Crête de la Marcelette from Saint-Véran

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

very beautiful hike, magnificent panoramic views of the ridge from the Col des Estronques
Thank you for rating the hike as "difficult"; it's more realistic
We were very unsure about which direction to take after reading the various comments, but in the end we went in the direction indicated
The descent is indeed very steep, but there are no vertiginous sections.
Having done it during a heatwave, the start of the climb to the Col des Estronques quickly becomes very hot
Depending on your fitness level, finishing at the Curlet cross is nice for the view of St Véran

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Date of your route : Jul 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, done as described in the guidebook to leave part of the group at the head of the Jacquette.
It deserves a 'Difficult' rating because of its length and the steep section at the start of the descent after the cairn on the ridge, at the start of the couloir
Furthermore, at the start of the descent, we followed the tracks, cairns and rare paint marks, and were surprised to find that we were not exactly on the GPX track.
Only attempt the descent in good visibility.

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Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike along the ridges, following the suggested route: the short descent at the end of the ridge may seem exposed but is not particularly difficult.

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Date of your route : Sep 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

This hiking trail is superb!
I did it in the opposite direction to the description and I don't regret it because I would have hated going down where I went up, and it's much less dangerous and vertiginous in my opinion

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did it in reverse: Col des Estronques on the way there. I think this route is only suitable for people who are not prone to vertigo and are used to hiking in the mountains. Breathtaking views!

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Date of your route : Jul 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike done in the opposite direction to the guidebook. A good climb but then splendid panoramic views.
The path deviates slightly from the route, but there are no particular difficulties

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

A very beautiful hike with magnificent landscapes from the Col des Estronques and along the entire ridge.
Be sure to do the loop in this direction, as the climb from Pic Cascavelier to Pointe des Marcelettes is quite difficult in my opinion.
The descent is quite technical and the path is very difficult to find at the Pointe des Marcelettes.
There are no markings along the entire ridge and no signs. There are no markings to help you find the path back down as the trail drops away steeply. Fortunately, some people had climbed up and we could see where to take the path.

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Date of your route : Jun 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike rated red, or even dark red (difficult to very difficult): seven hours of walking, 1,100 metres of elevation gain, done in the opposite direction to the guidebook (recommended). Access to the start is 500 metres after the hamlet of Les Raux, towards Molines, on the left, in the no entry lane (which everyone takes). From the start at 4, there is a steep climb through the woods. There, turn left towards the CROIX DE CURLET (magnificent view of SAINT VÉRAN) then follow the ridge and either take the path or climb directly up the CASCAVELIER (which is what we did). The hardest part is ahead of you: the climb up Les Marcelettes is very tough on the last third and a strong wind awaits you at the top, which will stay with you throughout the entire crossing to point 1. Magnificent view below on the left over Ceillac and its valley. A very beautiful but very long descent from the ESTRONQUES to the MOULIN bridge, arriving after an 800-metre drop.
Conclusion: definitely worth doing, but bear in mind the difficulty, which I think has been greatly underestimated by the author of the guidebook, whom I congratulate for introducing us to such a beautiful place. As we did this hike, to really enjoy the scenery and with lots of stops for photos and snacks, allow eight hours.

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Date of your route : Jun 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

For those unfamiliar with the area, it's not easy to spot the various points mentioned, apart from the Col des Estronques, which is well signposted. From the pass to the Pointe des Marcelettes, the view is stunning. We hesitated a little on the last section leading to the breach mentioned in point 2, as the path was not well marked. The descent to Pic Cascavelier is indeed impressive and difficult for beginners. But the worst was yet to come: the descent after Pic Cascavelier is borderline dangerous as it is very slippery: it feels like walking on a carpet of marbles and slips are frequent, even with good shoes. With fatigue setting in at the end of the route, extreme caution is required. But it's still a very beautiful hike, with a difficulty level that is above average!

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Date of your route : Jun 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Like many others, we did the circuit in reverse, passing by the Curlet ridge. It was a very beautiful hike, which I would rate as quite difficult because the climb is quite steep at times, but without any real technical difficulty.
Many thanks to the author for this description, as it is not marked on the map....

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Date of your route : Sep 06, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike starting from the Moulin bridge below Saint Véran. There are no major difficulties in reaching the bridge. Be careful of the height of your vehicle.
As suggested by Clemence, we took the circuit in the opposite direction. I also recommend turning left at point 4 and going via the Crête de Curelet. It's nicer than the stony climb and you get a beautiful view of Saint Véran, Le Coin, etc. There are a few minor difficulties on the climb up the Crête de la Marcelette due to loose stones.
We only came across four hikers during the entire trip. That's the advantage of September, with beautiful days that feel like the beginning of autumn. And it was so peaceful!

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Date of your route : Sep 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike with breathtaking views in good weather.
The hike starts at the mill bridge.
Park directly at the mill bridge (a few spaces available) or, as we did, about 100 metres from the bridge at a place called "Le Cros" on the road to Saint Véran.
I would classify this hike as "difficult" in the sense that we did it, because the descent after Pointe des Marcelettes is very impressive for an average hiker.

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Date of your route : Aug 20, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Completed "backwards" after an attempt (11 July 2021) in the direction described (interrupted after some difficulty finding the descent route). Very beautiful and problem-free via the Curlet ridge and the Cascavelier.

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Date of your route : Aug 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent route that is extremely easy to follow. We took the route in the opposite direction to that indicated, making a small detour via the Croix de Curlet and reaching the Pic Cascavalier via the Curlet ridge (rather than via the path below indicated in the description).
There were no major difficulties along the route. However, two things are worth noting:
- pic Cascavalier offers several options for getting past it, including one through scree with some fairly steep sections. But if you follow the description, you can go lower down, which is easier.
- from Pointe des Marcelettes to Col des Estronques, we encountered particularly strong winds, but I assume this was due to the weather conditions on the day. I will leave it to other hikers to say whether they had the same experience. Apart from feeling cold, this did not make the route any more difficult.
In any case, the views are superb, and we only came across two other hikers (starting at 8:15 a.m. from Le Raux). However, you should expect more people once you rejoin the GR58 (we ended up completing the route elsewhere to return to Le Raux)

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike that we did in reverse, following the recommendations of other walkers. It climbs steeply at the beginning, with a fairly difficult section on the ascent to Pic Cascavelier. But then the walk along the ridge is really worth the effort. Then we rejoined the GR58 to head back down, which was a bit steep for our tired legs! We were lucky enough to see marmots and chamois but very few hikers before rejoining the GR.

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