GR®54 – Tour of L’Oisans and Les Écrins starting from La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar

Starting from La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, the Tour of L'Oisans and Les Écrins begins gently along the Séveraisse river before striding up the southern slope of the Pic des Souffles which offers an unrivalled view of the Valgaudemar valley. The next day's Stage consists in crossing the impressive Col de la Vaurze. Equally impressive is the descent down into the wild Valjouffrey. The verdant Col de Côte Belle leads to the village of Valsenestre in the Béranger valley. Take a restorative break at the end of this Stage before setting off again on variant B of the GR®54, which is the longest stage of the route in terms of time and one of the most difficult due to its significant elevation changes. Via the Col de la Romeïou, the variant takes you past numerous lakes, one of which is the most iconic on the Oisans side of Les Écrins: Lac du Lauvitel (1,530 m altitude). The next stage then takes you close to the famous Les Deux Alpes winter sports resort on both slopes (Vénosc and Mont-de-Lans) linked by variant C of the GR®54, and comes to the pretty village of Mizoen. The path continues, rising in altitude up the mountain side and shadowing the shore of the large Lac du Chambon below, before it reaches the refuges at the foot of the Emparis plateau. Above, the Col de Souchet offers a five-star view over La Meije. A descent of almost 1,000 metres brings you to La Grave. Here, you have to follow the Romanche river until you reach its source on the alpine pasture of Villar d'Arène. When you reach the Col d’Arsine, the scene is stunning. The surrounding realm of high peaks invites a visit to the glacial Lacs d’Arsine before embarking on a long descent following the mountain stream Le Petit Tabuc, down to the valley of La Guisane and Monêtier-les-Bains. Objective: La Vallouise via the Col de l’Eychauda and the tranquil chalets of Chambrain. Eight kilometres of motor road following the mountain stream L'Onde brings you to the alpine pastures of Jas Lacroix. Crossing the Col de l'Aup Martin, the highest pass on the route, is always a high point of the adventure, and the descent to the Pré de la Chaumette is equally exhilarating. To reach Lac de Vallonpierre, no fewer than three passes cut through the shale have to be negotiated with care. The last stage consists of a long descent into the valley of Valgaudemar where the path comes to La Chapelle en Valgaudemar, the culmination of the GR®.

Welcome: Hard