The most beautiful hikes in the Clarée Valley
(from Briançon, Hautes Alpes)

RANDONNÉE COL DES THURES & LAKE CHAVILLON (2194 M)

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation gain: 600 meters
Walking time: 4h30 to 5h00 walk in total

From the hotel, take the GR57 just after the school, 300 m from the hotel. The path begins through meadows to the Chalet Forestier, then it continues in bends in the forest. Finally, the landscape opens onto the Thures plateau. At the end of the plateau, we discover Lake Chavillon and the Col des Thures from where we can admire Mount Thabor and the Three Kings.
Possible variant: ascent of the Red Needle (2545 m) summit with a 360° view of the entire Alps. + 1h30 and + 500m difference in altitude.

RANDONNÉE THE BALCONIES OF NÉVACHE

Difficulty: level 1* out of 5*
Elevation gain: 200 meters
Walking time: 2h30 walk

The departure is the same as for going up to the Thures plateau, but we turn left just before the forest chalet. The path climbs into the forest, and you arrive at a very beautiful balcony path with a breathtaking view of the different hamlets of Névache. At the end, we join the path which descends from Creux des Souches, to arrive at the hamlet of Ville Haute. Return to the hotel along the banks of the Clarée.

RANDONNÉE OULE LAKE (2425 M)

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation gain: 800 meters
Walking time: 5 hours for the return trip

The departure is at the Fortville bridge (GR57), 15 minutes from the hotel. The climb begins in the larch forest. At the junction with the forest road, continue the GR57 to the right. At the next fork, leave the path on the right which goes to Lake Cristol, and to turn left towards Lake Oule. The climb continues to the entrance to the Oule valley, and continues to the lake.

RANDONNÉE ALONG THE CLAÉE (RIVER) FROM VILLE HAUTE TO FONTCOUVERTE

Difficulty: level 1* out of 5*
Elevation: 200 meters
Walking time: 2 hours of climbing

Beautiful bucolic stroll along the Clarée to encounter the flowers and heritage of the hamlets of the Haute Vallée.
In Ville Haute, take the street on the left after the church, cross the bridge over the Clarée, then continue along the path which runs along the Clarée. You will first discover the Névache waterfalls, then just before arrival, the very beautiful Fontcouverte waterfall.

RANDONNÉE CRISTOL LAKE (2245 M)

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation: 650 meters
Walking time: 4 hours return

Departing from Ville Haute, take the same direction as the walk along the Clarée, but after about 10 minutes after leaving the village, take the path which goes up to the left towards Lake Cristol. A sustained climb through the forest will take you in 1h30 to the small bridge which spans the Cristol torrent; cross this bridge then continue 30 minutes in the beautiful Cristol valley to the lake.

RANDONNÉE BUFFÈRE BY CÔTE ROUGE

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation: 500 meters
Walking time: 2 hours of climbing

Same departure as the 2 hikes above, but just before arriving at the small bridge over the Cristol torrent, take the path which goes to the right towards Buffère. We then take the very beautiful Côte Rouge balcony path for around 1 hour, and at the end, another short climb before arriving at the Refuge de Buffère. This balcony path owes its name to the red of the rhododendrons in flower in June, and also to the blueberry leaves which turn red at the end of summer.

RANDONNÉE VALLON / BUFFÈRE REFUGE

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation difference: 500 meters for the Refuge de Buffère or 827 meters for the Col (2427 m)
Walking time: 4 to 5 hours round trip

From Pont du Rately (signposted from the road), go up the path in the forest towards the Buffère refuge; be careful, there is a steep climb of around 30 minutes, courage! and above all take your time. We arrive at the refuge after about 1 hour 15 minutes of walking. Very nice break to eat or drink. Then continue the GR 5C which climbs quietly towards the Col de Buffère (2427 m) in a very beautiful bucolic valley. The return can also be made via Côte Rouge after the Buffère refuge.

RANDONNÉE GRAND ARÉA (2869 M)

Difficulty: level 3* out of 5*
Elevation gain: 1 meters
Walking time: 6 to 7 hours

Go up the route which passes the refuge and the Col de Buffère. From there, continue the ascent via a regular path which climbs to the top of the Grand Aréa. Up there, we are a little below “3000” but the identity of the summit and the view of the Ecrins are superb.

RANDONNÉE THE FONTCOUVERTE WATERFALL

Difficulty: level 1* out of 5*
Elevation: 30 meters
Walking time: 10 min

Take the path which goes down along the Clarée just below La Fruitière. We quickly arrive at the superb Fontcouverte waterfall, very impressive especially in early summer when the snow melts.

RANDONNÉE “THE LAKES”: LARAMON (2350 M), SERPENT (2448 M), GARDIOLES (2688 M), PIC DU LAC BLANC (2980 M) (VIA THE RICOU REFUGE)

Difficulty: level 2 to 3* out of 5*
Elevation difference: 600 to 1100 meters
Walking time: 2h00 climb for Lac du Serpent, 3h30 to 4h00 climb for Pic (via the Ricou refuge)

This is “THE” star hike in the Clarée Valley with its famous lakes! A hike at several speeds, easy for Lac Laramon, fairly easy for Lac du Serpent, more sustained for Les Gardioles, and difficult for Pic du Lac Blanc with in particular a ridge to follow before arriving at the peak.
At Fontcouverte, take the path which goes up to the right just before the bridge over the Clarée, towards the Ricou Refuge. After 45 minutes, we pass the refuge and continue the winding path in the mountain pastures for another 45 minutes to the 1st lake, superb. Another 30 minutes or so to arrive at Lac du Serpent, from where you can enjoy a magnificent view of the Ecrins. Continue for around 1 hour for the Gardioles lakes, and for the more courageous, another 00 hour of ascent to climb the Gardioles crest which we follow to the Pic du Lac Blanc. Exceptional 1° view of the entire Alps. Best in good weather (i.e. often!). Click here to find out more about this Lac Laramon and Lac du Serpent hike.

RANDONNÉE VALLON / CHARDONNET REFUGE

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation gain: 350 meters for the Refuge du Chardonnet or 800 meters for the Col (2638 m)
Walking time: 1 hour climb for the Refuge, add 00 hours climb for the Col (2 hours in total)

Still leaving from Fontcouverte, this time we will take the path which goes on the northern slope of the valley, and which starts in the Fontcouverte campsite (sign indicating the Refuge du Chardonnet). A steady climb which takes us in 1 hour to the Refuge du Chardonnet in a postcard landscape... For the Col, continue the path in this sublime Chardonnet valley, carefully following the “Col du Chardonnet” signs. The climb is fairly quiet but long. Once at the Col, a breathtaking view of the Meige and the Ecrins! On the way down, pass by the very pretty Lac de la Mine which is to the left of the path just under the Col. Leave the trail to discover it. Click here to view photos and get more information on this hike!

RANDONNÉE LAKE (2504 M) AND COL DES BÉRAUDES (2770 M)

Difficulty: level 2 to 3* out of 5*
Elevation difference: 500 meters for the lake or 770 meters for the Col
Walking time: 1h30 to 2h00 climb for the lake, add 1h climb for the Col

At the Laval car park, take the start of the GR 57 and immediately turn left towards Lac des Béraudes, cross the Pont du Moutet then follow the sustained path which winds up to the lake. The climb is quite steep and you gain altitude quickly. The arrival is magical because we discover this lake with turquoise waters in the middle of a circle of steep slopes and sharp peaks.
For the Col, continue along the path which leaves to the left of the lake and which climbs the mountainside; the last turns are steep and alpine. From the Col, extraordinary view of the Massif des Ecrins… Click here to view photos and get more information on this hike!

RANDONNÉE LAKE LONG (2387 M), LAKE ROND (2446 M), LAKE DES MUANDES (2580 M)

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation difference: 400 to 600 meters
Walking time: 1h15 climb for Lac Long, 2h30 climb for Lac des Muandes

At the Laval car park, take the GR 57 towards the refuge des Drayères. After about 10 minutes, take the small path which goes up to the right towards the 3 lakes. Nice climb through the mountain pastures and arrival at the beautiful Long Lake. Continue this path towards Lac Rond, crossing a scree. Follow the cairnes carefully to find your way. We then arrive at the top of the lake. Then for Lac des Muandes, we pick up the GR 57 and finish the ascent with a pretty path in the mountain pastures.
For the descent, you can either take the same path, or return via the GR to the Drayères refuge, then return to the car park via the magnificent path which runs along the Clarée. To do this, you have to cross the bridge over the Clarée just below the military building.

RANDONNÉE LAKE AND SOURCES OF LA CLARÉE (2433 M) (VIA THE REFUGE DES DRAYÈRES)

Difficulty: level 2* out of 5*
Elevation: 450 meters
Walking time: 2 hours of climbing

From the Laval car park, take either the GR 57 or the very beautiful path which runs along the Clarée, crossing the Moutet bridge. We pass the Drayères refuge (2167m) and continue straight for about another hour to the Clarée lake where the river of the same name has its source. Possibility of continuing the GR for 1 minutes to discover the Rond des Rochilles lake, another 00 minutes for the Grand Ban lake and another 10 minutes to arrive at the Col des Rochilles, border with Savoie. Click here to view photos and get more information on this hike!

RANDONNÉE THE CIRCLES TOUR

Difficulty: level 3* out of 5*
Elevation: 900 meters
Walking time: 7 to 8 hours

This is the most beautiful circuit in the Clarée Valley, with the discovery of 7 lakes! The start of the route is the same as that which leads to the lake and Col des Béraudes. Once at the pass, we did the whole climb. We then go back down to the other side via a very steep path at the beginning (passing a small chimney with cables for a few meters), then we pick up the GR 57 which goes to the right towards the lake and the Col de la Ponsonnière d 'where we have a very beautiful view of the Grand Lake. Superb balcony path on the Ecrins. After this pass, we continue this path to Lac des Cerces, then a final climb over 150 m of altitude difference to arrive at Col des Cerces. From there, superb view of Lake Grand Ban and Lake Rond des Rochilles. At the bottom of the Col des Cerces, turn right towards Lac de la Clarée, and finally, go down towards the Drayères refuge then the Laval car park.

RANDONNÉE MOUNT THABOR (3178 M) BY LAVAL

Difficulty: level 3 to 4* out of 5*
Elevation: 1200 meters
Walking time: 8 hours return walk

It is the highest peak in the Clarée Valley! Go up the GR 57 in the Muandes valley and its lakes as described above, to the Col des Muandes (2828m). Then follow the ridge which goes to the left; we pass at the foot of the Roche du Chardonnet (2950 m), then we pass the Col du Valmeinier. We then cross a beautiful valley with the passage of a large scree, before tackling the last steep climb which leads to the typical rounded summit of Thabor after passing in front of the Thabor chapel. A must !

RANDONNÉE THE GREEN LAKE (1834 M)

Difficulty: level 1* out of 5*
Elevation: 80 meters
Walking time: 1 hours return

From Les Granges de la Vallée Etroite, take the small path which crosses the hamlet and which climbs through the meadows to the GR 5. Then turn right towards “Lago Verde”, cross the bridge over the torrent and climb up to the hillock which is in front of you via a small path in the forest. Once at the top, we see through the pines a jewel in its setting: it is the Green Lake, with a fluorescent green color which is due to the presence of algae in the water. There is still a short descent to arrive at the edge of this magical lake...
In the hamlet of Granges, you will find 2 very nice Italian refuges to eat polenta or quench your thirst: I Re magi and I Terzo Alpini.

RANDONNÉE MOUNT THABOR (3178 M) BY THE É VALLEYTROITE

Difficulty: level 3* out of 5*
Elevation: 1400 meters
Walking time: 8 hours return walk

In Vallée Etroite, the route that leads to Mont Thabor is simpler than via Laval, and you can see the objective from the start and throughout the hike.
From Granges de la Vallée Etroite, take the GR 5 to Maison des Chamois. At this point, leave the GR to take the path which goes up to the Col des Méandes (2727 m) along the torrent. We then find the GR 57, take it on the left towards the Chapel and Mont Thabor.

Would you like more information? Planning a weekend or a stay in Clarée?