The Écrins complete tour on GR54 trail

Description

I propose you to follow me on the complete tour of the Ecrins by the GR54 trail, a 13-day hike starting from La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar. This magnificent route invites walkers to discover the Écrins National Park and contemplate the high peaks of the Southern Alps.

A 193-kilometer sporting challenge, with 14 passes and almost 12000 meters of ascent, the GR54 invites you to rub shoulders with the highest peaks in the Écrins. It's one of the most important long-distance hiking trails in the French Alps, offering a rich experience of emotions and discoveries, through a wide variety of emblematic landscapes and encounters with the National Park's biodiversity.

To continue discovering the region, I'm also offering a 4-day trek in the Valgaudemar and a hiking and mushrooming weekend in the Champsaur valley.

Maybe this trek will even inspire you to take your hiking further, and why not prepare for the mountain leader exam with this course in Gap.

Program

D1: La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar - Souffles hut.
The trek starts gently from La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, along the river, to discover the last hamlets of the upper Séveraisse valley. The ambience is reminiscent of the mountain cirques of Reunion Island, but it's the wild, steep Valgaudemar that comes into view. The ascent soon overhangs the Villar torrent and leads to the mountain pastures below the Souffles peak. A stopover is then called for at the foot of an impressive glacier cirque, the foothills of l'Olan at 2000 meters of altitude.
Overnight at the Souffles hut.
Positive altitude difference: 1000 meters, negative altitude difference: 100 meters, distance: 10km, 4.5 hours of walking.

D2: Souffles hut - Le Désert-en-Valjouffrey.
From the hut, we follow the path that crosses the torrent de la Muande and then the Péou de la Muande ravine. It makes a long traverse through a glacial cirque, under the Orgières, and winds up to a suspended plateau. We cross the meadow on wide switchbacks and then over scree to reach the Col de la Vaurze (2490m). From here we descend to the meadows and the Bonne bridge, entering the hamlet of Désert-en-Valjouffrey (1260m).
Overnight at the Arias lodge.
D+: 650m, D-: 1350m, distance: 11km, 5.5 hours of walking.

D3: Le Désert-en-Valjouffrey - Valsenestre via the Côte Belle pass.
After the mineral world of the Col de la Vaurze, it's time for alpine meadows, the kingdom of asphodels and marmots. Côte Belle, the pass of the day, appears green as soon as you leave the hamlet of Désert. On the edge of the alpine pastures, it is adorned with unmistakable geological organs. An enchanting stopover at the Béranger hut in Valsenestre will provide the necessary comfort before the next day's stage.
D+: 1000m, D-: 1000m, distance: 11.5km, 5 hours of walking.

D4: Valsenestre - Muzelle lake and hut.
Today is the big day, with the mythical Col de la Muzelle in your sights. The climb through the alpine pastures at the foot of the giants (Roche de la Muzelle, Pic du Clapier du Peyron) already sets the tone: today, it's going to be uphill! No fewer than 50 curves, cut into the schist and regularly maintained, lead to the ultimate goal of this great adventure. It's a pure mountain moment that leads to a haven of peace a little further down: the shores of the Muzelle lake.
Overnight at the Muzelle hut.
D+: 1300m, D-: 500m, distance: 9km, 5.5 hours of walking.

D5: Muzelle hut - Bourg-d'Oisans via the Col du Vallon.
The Col du Vallon is the passageway between the two high-altitude lakes that make the two valleys overlooking the Vénéon so famous. The Lauvitel valley is characterized by an integral reserve and a paved path, while the Muzelle valley boasts pastoralism, a hut and a peat bog. The classic GR54 follows the Lauvitel valley, ending just before the hamlet of La Danchère.
Overnight at the lodge "La marmotte de la Meige".
D+: 500m, D-: 1900m, distance: 19.3km, 7 hours of walking.

D6: Bourg-d'Oisans - Clavans-le-Bas.
This stage above Bourg d'Oisans invites you to take to the heights, taking a series of handrails through a string of hamlets clinging to the mountainside.
Overnight at the Savel inn.
D+: 1450m, D-: 150m, distance: 21.4km, 6.5 hours of walking.

D7: Clavans-le-Bas - Mouterres hut.
The GR54 continues with a steep descent below the north face of the Sarenne summit. This is followed by an incursion into the upper Ferrand valley, an incised valley, as if cut with a saber into the schist, before reaching the gentle Besse. The alpine pastures of Les Mouterres open the doors to the Emparis plateau, a superb lake-studded pedestal, revealing the Meije, the Râteau and the Girose glacier.
Overnight at the Mouterres hut.
D+: 1050m, D-: 150m, distance: 9.6km, 4.5 hours of walking.

D8: Mouterres hut - L'Alpe de Villar d'Arène.
A breathtaking day awaits you, more for the panorama with the Meije in the background than for the technical difficulty. The morning is devoted to the pastures of Emparis, before moving on to the characterful hamlets of Le Chazelet and Les Terrasses. The afternoon is spent in the alpine pastures of Villar d'Arène, a paradise for marmots and chamois, at the foot of the Grande Ruine and the Agneaux summit.
Overnight at the lodge Les Mélèzes or Pas de l'Âne in idyllic surroundings.
D+: 1050m, D-: 1250m, distance: 23.1km, 8.5 hours of walking.

D9: Alpe de Villar d'Arène - Le Monêtier-les-Bains.
A short but exciting day, starting below the Agneaux summit. From the Col d'Arsine, it would be a shame not to reach the glacier lake, hidden just a few steps away. In the Guisane valley, all the different levels of vegetation come into view over almost 1000 meters of vertical drop. The torrent reveals its enchanting colors. An Icelandic Blue Lagoon atmosphere!
D+: 30m, D-: 900m, distance: 14km, 4.5 hours of walking.

D10: Le Monêtier-les-Bains - Vallouise via Col de l'Eychauda.
You start the day's route with a short intrusion into the Guisane valley, more famously known as the Serre Chevalier valley, and already the peaks are beaming in from all sides. The climb is gentle and shady, leading to the alpine pasture occupied by the Monêtier ski lifts. It's not until you reach the Col de l'Eychauda that you can leave the equipped mountain behind and enjoy the breathtaking views over the Chambran valley. A bucolic bivouac stop invites you to take a stroll, but the road is long and Vallouise below is full of treasures.
Overnight at the Aiglière lodge.
D+: 1000m, D-: 1300m, distance: 20.6km, 7 hours of walking.

D11: Vallouise - Pré de la Chaumette hut via the Col de l'Aup Martin.
This day is the main stage of the GR54, with the high point of the tour: the Col de l'Aup Martin and the descent to upper Champoléon.
We leave the gentle Vallouise along the torrent de l'Onde in an unspoilt valley that leads to the mountain pastures where the torrents meet: Entre-les-Aygues, between the waters. As the climb progresses, the landscape becomes more austere. The shale-black col de l'Aup Martin stands like an impassable barrier. Finally, the steep descent to Pré de la Chaumette, to be approached with caution, makes this stage one of the highlights of this adventure around the Écrins.
D+: 1600m, D-: 1000m, distance: 23.9km, 9 hours of walking.

D12: Pré de la Chaumette refuge - Vallonpierre lake and hut.
The three passes of La Vallette, Gouiran and Vallonpierre take you from Champsaur to Valgaudemar, with a well-deserved stopover at Vallonpierre lake.
D+: 1150m, D-: 700m, distance: 10.9km, 6 hours of walking.

D13: Vallonpierre hut - La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar.
Under the watchful eye of the Sirac, this last stage takes place in the mountain pastures before reaching the upper Séveraisse valley and its string of waterfalls.
After a last look at the stone giant, Sirac, and its reflection in the Vallonpierre lake, we set off on the long descent to La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar. As we lose altitude, the landscape changes atmosphere: gone are the harshness and austerity of the passes, replaced by colors, flowers, streams and flocks of sheep. It's bliss!
D+: 50m, D-: 1200m, distance: 13.9km, 3.5 hours of walking.

The price includes

• Supervision by the mountain leader.
• Accommodation in refuges and dormitories from D1 to D5.
• Shared meals (½ board) in refuges.
• Picnic lunches provided by refuges.

The price does not include

• Transport to La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar.
• Snacks (cereal bar).
• All drinks.
• Anything not mentioned in "Price includes".

Accommodation

• Mountain huts and lodges.
• In dormitories.

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