Rocher de Lorzier and Rocher de Chalves

See the practical information for parking at the Chalet de la Charmette.

The circular hike under the Grande Sure indicates the route to the Goulet d'Hurtières. The following description is based on this.

(S/E) From the chalet, take the path marked with yellow lines heading south-west towards Hurtières on a quiet path with little elevation gain. Be careful not to take the forestry tracks and stay on the yellow-marked trail.

(1) Take a path on the right (north), indicated by a brown sign for "Goulet d'Hurtières" shortly after a less dense forest area from where you can see the Rocher du Pan. The path is not well marked, with only a few red markings, but it is easy to follow.

(2) At the foot of Rocher du Pan (photo), the trail veers briefly to the west (red markings then blue dots).

(3) Follow the blue dots on a few rocks to the north-west; the path, which becomes less steep, joins a wider forest road. Take this road to the north (right) to climb up to an unnamed pass.

(4) At the pass, look for the sign for "Goulet d'Hurtières" which indicates the start of the path on the left. This path climbs straight up west-northwest to Goulet d'Hurtières, a weak point in the cliff of the same name.

(5) Pass the gully and follow the trail that branches off to the right (north) under the cliff and immediately turns left (south). Stay on the path that runs along the cliff or, as shown on my track, descend and cut across the slope to join the more peaceful path that connects the Col de la Sure to the Col d'Hurtières (purple on IGN, marked with yellow lines, passing by a sign slightly above the Refuge d'Hurtières).

In both cases, the paths heading south join the Col d'Hurtières (see IGN map - please note that the IGN map is often inaccurate, see practical information).

(6) Continue on the trail to the south-west then west to go around the hill (elevation 1769) and arrive at the signpost for the Col d'Hurtières (elevation 1756).

(7) From the sign, climb westwards up a shoulder towards Goulet de Lorzier and join the ridge.
Then bear south-southwest, staying on the ridge or slightly below it, to first reach the secondary summit (elevation 1822) and then the summit of Rocher de Lorzier, where there is a flag (see interactive photo).

(8) From the summit, follow the ridge due south on an unmarked path until you reach a slope dotted with mountain pines, with the Refuge des Bannettes in sight. Then turn south-east to descend into these pines and reach a shoulder in the forest. Cross this to reach the yellow-marked trail. Follow this trail south-southwest to pass the Refuge des Bannettes.

(9) From Les Bannettes, continue south-west on the marked path at the edge of the forest until you reach the shoulder descending from Rocher de Chalves (see annotated photo for reference).
Turn left on this shoulder and climb eastwards on a path that ends with a few small hairpin bends before reaching the summit of Rocher de Chalves.

(10) From the summit, retrace your steps back to the Refuge des Bannettes (it is possible to take a shortcut, see my track).

(9) Continue north on the yellow-marked trail and take the first intersection on the right (east) down into the Vararey meadow. Follow the valley that winds through a clearing until you reach the edge of the forest to the east.

(11) Yellow markings indicate the trail that leaves the valley and heads left into the beautiful Génieux Forest. The trail joins an intersection taken at the start of the hike.

(1) Retrace your steps until you reach the Chalet de la Charmette (S/E).

N.B. From the chalet, you can take a circular detour north to admire the view of the Petit Som, see the GPS track.

Park at the Charmette chalet car park, N 45.324794° / E 5.739136°. By clicking on the Google or Waze link, you can enter these coordinates directly into your favourite navigation app. From the Col de la Charmette, a road leads to the chalet car park.

?Water is not very abundant, as is often the case in Chartreuse, but it is available in the Vararey meadow (filter required).

Dogs are generally prohibited in the mountain pastures from 15 June to 15 October (see the park's website), but the Bannettes pasture seems to be an exception. To ensure that this exception continues, keep your dog on a leash when near herds and other walkers.

?‍♀️The difficulty of this hike is at the upper limit of the "medium" level. In case of snow, it is "difficult".

? The hike is short and not suitable for bivouacking unless you want to watch the sunrise from the peaks. The Rocher de Chalves is the most comfortable.

Standard hiking equipment is sufficient. In case of snow, see photos, crampons may be useful for the two peaks.

? Orientation is easy once you are out of the woods. In the forest, a GPS device — or, of course, the Visorando app — is recommended to ensure you climb Goulet d'Hurtières without getting lost.

⚠️ Please note that the road leading to the pass is closed in winter and at the start of the season above Pomarey. In this case, the hike is a few kilometres longer. It is possible to walk down the road to cross the Tenaison and climb back up on sight, but the slopes are extremely steep and slippery.

⚠️ There are no markings on the ridge between the summit (8) and the path just before Les Bannettes (9).

⚠️ As is often the case, the IGN topographic map is incorrect in several places. The junction (1) is incorrectly positioned (almost 100m too low), the chasm near Rocher du Pan is located below, etc. Never trust IGN topographic maps (from experience, the institute never corrects reported errors, even after serious accidents caused by these errors - see my profile for more details and an example of the IGN's criminal behaviour).

? Alpine wildlife is present everywhere (marmots, chamois, etc.). A large herd of mouflons frequently grazes between the Col de la Petite Vache (further north) and the Col d'Hurtières.

? The views from the two summits and the passes are magnificent. See this interactive photo.

? Several variations are possible. If you are in a hurry, simply descend from Rocher de Lorzier to the Vararey meadow by cutting across the slopes. If you have a little more time, you can climb Grande Sure via its southern ridge (note that this is significantly more difficult than the southern ridge of Rocher de Lorzier, making the hike Very Difficult).