Refuge de l'Étendard

This circular, which starts at the Col de la Croix de Fer and passes by the Refuge de l'Étendard, gives you a taste of the high mountain atmosphere. Snow cover persists for quite a long time after winter. This hike is best done in late August or September.
This hike can be easy in summer or difficult when there is snow (winter or spring). I did it when there was a lot of snow, which is why I consider it to be quite difficult.

Details

289740
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.31 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 552 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 552 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,534 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,060 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Small car park at the Col de la Croix de Fer to park your vehicle.

(S/E) From the car park, head south-west on the track that leads to a second car park (Col de la Croix de Fer Ouest). Take the path on the left towards Refuge de l'Étendard and follow a logging track that climbs moderately up the left side of the mountain. A few ski lifts criss-cross the landscape.
Pass above the Choseaux chairlift and take the path on the right towards Col Nord des Lacs.

(1) At Plan du Rouet, take the climb on the right towards Refuge de l'Étendard.

(2) Reach Le Carrelet, where you should continue to the right on a fairly steep slope, still heading towards Refuge de l'Étendard.

(3) Pass Tévaroz and climb up a route that makes a wide circular loop to the right.
After crossing a few snowfields (depending on the season, there may be more or less snow; at the end of June, there was still quite a lot of snow), you will arrive at the Col Nord des Lacs. Below (south-west), you can see the Refuge de l'Étendard.

(4) From the pass, descend towards the Refuge de l'Étendard, which is within sight. Head downhill, roughly following the snowfields. If there is no snow, follow the well-marked path that zigzags towards the refuge. Pass through a crossroads called Les 4 Chemins, continuing to follow the signs for "Refuge de l'Étendard".

(5) Arrive at the refuge, where a short break is in order. Then, from the refuge, climb north/north-east to reach Les Tufs.

(6) At the "Les Tufs" sign, turn left towards Col de la Croix de Fer.

(7) At a place called "Lazard", continue towards Col de la Croix de Fer, following the path that descends, sometimes on the road, sometimes on a trail, taking a few shortcuts if necessary. At Le Replat, continue to follow the signs for "Col de la Croix de Fer".
Go to the first car park and then the second to return to your vehicle (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,063 m - Col de la Croix-de-Fer
  2. 1 : km 1.48 - alt. 2,084 m - Map of Le Rouet
  3. 2 : km 2.97 - alt. 2,232 m - Le Carrelet
  4. 3 : km 3.46 - alt. 2,332 m - Le Tévaroz
  5. 4 : km 4.25 - alt. 2,534 m - Col Nord des Lacs
  6. 5 : km 4.94 - alt. 2,437 m - Refuge de l'Étandard - Lac Bramant
  7. 6 : km 5.37 - alt. 2,504 m - Les Tufs
  8. 7 : km 5.91 - alt. 2,527 m - Lazard - Col des Tufs (2525m)
  9. S/E : km 9.31 - alt. 2,063 m - Col de la Croix de Fer. Close to the source of the - Eau d'Olle (torrent)

Notes

At the end of June, the entire western slope of the Col Nord des Lacs (4) (the slope that descends to the Refuge de l'Étendard (5)) was completely covered in snow. Lac Bramant and Lac Blanc were still 80% covered in ice.
This route is well marked and equipped with numerous signs indicating the direction to follow.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 15 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
User 18721749

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Circuit completed in reverse. The track is pleasant to ride and the finish is magnificent

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User 6883586

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

In addition to this route, I pushed on to the foot of the Étendard Glacier. On the way back, I had a lot of trouble finding my way back...

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M.Pompon
M.Pompon

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did the route in the opposite direction, which avoids a long approach walk on flat ground and a very steep climb at the end. The finish is still just as magnificent.

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astarté
astarté

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This is a hike I do regularly, and it's very beautiful and easy to do. As for the view of the lakes and the Etendard Glacier, it's absolutely magnificent!
The path, or rather the trail, is very wide and easy to follow. So I don't understand why the hike is described as "difficult". I would say it is "easy" to "moderate" in terms of difficulty

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Danielb30
Danielb30

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

I extended the hike to the foot of the Etendard glacier to get a more high-mountain feel. It was very overcast at times, which obscured part of the glacier.
The colours of the lakes were certainly less intense than in good weather, but there were crowds around the lakes.
Not being a fan of slopes, I should point out that you have to trudge 4 km before reaching the lakes, but you can cut across on the way down if your knees are up to it.

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Lydie S2.
Lydie S2.

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, starting from the Col des Tufs (departure to the right of the car park). These are actually roads that are passable for 4x4s and are ski slopes in winter. So, at one point, we left this path to walk along the river and, on the opposite side, we were able to watch marmots playing. We descended to the Etendard refuge where we tasted a delicious chestnut cake and took the time to admire the landscape from deckchairs. The landscape is majestic with the St Sorlin glacier in the background. It was the first week of July and there weren't many people around. It seems that people tend to go up in the afternoon, as we met many more people on the way down.

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Armand67
Armand67

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 15, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike (easy in summer) done in September 2021. I really recommend doing the route in the opposite direction via the Col des Tufs (start on the right from the car park). The climb via the northern pass of the lakes is very steep and uneven between points 2 and 4. It is better to descend via this side. At the Col des Lacs, don't hesitate to make a short 20-minute round trip (easy) to the summit of Le Rouet (arrival point of the chairlift of the same name) for a magnificent 360° view.

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M Grisel
M Grisel

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful route starting from the Col de la Croix de Fer, we encountered snow at 2,400 metres, which meant we had to be careful on the partially covered trail. We didn't go around the frozen lakes because part of the route is on a slope under a snowfield, so we replaced it with a return trip and a short climb to have a picnic with a view of the Aiguilles d'Arves. We stopped at the refuge on the way back, where the welcome was friendly and the sun loungers were perfect for admiring the landscape.
I recommend it.
In June, it wasn't too crowded, but I imagine that in July and August it must be very busy.

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imagineve
imagineve

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

First, you discover the view of the Pic de l'Etendard and the St Sorlin glacier: magnificent.
Next, you see the two lakes: Lake Bramant and Lake Rond, with the Etendard refuge sheltered in a hollow: magnificent

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fredlamure
fredlamure

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

stunning scenery! Well worth seeing!

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The user account associated with this content has been deleted.

gegostet
gegostet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The trail is very well marked and also very popular, so there were no problems. The tour of the lakes is really pleasant. We did a circular route because we came back via the slope overlooking the St Sorlin ski runs on a well-marked path. It's a shame that we came across lots of electric bikes on the way up, which were coming down quite fast and didn't always give way to us.

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olivierweb
olivierweb

Hello,
I've been advised to do the route in the opposite direction! What do you think?
Thanks,
Olivier,

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Manuel74
Manuel74

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

well received, well fed, well rested, thank you!!!!

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AUDUC
AUDUC

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

i did this hike in July, and we extended it to the foot of the Saint Sorlin glacier. The trail is well marked.

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