Crossing Mont Pépoiri

We offer a hike in the Valdeblore mountain pastures, with an ascent of one of the major peaks in the area, Mont Pépoiri, offering exceptional views over the entire ridge of the Mercantour massif.
View of Corsica on a clear day.

Details

n°4056

Creation:
07 Apr 2012

Last update:
21 Aug 2023

Last review:
15 Jul 2024

Activity: Walking
Distance: 7.39 km
Average duration: 4h 00
Difficulty: Moderate
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 668 m
Descent: - 669 m
Highest point: 2,662 m
Lowest point: 2,040 m

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Mercantour
District: Valdeblore (06420)
Start/End: N 44.098116° / E 7.188629°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3641ET, 3741OT
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Description of the walk

(S/E) From the Millefonts car park (marker 32), about 5km north of Saint-Dalmas, take the^GR®52(stage from Saint-Dalmas to Boréon) to the Col de Veillos (marker 83).

(1) Continue on the right along the^GR®52. Further on, pass close to

(2) Lac Rond, Lac Long and Lac Gros. Arrive at Col du Barn (marker 84), the entrance to the heart of the Mercantour National Park

(3) Leave the^GR®52, which descends into the Barn valley towards the Collet cattle pens, and continue straight ahead, heading south/east towards the summit of Mont Pépoiri (2,674 m). The path is well marked with cairns.

(4) From the summit of Mont Pépoiri, descend off the trail on the southern slope, heading south/south-east, to reach a pass and then Mont Pétoumier (2,604m).

(5) There is a beautiful view of the village of Saint-Dalmas. Descend to the pass heading north/west and, further on, turn west to reach Lac d'En Veillos (often dry in summer).

(6) Continue westwards and, shortly afterwards, head west/southwest to rejoin the^GR®52trail and the Millefonts car park (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : km 0 - alt. 2,041 m - Millefonts car park
1 : km 0.7 - alt. 2,189 m - Col de Veillos
2 : km 2.05 - alt. 2,312 m - Lac Rond (Lacs des Millefonts)
3 : km 3.04 - alt. 2,451 m - Col du Barn
4 : km 3.82 - alt. 2,662 m - Mont Pépoiri
5 : km 4.95 - alt. 2,579 m - Monr Pétoumier (2604m)
6 : km 5.65 - alt. 2,441 m - Lac d'en Veillos
S/E : km 7.39 - alt. 2,043 m - Millefonts car park

Notes

Usual hiking equipment. Please note that although the route is in the Southern Alps, it is still a mountain circuit and the weather in the Southern Alps can change quickly.

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Coeur du Parc national du Mercantour - more information

Worth a visit

On your return from your hike, we recommend visiting the village of Saint-Dalmas and the 10th-century Sainte Croix church.
For accommodation the night before your hike, contact the Les Marmottes stopover lodge in Saint-Dalmas. Bernard, a mountain guide and partner of the Mercantour National Park, will advise you on the itinerary and the many possibilities offered by the Mercantour.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5

Based on 23 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.7 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.4 / 5

Route interest
4.8 / 5

guygelas06

15 Jul 2024 at 12:29 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy hike offering superb 360° views of Argentera and Mercantour

The return from Peimounier was unmarked

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LAURENTGRI

04 Sep 2023 at 19:46 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely hike, with a swim in Lake Petit!

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P@trick

04 Sep 2023 at 15:38 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 12, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very beautiful hike offering stunning views.

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MCN22

18 Jul 2023 at 21:12 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

This hike takes you on a beautiful route to Mont Pepoiri. Caught in the mist at the summit, we descended via the path marked with cairns, which starts roughly halfway between Mont Petoumier and Mont Pepoiri.

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Orson

17 Jul 2023 at 10:03 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

Hike completed at the end of June

No particular difficulties to report. The slopes are steep, especially at the start, but the route is relatively short. The return journey is mostly off-trail and on grassy slopes, but it is relatively easy to find your way with the lake and then the car park as landmarks. The hike is pleasant. It offers beautiful views and starts at a high enough altitude to escape the heat, even though there are no trees.

The access road is passable, but it has potholes and is unsafe in many places.

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bedemo

22 Aug 2022 at 19:25 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

We went to the first lake (the most beautiful). Then we wanted to join the GR52 but we missed the junction at the spillway—there were no signs. So we continued along the series of lakes. We rejoined the GR before the last one. For the descent, on the advice of the shepherd, we chose the north-west ridge that starts from the summit of Pépoiri, further to the right than the one that goes to Pétounier. This route is quicker but quite steep, but has the advantage of being easy to follow on grassy slopes with a view of the car park at the start.

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G.MARTIN9

10 Jul 2022 at 09:27 7200

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 10, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

I found the descent off the marked trail difficult and even dangerous in places.
Otherwise, the view of the Mercantour was as sublime as ever.

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Mercantour

05 Oct 2021 at 16:36 7200

The route is perfectly passable

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Gofy

04 Oct 2021 at 08:15 7200

What condition are the last few kilometres of this hike in?

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pitouseb

01 Aug 2021 at 14:46 7200 • Edited: 01 Aug 2021 at 14:46 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello. Hike completed on Thursday 29/07/2021. Very beautiful views in several places, especially of the lakes during the ascent of Pepoiri. The 360° view of the surrounding peaks is a treat.
One unpleasant surprise, however: the road leading to the Millefonds car park is in very poor condition this year (the effects of Storm Alex???), so take extra care!

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lauvisorando

15 Jul 2020 at 19:14 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 12, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very pleasant hike. The climb is fairly easy. The 360° view from the top of Mount Pepoiri is magnificent. The slightly cloudy weather prevented us from getting too hot. For the descent, we left the trail and went straight through the grass towards the car park, which was quite tiring for the thighs and calves.

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Jérémie_34

22 Jun 2020 at 13:22 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 22, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb hike with beautiful panoramic views.
We made a slight detour to pass by the first lake (the most beautiful in my opinion).
The view from the top of Pépoiri was magnificent.
Be careful though, we followed the GPS track for the descent and it's quite steep and uneven, which left us with some serious muscle soreness.

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ARMENGAUDFREDERIC

09 Sep 2019 at 16:10 7200

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a beautiful hike with all the lakes of Millefonts. You can walk along them all if you take the ski lift. The view from the Col de Barn and the summit of Pepoiri is stunning, with a 360° panorama.
good signage
from Petoumier, you can descend along the western ridge and then head for the dry lake to rejoin the cairned path to the car park.

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engrandl

12 Aug 2019 at 09:09 7200

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very beautiful hike with no major difficulties. I agree with the previous comments: once you reach Mont Petounier, you have to retrace your steps to finally descend back down to the lake.

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gilles006

27 Aug 2018 at 19:23 7200

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very high-altitude hike with panoramic views of both Mount Pépoiri and Mount Pétoumier.
Once you reach Mount Pétoumier, you have to turn back, so the route on the map is a little inaccurate.
The duration of 3 hours and 40 minutes also seems very short; it took us 5 hours with breaks.

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Author

Mercantour
1 Walk

Association / Club / Walk leader

Website:http://www.mercantour-rando.com

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