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See practical information for parking and warnings.
(S/E) From the car park, follow the wide path marked in yellow and green heading due east towards the bottom of the Vallon du Buëch, with Rocher Rond in your sights.
(1) You will come to a wooden bridge over the Buëch: do not cross it, but turn left onto a steep path climbing north towards the Cabane du Fleyrard (signposted) along a torrent. This path joins the carriage road leading to the hut: at this point, turn left onto this road (west) to quickly reach a hairpin bend and head east again. Further on, after two more hairpin bends, the road reaches a crossroads at the Lauzon stream.
(2) Do not follow the road to the Cabane du Fleyrard - shepherds also value their privacy - but take the marked trail towards Lac du Lauzon, which first climbs left towards the east before joining a ridge climbing straight north towards the lake. The path quickly turns into a well-marked trail that passes through small rocky steps before reaching the lake.
(3) Go around the lake on the right via its north-eastern shore to reach a path that joins theGR® du Tour du Dévoluy. At the junction with theGR®, turn right to follow the well-marked red and white trail leading to the Col de Charnier (north-east) after a few small hairpin bends in some limestone rocks.
(4) From the Col de Charnier, the route is visible but not marked. Take the ridge on the right, climbing towards the Tête des Vautes (south-east) without going over the summit. This will take you to the Col des Vautes via moderate slopes with grassy terraces.
(5) From Col des Vautes, stay close to the ridge to approach a large rocky outcrop, which you can bypass on the left by passing between the rocks. Once past the rocky outcrop, the slopes are covered with slate and very exposed. Cross these slopes by going around the Tête de Plate Longue (see GPS track) or climb up to this peak by following the rising shoulder of Roche Courbe and then descend along the southern ridge.
In both cases, join the horizontal ridge separating the Tête de Plate Longue from the Rocher Rond. This ridge is very exposed but is wide enough to walk on standing upright.
At the southern end of this ridge, climb up under the rocky foothills of Rocher Rond, briefly through grass and then over small, unstable and steep scree until you reach a rocky couloir that ends at the edge of the void under the western ridge of Rocher Rond, at a small grassy plateau.
(6) On the left, a 2m vertical climb blocks the rest of the couloir. The holds are good, but the rock is slightly overhanging at the bottom of the climb. Climb over this obstacle to reach the easy rocks at the end of the couloir. The couloir opens onto grassy slopes that quickly lead to the summit.
(7) From the summit, descend the southern slopes, strewn with scree and grassy terraces, to a first pass (2227m) where a fairly steep ravine ends. It is possible to descend via this ravine, but the route takes a more convenient path. Continue along the ridge, passing a small unnamed peak (2259m) to reach another pass just at the foot of Aiglière. For the pleasure of the view, climb this peak (2258m) before ⚠️ turning back to return to the last pass (do not continue along the ridge towards La Rama).
(8) Descend the slope towards the Cirque des Clausis (west), first through grassy terraces and then quickly through small, loose scree, allowing for a rapid descent. Continue on these scree slopes to the end, ⚠️ finishing on the right bank to gain a foothold on a grassy shoulder flanked on its northern side by heavily eroded reliefs (on the IGN topographic map, this shoulder is located just below the text "les Clausis"- be careful not to miss this shoulder and descend too low below the scree slopes).
Descend this shoulder, still heading west, until you reach a small stream and a path (rusty arrow) that connects the Cabane du Fleyrard to the Grottes des Clausis. Turn right onto this path, heading northwest, and follow it up the southern slope towards the ridge starting from the Lame du Penas and climbing up below the summit of Rocher Rond.
(9) You will reach this ridge in a small chaos of rocks. Once on the ridge, head north-east along the top of the northern flank of the ridge, and you will soon find a passage where the path leads back to the Cirque du Fleyrard. Follow this path north-northwest to descend towards the scree. When the slope becomes less steep, turn sharply west to lose about 100m in altitude, before crossing the Fleyrard stream(s) and keeping to their left banks while continuing to descend generally westward.
As you approach the edge of the forest, look for a slight depression that leads to a forestry track (in summer, sheep tracks lead to a wide muddy path). This track is only visible from very close to the edge, so an alternative is to head for the edge on the right without going down any slopes, and follow it until you find the track. Once on the track, follow it to the carriage road leading to the Fleyrard hut.
(1) Then turn left onto this path and follow it across the Lauzon (name of the upper part of the Buëch) to rejoin the path taken on the way up. Continue to the left and follow it to the car park (S/E).
Visorando member
Moderate 
Difficult 
Very difficult 
