Secondary summit of Cousson via Entrages

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Although not very high, the Cousson dominates the region because it is an isolated peak. This gentle walk will take you to the original St-Michel Chapel on its perch, then to the southern summit with its stunning view.
This walk offers excellent value for money in terms of the view/difficulty of the climb! Ideal for families.
Allow 3 to 3½ hours for the walk, no more. There are no surprises.

Details

n°13668949
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.26 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 562 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 557 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,505 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 962 m
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Photos

Chapel of Saint-Michel de Cousson
The secondary summit in the frame of the door of St Michel Chapel
The Chapel of St Michel du Cousson
Digne - La Bigue - more distant peaks

Description of the walk

Park at the end of the hamlet of Entrages, at the start of the path that climbs up.

(S/E) Begin the climb on a carriage road and follow the red and white markings ofthe GR®406. Cross the Ravin des Houerts ford and continue on theGR® to reach the Pas d'Entrages.

(1) Leave theGR® here and turn left onto the yellow-markedPR ®. Continue through the forest, which becomes denser. You will arrive at an open area and the "Le Merle" signpost.

(2) Keep to the right and take a steeper slope that leads to a plateau. Continue to reach the Chapelle Saint-Michel de Cousson. Please note: the chapel is located on a kind of pillar. There is only one way to access this platform, and there is nothing but empty space all around. Guaranteed effect: see the Practical Information section for more details.

(3) Take thePR® trail along the ridge to climb up and reach the secondary summit of Cousson, marked by a beacon. Be careful here too: the summit is on a ridge, which is a little vertiginous on the south side.

(4) Take the same route back to the Entrages car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 962 m - Entrages car park
  2. 1 : km 1.8 - alt. 1,213 m - Pas d'Entrages
  3. 2 : km 3.03 - alt. 1,394 m - Le Merle
  4. 3 : km 3.61 - alt. 1,452 m - Chapelle Saint-Michel de Cousson (Châteauredon)
  5. 4 : km 4.21 - alt. 1,505 m - Cousson secondary summit
  6. S/E : km 8.26 - alt. 962 m - Entrages car park

Notes

(3) Saint-Michel Chapel: do not try to walk around the chapel, as the cliffs are steep.
The chapel is a handy place to shelter from strong winds.

Worth a visit

(3) The Saint-Michel Chapel stands in a truly unexpected location. Apart from the access path, 80% of the platform is surrounded by cliffs, which form a horseshoe shape.
It is quite dizzying, and you almost feel like you are in the middle of the sky.
Inside the chapel, there are moving testimonies of piety. In particular, you can write a request in a notebook provided for this purpose.

(4) The summit is known as secondary. It is very rugged, and the wind can be strong at times.
From there, the view is superb, almost 360°. To the west, you can see the Bléone valley as far as the Durance.
You can see a large part of the town of Digne, and from left to right, La Bigue and its secondary peaks, Les Cloches de Barles, the main peak of Le Cousson, the high peaks around La Tête de l'Estrop, Le Pic de Couard with Le Cheval Blanc behind it, and the splendid Barre des Dourbes.
And many other superb peaks throughout the southern quadrant.

 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

4.9 / 5
Based on 13 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 20870038

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike in beautiful sunshine, but not too hot – just right. Magnificent views once you reach the top, but even during the climb the views are superb. I loved this hike. It's best to have one or two walking sticks for the descent because "it's slippery underfoot".
The estimated time (between 3 and 3.5 hours) was about right for us, even though I don't think we're very good walkers. This time doesn't take into account the breaks we took to admire the scenery (I paused the tracker).

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Thabor
Thabor

How long did it take you, please? It's useful to have a time range that takes into account both fast walkers and those who need more time. Thank you.

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sivizzo
sivizzo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The journey times are greatly underestimated in relation to the difficulty of the route.

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sylvie couriol
sylvie couriol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike throughout, with superb views. Well signposted. Definitely worth doing

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AlainValerie
AlainValerie
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike above the village of Entrages towards the summit, where the 360° view of the valley is magnificent.
The chapel on its promontory is definitely worth a visit.
The trail is perfect, medium difficulty in my opinion (but that's subjective 😉)
I recommend taking walking sticks.

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sylvie couriol
sylvie couriol

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike throughout, with superb views. Well signposted. Definitely worth doing

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Partir
Partir

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Perfect for getting back into shape at the beginning of September, while enjoying beautiful scenery.

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christiangallerne
christiangallerne

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route, the chapel site is fascinating. Magnificent views. Entraves is superb.

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gardine
gardine

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike, one of my top 10. Varied landscapes, magnificent summit, breathtaking chapel. Easy to follow, well detailed on Visiorando and marked on site. The 600m elevation gain takes 2 to 2½ hours. Then it's 1 to 1¼ hours back down the 600m elevation loss. You can extend the return trip by going via the main summit of Cousson and the trail track. This adds another 2 hours or so, allowing you to do a circular route.

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Cathy V
Cathy V

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike starting from the pretty village of Entrages with our 14-year-old son. There's a good climb to reach the summit, but it's really worth it: 360-degree views (on a beautiful sunny day), a pretty chapel to visit (on the edge of the cliff, thrills guaranteed!) and sightings of several griffon vultures. The hike is well marked, thank you 🙏.

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bonardi
bonardi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 20, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

No difficulty parking. Superb hike with magnificent views. Very beautiful hike

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outteryck
outteryck

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 06, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

To park, simply drive between the village houses to reach a large car park.
A beautiful, easy walk with magnificent views.

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Thabor
Thabor

Glad you enjoyed it.

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ybu
ybu

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Good weather, little wind.
As a warm-up, a good climb right from the start, then it continues to climb to reach the chapel.
Beautiful views, 360° panorama at the top of Cousson (a few minutes from the chapel).
A very pleasant hike

Thank you

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Thabor
Thabor

You're brave to take this route in such cold weather!
That said, there are no exposed sections, so it's a good idea to go and enjoy such a breathtaking view of the snow-covered landscape.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, I really like this hike.

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