Refuge des Souffles - Refuge de l'Olan

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A magnificent second stage in a very mineral setting, culminating in the Pas de l'Olan pass.
From the Souffles refuge, continue on theGR® 54 towards Lac Lautier, then the Col des Colombes and finally the Pas de l'Olan (caution: technical passage).
From the pass, admire the landscape before gently descending to the Refuge de l'Olan.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Tour du Valgaudemar

Details

n°124879
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.56 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 933 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 560 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,705 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,968 m
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Photos

View of the Pas de l'Olan
The Pas de l'Olan
The view from the Olan refuge

Description of the walk

(S) Depart from the Refuge des Souffles (1975m) and follow theGR®54towards the Col des Clochettes.

(1) At Col des Clochettes (2150m), descend and stay on theGR® variant (left) towards Lac Lautier. Pass the lake to reach Col de Colombes (2423m).

(2) Descend on the other side of Col de Colombes. At a crossroads, stay on the left-hand path (still theGR®54variant) to cross the Côte Belle, which is generally level.

(3) The trail joins the one coming from the valley and begins the steep climb to the left towards Pas de l'Olan.

(4) Cross the pass with caution, as it is steep, and remain vigilant. The passage is on the left, at the foot of the cliff (and not towards the gap slightly to the right that can be seen from a distance).

The path then descends gently to the Refuge de l'Olan (2,345 m) (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 1,968 m - Refuge des Souffles
  2. 1 : km 1.09 - alt. 2,166 m - Col des Clochettes
  3. 2 : km 3.04 - alt. 2,408 m - Col de Colombes
  4. 3 : km 5.55 - alt. 2,331 m - Intersection with the trail coming from the valley
  5. 4 : km 6.94 - alt. 2,658 m - Pas de l'Olan
  6. E : km 8.56 - alt. 2,341 m - Refuge de l'Olan

Notes

Accommodation at the CAF Refuge de l'Olan

Be careful when crossing the Pas de l'Olan, which is very steep and may require you to use your hands!

You are hiking in the heart of the Ecrins National Park.

The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a rare natural, cultural and landscape heritage. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked by blue, white and red flags, where regulations must be observed. Please read these rules when preparing for your hike in order to preserve this collective asset, on the website https://www.ecrins-parcnational.fr.

Worth a visit

Additional information: from the Col de Colombes, you can access the Pic Turbat (3,028 m) off-trail for a round trip: +/- 600 m, 1½ hours from the pass.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5
Route interest
5 / 5
User 22875755

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 21, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike. Some snowfields on either side of the Pas de l'Olan at the beginning of the season (mid-June).

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

After climbing to the Refuge des Souffles in 1 hour and 40 minutes from Villar Loubière, I continued my long journey.
After Col des Clochettes, I stopped at Lake Lautier to eat, and I struck up a conversation with a hiker from Gap who was also doing the same route as me. At Col de Colombes, we decided to walk together.
There were some slightly exposed sections in places, but nothing complicated, you just had to watch where you put your feet.
At one point, we took a path that was marked with a red and white cross and arrived at the foot of a large waterfall. We didn't feel comfortable crossing it because there didn't seem to be a path, so, following a comment from another hiker, we went back down to a signpost to pick up a path that was clearly marked in red and white (the GR 54).
The climb to Pas de l'Olan is tough and took us a good hour from the sign. The view from the top is magnificent, and you can see La Grande Tête de l'Obiou and Pic de Bure. We arrived at the refuge around 4 p.m., which means it took me 4 hours and 40 minutes to get between the two refuges, including a 40-minute break. The hiker went straight down to La Chapelle, and I rested for 45 minutes at the refuge, as I was feeling very tired! It took me 2 hours and 10 minutes to reach La Chapelle from the refuge, and the descent seemed endless!
A 25 km hike completed in 10 hours in total, with 8 hours of walking and 2,000 metres of elevation gain. So I beat my previous record of 1,800 metres of elevation gain in a day...!
In any case, it was a truly magnificent hike, certainly physically demanding, but one that I won't forget in a hurry!

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luluschnaps
luluschnaps
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very smooth trail up to the Colombes Pass
Becomes quite steep up to the Pas de l'Olan but remains passable
Very beautiful scenery all along the way
Magnificent view at the Pas de l'Olan
Olan refuge: unfriendly wardens with quite a few mountaineers
Possibility of bivouacking on site

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svcricri
svcricri

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike from one mountain hut to another, passing by a beautiful lake.
The trail is well marked. The most vertiginous section is before the Pas de l'Olan.

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bbkool
bbkool

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 20, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello

A beautiful hike and lovely weather. For us and the couple ahead of us, the difficulty was not at the Olán Pass, which is fairly easy, but rather the long, beautiful climb. Pay attention to the sign indicating not to climb directly towards the Pas de l'Olan, as a landslide makes crossing the stream difficult. You have to descend slightly to the right and resume the climb at the next sign, about 15 minutes away. The climb is steep, but the passage, which presents no particular difficulties, is magnificent.

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hippolyte09
hippolyte09

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello. A very beautiful hike in beautiful weather. A lovely trail, partly along a balcony towards the end. Be careful when you arrive at the OLAN pass; the passage is on the left at the foot of the cliff, not towards the gap slightly to the right that you can see from a distance.

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Mél Nini
Mél Nini
• Edited:

Good evening,
I would like to do the circular route from the Refuge des Souffles to the Refuge de l'Olan. How long does it take in total? Starting from Villar? Are there any aerial passages or vertiginous sections?
Thank you in advance.

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