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Departure from Corrençon-en-Vercors, south of Villard-de-Lans, reached from Grenoble or Romans. Park in the golf course car park at the end of the road.
(S/E) First head east on the Route du Clos de la Balme for about 300 metres.
(1) At a left-hand bend, turn right onto the forest path that climbs up the Combe du Souillet heading south. Stay on the main path, which then climbs up the mountainside to a plateau at an altitude of 1,400 metres.
(2) Turn left to begin climbing the Combe de Fer, first along a moderate path that leads to the speleologists' hut, on the edge of a chasm they visit.
(3) Continue south on the increasingly less marked path, which gradually heads straight up the slope to a beautiful charcoal-burning platform on the edge of the forest. (Do not be tempted by the path that starts level on the right (blue dots) and leads to the Serre du Play.)
(4) From this platform, follow the cairns to climb up more or less visible tracks in an area alternating between sharp limestone pavement, some grass and scree. As you approach the ridge above, the terrain becomes increasingly rocky and the slope increasingly steep. Keep an eye out for the cairns and try to follow the grassy areas, which are easier to climb.
(5) When you reach the ridge between Tête des Chaudières and Rochers de la Balme, at the edge of Goulot (breach on the east face), you will have a clear view. Climb northwards, going around a sinkhole on the left, which often contains a snowfield, until you reach Tête des Chaudières.
(6) From the summit, descend the path towards the south and when it branches off to the left towards the Pas de la Balme, turn right to climb back up to the pass.
(5) Climb the ridge southwards, either close to the ridge line or on the western slope, using the existing tracks to reach the summit of Rochers de la Balme (2063 m).
(7) Follow this ridge close to its edge or descending slightly on the western slope and continue down to a deep breach at the Serre du Play valley.
(8) Climb back up a little to continue following the ridge, which descends to a gap opposite the Grand Pot valley.
(9) Climb up the grassy slopes on the western side of the peaks that follow, using more clearly marked paths that are even partially signposted (blue dots). After a high point, these paths descend to Pas Ernadant, a deep gap where ibex are regularly seen.
(10) Descend the path that heads northwest. It follows a valley at the foot of a rocky ridge that leads to the Grand Pot meadow.
(11) Leave the Ranc de l'Abbé path on your right and continue in the same north-westerly direction. After a short climb through the grass, the descent resumes, fairly steeply, along a rocky outcrop on the right. The trail quickly loses altitude, then the slope levels off in the forest before opening onto the meadow where the Cabane de Carrette refuge is located.
(12) Pass the hut and turn right into the forest to join theGR® 91 at Porte Barnier.
Follow it northwards along an easy path that passes the45th parallel marker at Puits des Ravières.
(13) Continue northwards, where it becomes a path and then a gravel road, passing by the Croix de la Messe and then the Champ de Bataille, and returns to the starting point alongside the golf course and the road ski trail. (S/E)
Visorando member
Easy 
Moderate 
