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(S/E) From the Pré du Four car park, take the Marchand road to its end: this gently sloping road heads south-west and runs alongside the Pré du Four before heading west, remaining almost level.
(1) A yellow sign indicates the direction of Col de l'Arc. Take the path that winds up through the forest and joins the yellow-marked path coming from Pas de l'Âne.
(2) Turn left (south) onto this path and continue in this direction, ignoring the path on the right after a bend that climbs directly to Col de l'Arc (follow the path that passes by the spring, see sign). The path climbs above the edge of the forest and forms a hairpin bend when it reaches a coniferous tree.
(3) Continue in the direction you came from (do not turn right at the hairpin bend and do not pass in front of the spring fountain) by going around the tree at the bottom to reach a very faint path overgrown with vegetation. This path comes to a halt at a scree slope, which you climb up to the west before crossing it to the south under small rocky outcrops.
The path climbs slowly southwards and crosses a ravine. After this, the path goes around a small shoulder of land and returns to cross a valley, allowing you to see the Arche des Crocs a few metres below. Reach the arch from its northern side (see photo for its appearance - the arch is only really visible when you get close to it). If you follow my GPS track to also visit it from its southern side, this increases the difficulty.
(4) After visiting the arch, return to the path, which briefly passes north of the other side of the valley. The Pierre Fendue is located on the path that continues south.
(5) Pass under the rock and continue along the path towards the south. The path turns back near a small scree slope, crosses another, then turns back towards the south, climbing slowly. It becomes more marked again and eventually joins the Sentier des 2 Cols.
(6) Continue south (left) on the Sentier des 2 Cols, which remains relatively level. In the hollow of a combe, two cairns mark the start of the path leading to the pass below the Rochers de l'Ours.
(7) Turn right to take this path, which is even less marked than the previous one and climbs from small cairn to small cairn, winding through the mountain pasture. A few strokes of cyan paint sometimes mark the route. After a wide bend, you will arrive below the small rocks that provide a passage over the ridge.
(8) However, do not cross the ridge, but look south to see a rock standing out in the grass between the summit cliff and a small rocky outcrop. Climb up to this rock (south) and descend on the other side to see its characteristic hand shape. Continue to the next small pass to see it from above.
(9) Retrace your steps (north) to return to the ridge. Turn around on the ridge and follow it south to the summit cairn of Rocher de l'Ours.
(10) Pass the summit and follow the ridge southwards to observe the rocky outcrops leading to Roc Cornafion. When the rocks become too prominent on the ridge, turn back to return to the summit of Rocher de l'Ours. Continue along the ridge north-northeast, pass the small pass, then climb northwards until you reach Pierre Virari, balanced on one of its sides.
(11) From this stone, continue north on the ridge path. This path comes up against small rocky escarpments equipped with a rope to help you cross them. It is best to avoid using this rope as it is fixed directly to the bolts, and the rock offers much better safety.
(12) A few metres after the rope, red fluorescent signs indicate that you should turn sharply to the right to climb up the grassy shoulder that overlooks the previous escarpments. Climb up to the ridge and follow it closely to the north to pass the summit of Les Crocs, which overlooks Pic Saint-Michel by about 50 metres. Still on the ridge, reach a small grassy plateau followed by a "step" in the rock that allows you to continue further along the cliff.
(13) Cross this step to the north and continue following the ridge northwards until you reach the vertiginous drop of the Col de l'Arc. You will need to use your hands once or twice on the rocks to get there, and the path is only marked by animals. Turn back to return to the start of this stage.
(13) On this grassy plateau, turn right to descend due west via a grassy slope extending into a scree slope, which runs alongside low rocks forming a barrier on the left. At the end of this barrier, continue the descent, veering slightly to the right (north) and looking for a faint path heading north.
Follow this path due north until you reach a grassy shoulder that marks the end of the cliff descending from Col de l'Arc. Turn right (east) at the end of this shoulder to descend towards the clearly visible trail that crosses the scree below the cliff. Follow this track to join the Sentier des Anciens at a bend and climb this path to the Col de l'Arc.
Cross the pass and take the path south down towards Saint-Paul and Pré du Four. At a signpost, turn left to descend steep switchbacks to a level path that returns to the junction on the way up.
(2) Do not continue downhill to the right, but stay on the level path marked in yellow, which first heads north and then north-east towards the Pas de l'Âne.
At the hairpin bend at Pas de l'Âne, turn right onto the carriage road heading south-east, looking for a forest track on the left that descends more quickly. Take this track and when it reaches the large clearing of Pré du Four, turn left (east) to descend along the meadow to Chemin du Marchand. Turn left onto this road to descend to the car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Easy 
