Prelles – Bouchier – La Blétonée – Prelles

A circular route along the edge of the Écrins National Park that follows two^{GR® routes}, the 653d and the 50.

Details

n°59797

Creation:
03 May 2014

Last update:
04 Oct 2017

Last review:
26 Aug 2021

Activity: Walking
Distance: 6.28 mi
Average duration: 4h 30
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 1,877 ft
Descent: - 1,850 ft
Highest point: 5,545 ft
Lowest point: 3,799 ft

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Ecrins, Dauphiné
City: Saint-Martin-de-Queyrières (05120)
Start/End: N 44.851422° / E 6.581091°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3536OT, 3536OTR
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Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Village de Prelles.
(S/E) Opposite the car park, before the bridge on the right, take the narrow lane that runs along the left bank of the Gros Riou stream. Pass in front of a house; the lane becomes a footpath. You’ll come out onto a small clearing.

(1) Turn left onto the red-and-white-marked track (which forms part of the^GR®653dor the Way of St James).
Stay on this track for about one kilometre before joining the D4 or Route des Traverses.

(2) Follow this road for 200 metres, where a path begins on the right (signposted). Take this path and follow the markings. Climb gently through the woods, winding your way up in a series of switchbacks, until you reach a large meadow just before the village of Bouchier.

(3) Turn left onto a well-marked path leading to the Chapel of Saint Hippolyte (a return trip to this chapel is well worth it).

(4) Return to the meadow at the previous crossroads.

(3) Turn left again, heading towards Bouchier, and rejoin the GR^®.

(5) At the entrance to Bouchier, a sign shows the various directions.
Turn right towards Belle Combe; this is the wide track which, heading due north, leads to La Blétonnée and the hamlets of Le Sapet and Ratière. This track forms part of the^GR®50Tour du Dauphiné.
You’ll reach La Blétonnée about 3 km further on, where there are several chalets to the right of the track.

(6) Here, you have two options:
- at the first chalet, take a barely visible but wide track; stay on this track heading north to rejoin the south-east-bound path,
- stay on the track and, after the second chalet, take the path mentioned above at a right-hand bend.
Then head down into the woods known as the Paroir.

(7) At the first junction, turn left and continue down the winding path. When you reach a large cairn on your left, take the left-hand path, which leads onto a track; turn left and cross the Torrent du Gros Riou via the footbridge.

(8) Continue the descent until you reach the houses at the top of Prelles, then return to the small clearing you passed this morning.

(1) Return to the car park (S/E) via the same route you took on the way there.

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,799 ft - Prelles car park
1 : mi 0.21 - alt. 3,911 ft - Placette de Prelles
2 : mi 0.75 - alt. 3,848 ft - D4
3 : mi 2.18 - alt. 4,816 ft - Large meadow before Bouchier
4 : mi 2.3 - alt. 4,898 ft - Saint Hippolyte Chapel
5 : mi 2.74 - alt. 4,898 ft - Bouchier
6 : mi 4.65 - alt. 5,541 ft - La Blétonnée
7 : mi 5.55 - alt. 4,337 ft - Bois du Paroir crossroads
8 : mi 5.74 - alt. 4,108 ft - Footbridge
S/E : mi 6.28 - alt. 3,799 ft - Prelles car park

Notes

There’s no water along the route; you’ll need to head into Bouchier to find some.
Take plenty with you, as it gets hot in these woods in summer.
Saint Hippolyte Chapel: a remarkable view over the Durance valley and Briançon.
^GR®653d: this is the Way of St James. The ‘d’ stands for Domitian; indeed, this route is the Via Domitia, which allowed (and still allows) pilgrims to link two iconic cities: Rome in Italy and Santiago de Compostela in Spain. From Montgenèvre to Rome, this route is also known as Les Clefs de Rome.
It is worth noting that the^GR®653ahas just been signposted (the FFRP guidebook has been published): the ‘a’ stands for Aurelian. This is therefore the Aurelian Way, which also leads to Arles but via the south...

Worth a visit

Briançon, the Vauban town, with its forts.
Montdauphin and its ramparts, also designed by M. de Vauban.

Reviews and comments

4.2 / 5

Based on 4 reviews

Reliability of the description
4 / 5

Ease of following the route
5 / 5

Route interest
3.5 / 5

RONDEDECHARTRES

26 Aug 2021 at 09:20 7200

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

The directions aren’t clear enough; it should say: “Cross the road, turn into the cul-de-sac and walk right past the right-hand corner of the pink house; you’ll feel as though you’re in their garden.”
At Bouchier, the sign reads 1508m, not 1523m; it points towards COMBE BRUNE, not Belle Combe

At La Blétonnée, it should say “stay on the track and just after the second chalet…”

Finally, we didn’t see a cairn on our left

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Isafleur

27 Nov 2017 at 10:19 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

The walk after the hamlet of Les Bouchiers was a bit of a slog along the stony path, which, of course, wasn’t in the sun.
I had trouble finding the path down through the forest because the names of the chalets (La Blétonnée and Le Sapet) weren’t there. So I turned back before going any further, and after looking carefully, I finally found it…!
And I found my car again.

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Isafleur

27 Nov 2017 at 10:18 3600

Overall rating : 4 / 5

The walk after the hamlet of Les Bouchiers was a bit of a slog on the stony, and of course unsunny, road.
I had trouble finding the path down through the forest because the names of the chalets (La Blétonnée and Le Sapet) weren’t there. So I turned back before going any further, and after looking carefully, I finally found it…!
And I found my car again.

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xaviervotron

26 Jun 2017 at 09:20 7200

As the road to Prelles was closed, we set off from Les Vigneaux towards La Croix de la Salcette. It was a long climb, somewhat exposed in places: steep slopes, loose scree and very narrow paths. Once we reached the plateau, our troubles weren’t over yet. Just past a Black Cross, there’s a tricky section where you’ll need to use your hands (it’s best not to be afraid of heights).
From La Croix de la Salcette onwards, it’s plain sailing. To find the descent path, be sure to keep left and not head towards the valley on the right, so as to pass between the ‘jaws’ of Montbrison. Join the track and turn right towards La Bétonnée and the village of Bouchier (which is very pretty). One last effort to climb a little further up to reach a balcony-like path and make your way back to Les Vigneaux.
All in all, a long and gruelling hike, but one that’s well worth the effort and the slight pangs of regret you might feel at the start.

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Chris3084

07 Feb 2016 at 11:39 3600

I went on this walk yesterday, Saturday 6 February.
It’s a moderately difficult hike, very pleasant and with a gradual climb.
To reach the Hippolyte Chapel, don’t make the same mistake I did by climbing up on the left; instead, take the barely visible path that goes round the headland on the right (don’t hesitate to walk right to the edge of the meadow).
The path was partly covered in snow (not very deep but definitely there), particularly on the Bouchié–La Blétonnée section.
In fact, at this far end (N44 51.563 E6 33.841), because of the snow, it took me a while to find the path back.
There is a chalet there (on the right as you go up). You need to head down towards this chalet (which is surrounded by ruins), go round it from below, and the path will become visible if you know how to follow animal tracks.

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didier05330

02 Feb 2016 at 17:12 3600

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 01, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A walk I went on in early February; there was a bit of snow on the path, but it was a pleasant, gentle walk and the route as a whole offered a chance to discover the Durance valley from a different angle.

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