Serre Plumé and Pelouse de Derbounouse from the Col de la Chau

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Ascent to Serre Plumé in the forest, with splendid views of the Vercors peaks, from Grand Veymond to Grande Moucherolle. Descent along the ridge path, then return walk through alpine grasslands.

Details

n°13347403
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 11.06 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 411 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 411 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,560 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,317 m
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Photos

Derbounouse lawn
Derbounouse lawn
Long plain
The bottom of Urle... at the bottom

Description of the walk

Departure from the Col de la Chau car park.

(S/E) From the car park, turn right and follow the D76 for 200 m to find the start (on your left) of the hiking trail that climbs towards the Grange de Vauneyre. It is marked in green and yellow. Follow these markings and climb into the forest. Pass the Grange de Vauneyre, then the Petit Pré, where the trail becomes a forest road and joins a crossroads.

(1) Leave the green and yellow markings and turn right onto the forest road towards Col de la Mure. The road then joins theGR® de Pays Tour du Vercors Drômois and its yellow and red markings. Follow it to the right. When you reach the middle of a meadow, turn right and head for Col de la Mure. There are two signs, about 100 metres apart. Turn right at the first one and left at the second one towards Serre Plumé.

(2) Continue left on theGR® de Pays (yellow-red markings) which climbs to Serre Plumé following the summit of the shoulder. This is the steepest part of the route.

(3) Summit, often windy, enjoy the splendid view. Then descend along the ridge path, through the undergrowth, following the yellow-red markings. After the descent, the path joins the forest road at Pré Bellet.

(4) Leave the yellow-red markings. There is no signpost on the left at this crossroads.
Turn left onto the forest road, then follow the signs for Crobache / Plaine Longe / Lièvre Blanc and head for the Refuge de Crobache, an unmanned hut in the middle of the Plaine Longue.

(5) Continue along the path towards Prairie du Lièvre Blanc and Pelouse de Derbounouse until you reach the crossroads at an altitude of 1,453 metres.

(6) Leave the forest road (GR®) and continue south on a small path that leads into the forest before emerging onto the magnificent Pelouse de Derbounouse. The path is marked as a snowshoe route by signs with a purple snowshoe. When you leave the Pelouse de Derbounouse, rejoin theGR® de Pays (yellow-red markings).

(7) This time, follow it to the right, heading south-southwest towards Col de la Baume and Pelouse de Chaud Clapier. You will come to a forest road.

(8) Follow it to the left, heading south, for 300 m until you return to Col de la Chau. You will reach a crossroads.

(9) Leave theGR® de Pays on your right and continue straight ahead on the forest road, which descends gently and leads to the D76. Follow it to the left to return to the Col de la Chau car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,336 m - Col de la chau (1434m)
  2. 1 : km 1.98 - alt. 1,432 m - Crossroads (altitude 1,435 metres)
  3. 2 : km 3.37 - alt. 1,421 m - Col de la Mure (1424m)
  4. 3 : km 4.04 - alt. 1,560 m - Serre Plumé
  5. 4 : km 5.43 - alt. 1,376 m - Pré Bellet. Leave the GRP
  6. 5 : km 6.89 - alt. 1,437 m - Refuge de Crobache
  7. 6 : km 7.64 - alt. 1,449 m - Entrance to the Derbounouse Lawn
  8. 7 : km 8.48 - alt. 1,408 m - Fork in the road
  9. 8 : km 9.03 - alt. 1,441 m - Junction with the forest road
  10. 9 : km 9.29 - alt. 1,425 m - Leave the GRP
  11. S/E : km 11.06 - alt. 1,336 m - Col de la chau (1434m)

Notes

There are no water sources along the route. Mobile phone coverage is patchy.

Most of the hike is shaded, but some sections (meadows and grasslands) are in full sun. The forest road sections are shaded except around midday. The Serre Plumé pass is very windy, so bring a windbreaker or warm clothing.

(5) The Refuge de Crobache is an unmanned hut.

(6) There are several possible variations for the return journey, for example by extending the route slightly via the Col de la Baume.

Worth a visit

At the Col de la Chau, there is a Resistance Memorial (accessible 150 m from the car park), paying tribute to the Vercors maquis during the Second World War.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 15 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Franck D
Franck D

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Quite a varied route for the distance.
Quite a few tracks and woodland at the start
The view really opens up at the summit
The ridge at the summit, the more secluded descent, then the meadows are really nice and more varied.
We saw sheep, but no sheepdogs: it was cool and we were able to follow the entire route

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MICHELFIL
MICHELFIL

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

very beautiful views. A very pleasant hike

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User 1123056

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, stunning views from the summit. At the edge of the meadow, it was impossible to follow the route (animal fence), so we went around it. The description does not provide clear directions at all the junctions. We had to use our mobile phones several times.

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JFObama
JFObama

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 20, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike. Everything is in bloom at the moment. Even though the forest tracks are less interesting, they are necessary to access some magnificent sites.

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Pascal07300
Pascal07300

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike, beautiful little peak with panoramic views. Alternating between small trails and tracks. Really enjoyable and varied. The Crobache refuge offers a warm place to eat if needed. The Royet karstic cave is worth a detour of about 800 metres. Thank you to the author for sharing. :-))

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Jacques Pouzet
Jacques Pouzet
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 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!
360-degree view from the summit.

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Dominique ROUHIER
Dominique ROUHIER

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 15, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Nothing to report

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Bebert34130
Bebert34130

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, but unfortunately for us, the weather was mediocre and the terrain was slippery, so we had to be parish specific to Brittany careful on the descents

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viricel jacques
viricel jacques
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, well-balanced and very pleasant route. Lots of flowers, a real pleasure.

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MIFA46
MIFA46
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike, you feel like you're alone in the world! A little challenging for our level, telling you how long it took us would make you smile... or worse... But we had plenty of time and the weather was fantastic. Not a breath of wind at Serre Plumé and glorious sunshine.
At point 6, we hesitated for a moment, but you have to leave the forest road (GR) just after elevation 1455 and turn right onto the grassy path to reach the Derbounouse lawn.

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Les Zams de Behoust
Les Zams de Behoust
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful walk in the heart of nature... and no one else on the trail!
The start is quite steep, but it's the only steep climb on the trail.
For the view of the Vassieux-en-Vercors plateau, you have to wait until Serre Plumé, because at the Col de la Mure, it's quite disappointing (especially after visiting the Resistance Memorial viewpoint at the Col de la Chau (start and end of the hike!))
the stretch across the Derbounousse meadow was magnificent: a flock of sheep guarded by two beautiful Patou dogs, alone, without a shepherd: surprising but not dangerous. the dogs barked when they sensed our arrival (at the Lièvre Blanc meadow) but lay down at the edge of the path (a little way off) and watched us pass by like cows watching a train go by!
most of the path is in the woods, so it's nice in hot weather... but probably a bit muddy when it rains.
The route markings are sometimes a little confusing:
at point 1, there is no sign for "Col de le Mure". Turn right onto the forest path that runs alongside (easily visible through the trees) the "Pelouse de Derbounousse".
at point 6, the path (No. 6 "raquette violette") is not immediately signposted at the end of the Pré du Lièvre Blanc. You have to take the path opposite - downhill - towards the Pelouse de Derbounousse: the barking of the sheepdogs helped us a little!
at point 8 (not 9 as indicated on Visorando - the comments on points 8 and 9 are reversed), turn left onto the widest forest path and 200 m further on, turn left at the T-junction
at point 9, continue straight downhill (otherwise, turning left will take you back to point 1!) and turn right uphill to continue on the Vercors Dromois trail

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mdajl
mdajl
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 28, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We didn't meet anyone. We had nature all to ourselves. The landscapes are varied and often well shaded.
We had a few hesitations: in (1), at the fork to the right, the direction indicated is Le lièvre blanc and not the Col de la Mure. In (3), on the ridge path, follow the yellow-red markings as indicated, ignoring the red dots on the left. At (5) on the Derbounouse lawn, take the left fork and when the forest path turns sharply to the left (elevation 1455 rather than 1453?), continue on the path opposite, which is not very visible but where the purple snowshoe route signpost soon appears.
It is a very pleasant hike that we would like to do again if the opportunity arises.

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milambert
milambert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,
A very interesting hike with a magnificent view from the summit.

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MAMAROT J-L
MAMAROT J-L

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

i only use GPS tracking without any problems. A lovely hike completed in 3 hours and 45 minutes.

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Thierryb26
Thierryb26
• Edited:

Good evening, I can confirm the distance given by Visorando. Pedometers, and even more so subjective impressions, are not generally reliable measuring instruments.

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A very beautiful hike on the ridges of Font d'Urle: peaks of Vercors, Dévoluy, Mont Ventoux and Mont Blanc on a clear day. Beautiful panorama of the magnificent and very rugged cliffs of Font d'Urle. Please note: During the summer months, there are numerous herds and patous (shepherd dogs). Even dogs on a leash are prohibited by the department from 1 June to 30 October. Close the gates to the animal enclosures securely.

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