Roc de Toulau

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

Not very well marked, but easy to follow with the map, which is always very well done with good explanations, even though we only did part of it because of the excessive elevation gain in the steepest section (between D and point 1). We went to the Ambel cross via the GRP Grand Tour de la Gervanne, which is almost flat but still offers beautiful views, then returned via the Roc de Toulau, on the mountainside, which offers magnificent views....

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Date of your route : Jun 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fabulous and fairly quick hike, ideal for a late afternoon in summer.
Once you reach the high plateau, you feel cut off from the world, which is very pleasant!
The climb is quite tough but not very long.

It's a shame there are no signposts along the route.

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Date of your route : Sep 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The climb is difficult and the path is poorly marked: I've done this hike three times and lost the path twice!
Once on the plateau, there is a magnificent 360° panorama, rewarding the effort.
The descent is not difficult.

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

We did the route backwards because we didn't see the path at the corner of the road behind the Col de la Bataille sign. But we don't regret it, as the climb was gentler and the walk through the forest after the Col de Touleau was very pleasant. There was a lot of wind and patches of fog, but this added to the charm. There were lots of beautiful flowers in season. Admittedly, the descent along the stony path is tricky, but it can be done gently without any worries. As a result, this steep part of the path, in full sunlight, seemed easier to me on the way down than if we had done it in the direction of the route.

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Date of your route : Sep 07, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,

I did the route this morning in the cool air. The climb is very steep, especially as it is sometimes difficult to find the path. Be careful, halfway up there is a pseudo-path branching off to the right which actually joins the path leading directly up to the Col de Touleau. Looking towards the summit, I saw a herd of chamois watching me climb!

At the summit, what an extraordinary sight. The descent to the Col de Touleau is easier. Be careful, because on the stony path I almost stepped on a viper. At the "Col de Touleau" sign, there is a new option that is neither the descent to the Col de la Bataille nor the Pas de Gouillat. It is a new, very well-made trail that descends to the Ambel refuge.

Worth doing again

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Date of your route : Jul 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route.
Low difficulty and breathtaking views.
Vultures flying overhead.
Option to extend the hike to Font d'Urle, to be planned for another time.

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Date of your route : Jun 24, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello
Perfect
Steep climb at the start, but the view is worth it

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Date of your route : Jan 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hike completed in January 2020 with almost no snow (just a few patches at the summit with frost on the north-facing slopes)!
Furthermore, I think the description "difficult" is an exaggeration

I climbed directly from the Col de la Bataille to the Col de Toulau via the mountain-side path, avoiding the direct route, which seemed too steep to me.
At the summit, there is indeed a large meadow (not just a peak) and you can easily walk from one rocky outcrop to another. Be careful of the cliffs, though!

Absolutely magnificent view of the mountains of southern Dauphiné, the Ambel plateau, Grand Veymont and the whole of Vercors. And further away, Obiou, a few peaks of the Écrins, then Mont Blanc and Grand Colombier in the distance.
On the Vivarais side, the sky was overcast and only the clouds of steam from the Cruas nuclear power station rose above the clouds!

I returned by the same route to the Col de Toulau, at least in part, as the paths are poorly marked and never signposted, but this is not a problem at all as the area is very open.
I then descended to the Ambel farm (where there is a pond with a spring at the edge of the forest) and then climbed back up to the Gouillat pass, finishing on the track to the Col de la Bataille.

At this time of year and in these weather conditions, this hike is a must!

Claude

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

I took the path that starts a little further on, without realising that I had to climb straight up the steep slope. I arrived at the Toulau Pass via this path (which is magnificent, by the way). From there, I took the path that climbs rapidly up to the Roc. A magnificent walk in reverse...
It would be good to provide information about how steep the starting trail is so that there is no confusion with the one just after it... and about the advantages of doing the hike in the right direction. The descent down the steep trail is tricky.

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Date of your route : Jul 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A magnificent hike, a little steep but perhaps describing it as "difficult" is a bit of an exaggeration.
Superb 360° panorama at the summit.
The GPS track is useful. Be careful to follow the ridge during the ascent.
This was actually our second attempt, as the first, in a different season, ended after a few minutes because a north wind prevented us from standing up!

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Date of your route : Jun 11, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike. At this time of year, there are flowers and magnificent views. It's not easy to find the trail at the beginning.

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Date of your route : Nov 11, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A beautiful hike with interesting views. It's a shame the sun wasn't shining, with strong, icy winds and persistent clouds!
I'll have to do it again on a sunny day to appreciate it more!

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Date of your route : Sep 03, 2011
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Often done, most recently for the video
http://www.matvpratique.com/video/15751-...

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Date of your route : Apr 29, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

I did the first part, which was the climb to the summit from La Bataille and then descended towards the Col de Toulau.
The surprise was that before 1 May, the road is closed at Grand Echaillon, so I had to change my planned hike, which was to go around the Ambel meadow. In fact, after Toulau, I went to Tête de la Dame and back by the same route, but then took the main path between Pas du Gouillat and La Bataille.
I had never been to the summit of Toulau, thinking it was just a rocky peak, but it's a surprise when you see the large meadow at the top. It's really worth it, despite the very steep climb up the ridge on the Bataille side.
Thank you for this description, which helps us discover new things!

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Date of your route : Oct 07, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The weather was splendid, and what made this walk so interesting was the view from the top ☺
if I have understood correctly, I believe you did this tour again on the same day, like a connoisseur

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