Refuge du Châtelleret from La Bérarde

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike. It's very sad about the disaster at the refuge. The torrential lava caused a lot of damage.
Passing by the left bank, we encountered herds of donkeys.
Superb view of La Meige and Les Écrins

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Date of your route : Jul 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike, the elevation gain is easily manageable and hardly noticeable.
However, the entire hike is in direct sunlight, but there are numerous streams where you can cool off
It took us 7 hours in total, including breaks, as the heat slowed us down considerably.
The views are magnificent, and La Meije is splendid.

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Date of your route : Jul 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with no difficulty in finding your way (very well signposted) where you can enjoy all the ingredients of the mountains (including marmots and chamois, not to mention flowers). There is an alternative route that adds a good hour's walk and about 300 metres of steep climbing via a waterfall, and the detour is well signposted. This is very useful if the group is not homogeneous and some people want to go faster/higher and meet up at the refuge. The two routes are on opposite sides of the river, so you can always see each other (which is reassuring for dads who want to keep an eye on their little ones...). To make this hike even more exciting, you should read "Accident à la Meije" by Etienne Bruhl...

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Date of your route : Jul 22, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It was my first time visiting La Bérarde.
I hadn't chosen a specific hike.
My friend and I had thought about possibly climbing up to the Promontoire refuge, but after two intense days of walking, we decided to take it easy, as we had three other hikes planned.
We continued for about fifteen minutes after the Châtelleret refuge and stopped to eat after walking for two hours and fifteen minutes.
It was really hot around midday, and it would have been difficult to continue on the very rocky trail.
I was able to locate and take a photo of the Promontoire refuge, which is at an altitude of 3,092 metres. I might go there in September when it's not so hot.
We made a leisurely return trip, first taking the left bank from the refuge, and stopping at the cemetery in Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans where the local guides are buried, some of whom died during their expedition to the summit of La Meije, which rises to 3,983 metres.

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Beautiful hike
Not very difficult, but on the day we went there was a lot of snow. I recommend wearing waterproof shoes at this time of year and using walking sticks.
To start: once you enter the village, the path and signs are located just after the chapel park.
To descend the last part, we took the other side of the river, which leads to the car park at the entrance to the village just before crossing the bridge. The path is steeper and narrower, so don't be afraid of heights.
Thank you for this magnificent hike, which is so welcome after lockdown.

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Date of your route : Sep 28, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with superb views of the Meije and Ecrins massifs. This route is not difficult. The steepest part is at the start of the hike and, of course, at the same place on the way back, but it's no problem. The rest of the route is easy, with gentle slopes and varied landscapes. As a bonus, on 1 September, we saw a herd of 22 donkeys roaming free in the countryside. They were very affectionate and came up to us for a stroke. It's brilliant and definitely worth doing if you're in the vicinity of this magnificent spot in the Parc des Ecrins.

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Date of your route : Jun 23, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I did this hike starting from the car park just before the bridge leading to the hamlet of La Bérarde, setting off from the right bank of the Etançons torrent. This path joins the route described in point 3.
On the way back, I followed the route described to the hamlet of La Bérarde (arriving next to the chapel).
The two steepest sections are at the start of the car park and on the return to La Bérarde, but in both cases, they are not very long.
There are a few snowy sections, but they are not dangerous at the end of June. There are lots of flowers, including magnificent rhododendron bushes.
It is a magnificent hike, without difficulty, very pleasant and with magnificent views of the snow-capped peaks and especially the south face of the Meije massif.

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