gîte and hotel accommodation, a bar/restaurant, a small grocery store – and some level ground for a change.
Valgaudemar to Bourg d’Oisans
The valleys of Valgaudemar and Valjouffrey flow in roughly parallel lines, divided by a lofty ridge system emanating from the 3564m l’Olan, and to get from one to the other the Tour of the Oisans chooses to cross that ridge via Col de la Vaurze, whose height is variously quoted as 2490m, 2498m, or 2500m.
After a gentle valley stroll of about an hour from La-Chapelle the small village of Villar-Loubière appears, its buildings apparently cascading down the hillside. It is here that the long five-hour climb to Col de la Vaurze begins, at first through a ravine-like valley, with trees and shrubs growing in its upper reaches. Roughly midway between the village and the col, the small but well-appointed Refuge des Souffles stands on a bluff just above a trail junction, and even if you decide against spending a night there, the opportunity to stop by for refreshments is hard to resist.
Beyond the hut the trail works its way into a profound combe topped by Pic des Souffles. Part of this combe is confused by rocky spurs interspersed by stream-cut gullies, but once this is behind you long switchbacks angle across an open hillside to gain the narrow col; this is a memorable vantage point from which to study not only the way ahead, but also the deep trench of Valgaudemar, the valley system you’re about to leave. On the northwest side of the col a giddy view looks directly down on the rooftops of Le Désert, a tiny huddle of buildings 1250m below. It will take about two hours of very steep descent to reach this small farming community, whose facilities for trekkers include three simple gîtes d’étape and a bar/restaurant.
Shimmering reflections of the alpenglow in Lac de Vallonpierre. A refuge sits on the bank of this tarn
The view looking back over the previous day’s route from just below Col de la Muzelle
The next pass on the tour lies almost directly above Le Désert. At 2290m, Col de Côte-Belle is one of the lowest on GR54, and by comparison with many of its predecessors, the crossing is straightforward, albeit steep in places and with some impressive shattered rock formations along the way. Straightforward it may be in good conditions, but should the weather turn nasty, or snow and ice remain on the trail (as they may, early in the season), then this crossing could be a very different undertaking.
On the northern side of the pass Valsenestre, an attractive hamlet of old stone houses, boasts a welcoming gîte, Le Béranger, in which to spend the night before tackling the 2625m Col de la Muzelle next day.
Flanked by the Roche de la Muzelle, the ascent to the col is undemanding until the final 200m, where the route struggles up a very steep cone of compacted shale and slate, some of which is sharp-edged and threatening. But views back the way you came can be exhilarating.
From the col you gaze down onto a green lake set among rucked pastures. In the mid-distance can be seen the ski resort of Les Deux Alpes, while far off the tiny snowfields of Les Grandes Rousses shine in the sunlight. And once again a steep slope of shale has to be negotiated before an easy trail meanders across the pastures to reach the timber-built Refuge de la Muzelle set upon a grass slope not far from a shepherd’s cabane, just above the lake. Towards dusk hundreds of sheep are brought back from their grazing to be coralled for the night nearby.
The original route of the Tour of the Oisans plunged directly down to Bourg d’Arud in the Vallée du Vénéon, then followed this valley all the way to Bourg d’Oisans. That was a pleasant enough way to finish the tour, but by rerouting this final stage across the 2531m Col du Vallon to the west of Refuge de la Muzelle, a much more rewarding stage has been created, and one that retains the essence of GR54 much longer.
There’s nothing difficult about the normal way up to Col du Vallon from the refuge, and as you gain height, so the views grow in extent and interest, with the shapely Aiguille du Plat de la Selle demanding your admiration from the east. The pass is a surprisingly gentle saddle of grass and rock, but before long the descent demands caution as it picks a way along and over an abrupt spur of rock, with one section teetering along a narrow exposed ramp with Lac Lauvitel far below.
The lake is one of the gems of the Parc National des Écrins. Trapped in a cirque of rocky peaks, its northern end is dammed by a great tip of rocks and boulders, among which there are tangles of wild raspberries, while marmots sun themselves or frolic at the water’s edge.
Down then, steeply down, to Les Gauchoirs, and a track which runs between meadow and woodland, passes below the Cascade de la Pisse and then spills onto a narrow tarmac road. On the outskirts of Bourg d’Oisans gîte accommodation can be found in the hamlet of Le Vert; then it’s a last easy stroll into the little town where the trek began, and you’re left with a host of memories to replay on the journey home – and in the months and years to come.
Lac Lauvitel is one of the gems of the Écrins National Park
TREK 4
Tour of the Vanoise by Kev Reynolds
| Start/Finish | Modane, in the Maurienne |
| Distance | 154km |
| Grade | Moderate |
| Time | 10–12 days |
| Terrain | The Vanoise National Park, northeast of Grenoble, France |
| Max Altitude | 2796m |
| Guidebooks | Tour of the Vanoise by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, 2nd edition, 2009) |
| Accommodation | Mountain refuges, gîtes d’étape and hotels |
La Grande Casse, Grande Motte, Dent Parrachée, Pointe de l’Echelle – all these and countless other peaks form a backdrop to this figure-of-eight tour in the heart of the Vanoise National Park. Glaciers and snowfields too, play their part in the landscape, as do the lakes and pools that turn mountains on their heads, and the chamois, ibex and marmots that inhabit the inner valleys and add daily excitement to the trek. The first five days remain above any habitation except for mountain refuges and isolated farms, but then a descent is made to handsome Bonneval-sur-Arc before crossing Col de l’Iseran on the way to Val d’Isère. Returning to the sanctity of the national park takes the route across Col de la Leisse and Col de la Vanoise, and after visiting Pralognan a valley walk leads to the lofty Col de Chavière, from which a long descent revisits Modane, where the trek began.
Tour of the Vanoise
Plan du Lac is a tranquil site from which to study La Grande Casse (left) and La Grande Motte
It was mid-afternoon on a July day when, descending below the final col on the Tour of the Vanoise, I became conscious of movement among the grass hummocks ahead. My two friends and I paused, held our
