas de la Selle. Reach it.

(3) Begin the descent towards the Col de l'Aupet to get as close as possible to Mont Aiguille.

(4) From this point, the views of Mont Aiguille are quite spectacular.
After the Col de l'Aupet, reach a crossroads.

(5) Turn left downhill to join the uphill trail at the Pard Aventure crossroads.

(1) Follow the same route back to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,668 ft - Parking is available at the gate of the road leading to the park
  2. 1 : mi 0.5 - alt. 3,957 ft - Crossroads park
  3. 2 : mi 2.8 - alt. 6,266 ft - Pas des Bachassons (1903m)
  4. 3 : mi 3.36 - alt. 6,102 ft - Pas de la Selle
  5. 4 : mi 4.41 - alt. 5,351 ft - Col de l'Aupet
  6. 5 : mi 4.55 - alt. 5,390 ft - Crossroads after the Pas de l'Aupet
  7. S/E : mi 6.95 - alt. 3,671 ft - Parking is available at the gate of the road leading to the park

Notes

There is a spring at the Bachassons fountain and a hut just after the pass (drinking water except in heavy rain)

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

Lady's slipper orchids are a protected species and must not be picked.
This hike is recommended in late spring (mid-May to mid-June) because the meadows are in full bloom and magnificent. Bring a pair of binoculars because chamois, marmots and ibex are common in this area.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 41 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
User 14066307

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike, with a slightly challenging ascent and descent over scree, where it’s easy to slip. The views along the route are magnificent – the Vercors Plateau, Le Grand Veymont, Mont Aiguille –; a herd of ibex, and chamois beneath the cliff on the left before the Pas des Bachassons,
Please note: to reach the Pas des Bachassons, the track climbs well below the cliff face up a steep grassy slope on the left, then crosses grassy meadows, whereas the route description mentions a narrow pass. We preferred the grassy slope, which brought us closer to the ibex and offered superb views. There are no signs on the ground for this path, and it is quite vertiginous for a few metres.
A lovely day with perfect weather

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Bab13
Bab13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A truly magnificent hike, though a bit tough in sweltering heat even if you set off early. The rewards are well worth the effort: a herd of ibex beneath the cliff on the left before the Pas des Bachassons, and extraordinary views throughout, particularly across the whole Vercors plateau, the Grand Veymont and, of course, Mont Aiguille.
Just one comment: to reach the Pas des Bachassons, the path climbs well below the cliff up a steep grassy slope on the left, then crosses grassy meadows, whereas the description mentions a narrow gully (with no stream in this instance) which is not at all pleasant, as it’s full of scree. The choice is yours. In any case, the ibex were there and not at all shy!

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User 4436566

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route was straightforward and very easy to follow. There were some beautiful views throughout the walk; the Pas de Bachasson is a particularly pleasant spot to stop for lunch whilst watching the ibex. There was still snow in places.

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User 3360262

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Great route! There were lots of people when we arrived at the hollowed-out tree trunks serving as drinking troughs. Normal for Ascension Day. Water, flowers including lady's slipper orchids, ibex and even shy chamois. We made the round trip to Grand Veymont. It's easily done, an 8.5-hour hike with breaks.

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martinchristine
martinchristine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

great route, I pushed on to the Roman quarries, 1 hour there and back, well worth it, very busy but normal for a beautiful Ascension weekend, and a beautiful herd of ibexes when I arrived at the Pass.

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User 6295838
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful loop with magnificent landscapes, and I was lucky enough to see around fifty ibexes when I arrived at the hut facing Mont Aiguille. It was magical! 😍
However, the descent through the forest, in a storm and rain, was very muddy and slippery... to be avoided in wet weather!

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ZazelleTango
ZazelleTango

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 07, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hike completed with crampons in exceptional conditions. The trail was snow-covered (spring conditions, end of season) and I think it would have been difficult to cross the Pas des Bachassons without the right equipment (old powder snow in some places). Be careful, some parts of the route are quite unstable (Ravin des Serres, Pas de la Selle) and I witnessed several rock falls.
Apart from these few points to watch out for, this hike is one of the most beautiful I have had the chance to do in the Grenoble area. I didn't meet anyone in five hours of walking.

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Baja
Baja

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike!
We did it in very mixed weather (a few showers), with some beautiful views between the clouds, especially of Mont Aiguille, which was magnificent!
The descent was a bit muddy, but passable.
One point to note for navigation: when you reach the pass, the trail fades and becomes a little harder to follow for a few dozen metres, so don't miss the fork on the left. The rest of the route is easy to follow, with no major difficulties despite the steep climb in places.
There are lots of ibexes, which are not very shy, and a few marmots on the upper part.

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bunam
bunam

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

After quite a few trips to the Vercors, this one is definitely in our top 5

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PatBallade
PatBallade

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

First and foremost, remember to download the Visiorando map before setting off, as there is no mobile phone reception.
The hike began in cool, foggy conditions, which accompanied us throughout the climb to the plateau and the Pas des Bachassons. This is where the map and GPS tracking came in handy, as there are no real trails, especially in the fog.
But around 1 p.m., the fog lifted to reveal beautiful sunshine that lit up the magnificent landscape, the wild plateau, the panorama, Mont Aiguille, Grand Veymont... to name just the most famous sights.
In short: a beautiful day

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AUDUC
AUDUC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We completed this hike in five hours, stopping for a picnic. The route map was very useful for finding the trail on the high plateau (which is not very well marked) and for taking the right path towards the Col de l'Aupet on the descent from the Pas de la Selle.

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maminuelle
maminuelle

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 12, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice hike.

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verorizo
verorizo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

What a climb up to the Pas des Bachassons! There were quite a few people at the top, but the view of the Veymonts is truly beautiful. The descent down the scree slope isn't very easy on the knees, but the breathtaking view of Mont Aiguille makes up for it.
did it on 11 August on a hot day.

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evboucher55
evboucher55

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb...! Ibexes were waiting for us. We continued on to the Roman site...very nice

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loris307
loris307

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I just got back from this walk. There's a lot of snow at the moment, and some parts are dangerous because you can't see the path. For me, GPS is essential. Without my watch with the Visorando route (loaded onto Garmin), I'd still be there. The scenery is breathtaking even in the fog, and the falling snow was magical against the landscape. I did it in the opposite direction and I think that's better at this time of year because before you reach the plateau at the end of the climb (in the normal direction), there's a lot of slippery snow and the trail isn't visible. The advantage of doing it the other way round is that I just had to pretend I had a sledge under my bum and the descent was great. To sum up, this hike is really beautiful.

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