Villar-Loubière - Refuge des Souffles

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Efirst stage to warm up your legs before climbing to the Refuge des Souffles.

This walk is part of a multi-day hike: Tour du Valgaudemar

Details

n°124852
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 4.71 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 00 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 916 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,967 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,051 m
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Photos

The organ pipes, a geological curiosity
The trail runs above the torrent

Description of the walk

From the village of Villar-Loubière (1,029 m), take the GR®54 to the Refuge des Souffles. The climb is steady and shaded for thefirst part, but this does not last long

(S) From the lodge in the village, continue straight ahead until you reach a fountain.
Turn left to find the Villar-Loubière signpost. Turn right onto the road, which will give way to a path and lead to the Chastelas signpost.

(1) Leave the track and take the path that climbs to the left (GR®54) towards the Refuge des Souffles. Stay on the GR® until you reach the refuge.

(2) At the intersection (altitude 1,377 m), keep right, still on the GR®54.

(3) At the intersection (altitude 1,519 m), stay on the GR®54. (In 2017, a collapse of the trail required the route to be altered. According to the latest comments, it is now back to normal).

Follow the GR®54 to the Refuge des Souffles (altitude 1,975 m) (E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 1,052 m - Villar-Loubière, near the - Séveraissette (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 0.22 - alt. 1,083 m - Turn left onto the trail
  3. 2 : km 1.65 - alt. 1,359 m - Fork
  4. 3 : km 2.53 - alt. 1,520 m - Fork
  5. E : km 4.71 - alt. 1,967 m - Refuge des Souffles

Notes

Worth a visit

During the climb, you can admire a geological wonder on your left: vertical rock formations.

 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 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
thomdul
thomdul

Description adapted according to Shapiro's comment (thanks for the information).

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shapiro
shapiro
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike, a little steep at the beginning. If you leave early in the morning (8 a.m. at the end of July 2025), you will be in the shade of the rock face for a long time, then sheltered by trees.

At the point (3), I didn't notice any problems, contrary to what the description for 2017 indicates. Just follow the red and white GR markings.

The description says, "A few dozen metres below the refuge, a crossroads invites you to turn right towards Lac Lautier. Follow this sign." No, you have to continue straight ahead uphill, without following the direction of the lake.

Possible variations, all beautiful: (1) Below the refuge, continue left towards the Col de la Vaurze. Beautiful view of the Désert de Valjoufret (village) and the valley opposite. Return by the same route. 500m elevation gain. (2) Below the refuge, continue right towards the Col des Clochettes and the very pretty Lac du Lauzet. Return to the Col des Clochettes, then make a loop south towards point (2). 400m elevation gain. (3) From point (2) or the refuge, turn right towards the Col des Clochettes and Lac du Lauzet; descend via the Col des Colombes to La-Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar. 400m elevation gain.

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sebsilf
sebsilf

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk to the Refuge des Souffles, no particular difficulty, splendid views with autumn colours and plenty of options for continuing once at the top. Thank you for this itinerary

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Idutour
Idutour

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Wonderful hike, very well maintained, thank you to the park!

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JODIDO
JODIDO
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I walked from La Chapelle-en-Valgaudémar to Villar Loubière before starting the hike.
I climbed up to the Souffles refuge in 1 hour and 50 minutes, as I had planned to tackle the Pas de l'Olan, the Olan refuge and the descent to La Chapelle all in the same day. That's a climb of almost 2,000 metres!
After a 20-minute break, I resumed my journey towards the Pas de l'Olan.
(continued on the Refuge des Souffles/Refuge de l'Olan hike page).

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luluschnaps
luluschnaps

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 21, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy to find trail, good going, magnificent view on arrival at the refuge.
The trail faces south, so it's best to avoid it in the afternoon...
Very friendly refuge warden
possibility of camping and water supply on site

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Lchasl
Lchasl

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

Nice hike. We did part of the loop, descending via a longer path from the refuge, which offered beautiful views of the valley.

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bruken
bruken

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

the next day was the refuge festival, and in addition to tourist hikers, local hikers of all ages were already heading towards the Refuge des Souffles. At point 1519, we left the GR and followed the path towards Lac Lautier, which took us to the Col des Clochettes. This trail passes through forest and meadows (with two streams to cross without a footbridge). The climb is gradual and crosses a vast, very pleasant cirque. The trail is very well marked, even though there are no signs.

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yoguini
yoguini

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 24, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Now the path has been cleared and there is a footbridge where it had collapsed. So there are no more difficulties apart from the steep climb. Perfect for going to the Refuge des Souffles.

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levequemi
levequemi

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A beautiful hike. With just a little extra effort, we pushed on to the Col des Clochettes and then descended via the south-facing trail that leads back to point 3. On the way there, we enjoyed delicious blueberries along the trail...

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colombel
colombel

Thank you for your reply... I should point out that the path on the right (the one with the cairn) is very well marked and has a wooden bridge over a stream and a rope secured to the rock in the slightly tricky section on the rocky outcrop...

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thomdul
thomdul
• Edited:

The trail had to be revised following a landslide since our visit.
Thanks for the information, I will update the description accordingly.
For those coming after us, if you have the GPX file for the new route, it would be great if you could send it to me so I can update it

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colombel
colombel

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

On the GR 54 trail: a problem in the first third: the trail splits into two branches.
The right-hand branch is marked by a cairn and the left-hand path is blocked by stones on the ground. So your first instinct is to take the right... but the GPS clearly shows the GR on the left, which can be verified a few dozen metres further on by a red and white mark... The problem is that the GR trail is badly damaged a little further on, with a dangerous passage above the stream... (one slight slip and you're falling) and it's better to take the right-hand path with the cairn, which is more difficult but safer, and joins the GR higher up, passing over the rocky outcrop.
Perhaps it would be safer to add some clear signage...
Otherwise, it was a very beautiful walk and we received a very warm welcome at the Souffles refuge. The return via the Lautier hut is magnificent.

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