Petit and Grand Replomb via Lac de Crop

To park, continue past the car park at the IGN 1294m contour line and, after the next hairpin bend, turn right onto a forest track suitable for vehicles and park 200m further on at the Ravin des Trois Fontaines.

(S/E) From the car park, continue along the track on the right which crosses the stream via a ford heading west near a pumping station. Stay on the wide path heading uphill (do not head towards the Pont de la Betta), which continues westwards and climbs slightly before descending to join the^GR®549at the Ravin de l’Avalanche.
From there, follow the red and white marked path on the left which leads to Lac de Crop via the two huts of the same name. On leaving the forest and after the second hut, a track branches off to the right at a bend in^{the GR®} at the bottom of the valley (at around 1700m).

(1) Take this path, which heads into the mountain pastures to the north and then westwards, climbing in that direction along a deforested ridge on its northern flank.

(2) Once you reach a hut where you can stop for a ‘breakfast’ (benches, table), stay on the uphill path which skirts the summit of Orionde to the west and continue on level ground southwards to a fork allowing you to descend nearly 200m to a large, open plateau at the edge of the forest. Once you reach this clearing, follow the path or cut across the forest to reach the^GR®549B, which climbs towards the Refuge Jean Collet.

(3) Turn left onto the^GR® (red/white markings), heading generally southwards to reach the Jean Collet Refuge. Pass the refuge and its toilets along the path to reach a junction and signpost:
- to the right, the path descends towards Pré Molard,
- straight ahead leads towards Lac Blanc,
- and left towards the Col de la Mine de Fer.

(4) Take the^GR®549on the left, which climbs towards the Col de la Mine de Fer (heading generally east). After a few hairpin bends, this path quickly reaches the Habert de la Pierre (sheltered beneath a large flat rock), which it bypasses on the right through mountain pastures dotted with large boulders.

(5) When the slope becomes less steep, the path veers briefly northwards. From here, you can see the Jas Mouton pass beneath the summit of the Petit Replomb. See the visual guide in the ‘Practical Information’ section.
Head for the scree marking the bottom of this pass (a path runs through it) and then follow its gully to climb up the less steep slopes below the summit. Start heading north-west, then north to climb up the north-east gully.
Once below the summit, climb the Petit Replomb via its south-western shoulder, following the line of this shoulder.

(6) From the Petit Replomb, head north along the very comfortable ridge to reach the Grand Replomb (which does not appear to be the highest point), from where you can see Lac de Crop below.

At the summit, veer left due west to descend steep slopes towards a vast plateau. Cross this plateau, keeping west, until you reach its sheer drop-off and find the weak point marked by a cairn.

(7) At the cairn, turn right to follow the path which descends north-eastwards through rocky boulders. This path offers several opportunities to branch off to the left to descend, but always stay on the upper branch which follows the foot of the Rafour ridge, veering north-west.
Descend to the foot of this ridge, passing under rocks and through gullies, to reach an ascending path heading north towards the Col du Rafour.

(8) At the Col du Rafour, after admiring the view from the Cime d’Orionde a few metres higher up, turn back to climb the path that leads back up the Rafour ridge to the south-east. ⚠️ It is easy to lose this path, but you can always find it again by heading back towards the ridge. ⚠️ Numerous chamois tracks criss-cross the slopes of the Rafour; you must stay on or close to the ridge.

(9) When this path encounters somewhat more challenging rocks, it crosses the ridge and descends gradually eastwards through a succession of scree slopes and bushes to reach a flat area above Lac de Crop at around 2050m. The path then descends towards the lake along a very steep, barely marked shoulder, amidst the rocks.
On reaching Lac de Crop, go round it on the north (left) side to reach the^GR®549.

(10) Turn left onto the^GR®, climb a few metres up the lake’s natural dam and then descend towards the valley, first via steep switchbacks, then along an increasingly comfortable path which passes the junction of the second Crop hut.

(1) Turn right back onto the ascent route to reach the car park (S/E).

Difficulty

The estimated time for this hike is quite broad; most hikers will take no more than 8 hours, including breaks. If snowfields are still present, the duration is further reduced due to the possibility of descending in groups.

The difficulty stems mainly from the length of the hike and its numerous off-trail sections, which require a good sense of direction or the use of the Visorando app.
(5) The key reference photo is the main visual landmark for this route.

Equipment

Apart from at the start of the season, when gaiters and an ice axe may be useful, no special equipment is required apart from good walking boots. Trekking poles are, as always, useful. Don’t forget a head torch if setting off early in the morning.

Water

Water is plentiful throughout the route, but do bring a filter.

Dogs

Dogs are allowed and will find this route perfectly suitable.

Alternatives

It is possible to ascend to the Petit Replomb from the Col de la Mine de Fer, involving a few sections of easy climbing. To do this, do not leave the^GR®549at the point (5) but continue on to the Col de la Mine de Fer at 2,400m. At the pass, head west along the ridge, staying below it on the north side (towards Lac de Crop). Descend a steep gully to the north (heading right) when the rocks on the ridge become too steep, to go round the base of these rocks on the right. Then climb straight west up an even steeper gully where you will need to scramble several times to reach the eastern ridge below Petit Replomb.

This route makes the hike Extremely Difficult and requires either dry rock or good hard snow conditions.