Refuge des Souffles - Lac Lautier - Crêtes de Colombes

Car park at the entrance to the village of Villar-Loubière, on the right-hand side of the D985a.

(S/E) From the car park, turn right towards the village, then take the first street on the left signposted ‘Refuge des Souffles’ –^GR®®54.

White-red markings
Walk past the mill (which is open to visitors) then take the sloping street on the left. Pass the two streets on the right and, after a right-hand bend, you’ll reach a junction with a lodge on your left.
Carry on straight ahead until you reach a fountain.

(1) Turn left to find the Villar-Loubière signpost. Turn right; the tarmac will give way to a track and you’ll reach the Chastelas signpost.

(2) Leave the track and take the path that climbs to the left towards the Refuge des Souffles.
The climb begins gently before becoming steeper with a series of hairpin bends, alternating between woodland and more open areas. After about 1.5 km of climbing, the path reaches a junction.

(3) Ignore the path on the right – which will be your return route – and continue left towards the Refuge des Souffles.
A few dozen metres below the refuge, a junction invites you to turn right towards Lac Lautier. Follow this sign, which leads right up to the Refuge des Souffles.

Markings: red dot + blue-white-red (Parc des Écrins)
(4) Take the path that climbs to the left of the refuge towards Lac Lautier. Initially over large boulders, the path becomes more pleasant as it ascends, eventually reaching the Col des Clochettes.

Blue-White-Red markings
(5) Continue along the path to descend towards the valley and reach a junction.

(6) Ignore the path on the right – which you’ll take on the return journey – and turn left to continue climbing. The path starts off gently, but the switchbacks soon become steeper, with a few slightly more technical sections, before reaching a pass.
Carry on on almost level ground to reach Lac Lautier.

No signposting
(7) Follow the path to the right of the lake, which climbs up to the Col de Colombes, offering a superb view of the Olan to the left.

(8) Do not go down, but head right over the rocks at the start to reach the Colombes ridges. Carry on for a few hundred metres to enjoy the view.

(9) Return to the Col de Colombes.

(8) Set off again to the left towards Lac Lautier, following the same path down into the valley before reaching a junction, then head back up towards the Col des Clochettes.

(6) Turn left to descend into the valley towards Villar-Loubière.
Further down, the vegetation reappears. Pass a path on the right which heads off towards the Refuge des Souffles.
Further down, at a bend, a path branches off to the left towards a small waterfall; take a short detour there to cool off and then continue the descent. After a long, pleasant walk through the forest, the path rejoins the one taken on the ascent.

Red-and-white markings
(3) Turn left and follow the same route back to Villar-Loubière and the car park (S/E).

Refuge des Souffles: at an altitude of 1,975 metres, this small refuge is situated in the heart of the Hautes-Alpes, right in the Valgaudemar valley, on the edge of the Écrins massif.

You’ll be hiking in the heart of the Écrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a natural, cultural and scenic heritage of rare beauty. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue-white-red flags, and certain regulations must be observed within this area. Please familiarise yourself with these regulations when planning your hike, to help preserve this shared heritage, at https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Visit to the renovated mill at Villar-Loubière:
The mill, which dates back several centuries, has been preserved in perfect condition, complete with its unusual horizontal wheel. It was, in fact, still in commercial operation some fifty years ago. It was used to process wheat, as well as walnuts and rapeseed.