Font Turbat refuge at the foot of Olan

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2025
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, a long walk in the shade at this time of year in the Bonne glacial valley, with an easy arrival at the FontTurbat refuge. After the climb to the Col des Lauvets, the small valley becomes steeper, but magnificent. There is no difficulty in following the route or in completing this hike, except for its length.

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Date of your route : May 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A bit long, but the La Bonne river was flowing very strongly and there were numerous waterfalls along the hike. Don't hesitate to climb up to the winter refuge, which is very well maintained. The other refuge is not yet open, but has a nice table for picnics. Nice view of Olan and the Pic de Font Turba. Saw two young ibexes on the way down between the Ferriere waterfall and the finish, and a marmot on the way up.

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hike very exposed to the sun with very few shaded areas

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Date of your route : Oct 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I only did the section between the hamlet of Le Désert in Valjouffray and the Font-Turbat refuges, and I didn't feel up to tackling another 300 metres of elevation gain to return via Le Petit Vallon – you have to know your limits! – and that's still more than 20 kilometres of walking with over 900 metres of elevation gain!
It's a very beautiful hike, with no technical difficulties, on a very well-marked trail (in fact, you can just follow the valley floor without worrying about the signs) that takes you to the foot of the very impressive north-west face of Olan, a huge 3,567m high gneiss monolith with a 1,000m drop above the Bonne valley.
Best done in good weather to enjoy the views of the magnificent Ecrins National Park!

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Date of your route : Jul 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

We did the hike over two days/nights at the FONT TURBAT refuge. Enjoy it this summer 2019! On Saturday, the refuge was full, but the food was still absolutely refined and delicious, with some appreciable subtleties. BRAVO TO . Unfortunately, I don't know the name of the caretaker!
(PS: There were small children at the refuge, which is equipped with high chairs for babies.)

The route description is good, but I think it's impossible to get lost on the way to the refuge. You just have to follow the valley for hours (for those of us who are very slow!).

The return route through the small valley was not a problem. It is perfectly well explained and, what's more, it has recently been re-marked in bright orange + cairns, so there's no way to go wrong.

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Date of your route : Sep 22, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A spectacular sight to behold.
The route after the refuge is marked with a single yellow line.
@ +

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Date of your route : Aug 13, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful route for hiking.

From the refuge to the small valley, the path is sometimes a little less visible, but cairns and regular red markings help if you get lost. No problems to report in any case.

Very happy with this route.

Thomas

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Hello and thank you for your comment, particularly the information regarding the return route and its lack of signposting. Since Vr was created, it has been specifically stated that the routes described are not based on signposting. If signposting exists, it is indicated, which is normal, but if there is no signposting or if it is poor quality, our readers must find their own way without it. When, as on this outing, hikers innovate, they must ensure that they are able to find their way, as they are taking the risk of deviating from the description. To do this, they have their map, their compass, for example, or the mobile app, or a very good sense of direction (as mentioned), and they can then easily find their way.
Now to answer the following question:

Who is responsible for marking the trails in the Écrins National Park? The park rangers? If so, what do they do?

In the Écrins National Park, it is indeed the rangers who are responsible for maintaining the trails; this is one of their tasks. For example, they are currently working on the Crevasses au Lautaret trail, which has partially collapsed. Since 2017, the marking of GR trails, here in the park the GR54, has been transferred to the departmental committees of the FFRP (French Federation of Mountain and Hiking) of 05 and 38. The other trails crossing the park have rarely been marked in order to leave nature untouched. So, to answer your question, in addition to maintaining the trails, the rangers carry out policing, surveillance, counting and tourist information duties. In short, they play a major role in the park's activities.

However, as I have mentioned on this forum before, I would like to invite all our friends here who are very concerned about these markings to join the teams who take care of these small red, white or yellow lines in the field. To do so, there are two addresses:
- the FFRP and its departmental committees, which are responsible for the GR and GRP trails,
- the municipalities or Comcoms to which they are attached for the marking of PRs.

Ah, I forgot one important point: this signposting activity is only open to volunteers.
Have a good day.

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Date of your route : Jul 02, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hello, up to the Font Turbat refuge via the classic route, no problem. For the return trip, I wanted to take the small valley from the refuge. A disaster!!! The red markings on the rock were practically illegible (as they were so old) or had completely disappeared due to numerous rockfalls. Fortunately, there are still a few landmarks, thanks to the refuge warden Sandrine, who has put up some cairns. Thank you to her. In short, I got lost several times, so I would not recommend this route unless you have a very good sense of direction. Who is responsible for the markings in the Écrins National Park ? The rangers? If so, what are they doing???
Best regards

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