Hiking in Vallouise – Ecrins National Park

Walk to discover our mountains

Mountain hiking, for everyone

This time your decision is made, for the holidays, it will be direction "The Mountain" because you need to get some air, breathe deeply and expand the space around you.

In the heart of the Ecrins National Park, we are lucky to live in a magnificent landscape and nature, which we also appreciate ourselves every day. And we understand both our luck but also all that our wide open spaces can bring to your vacation!

These are preserved spaces, where silence is major, sometimes interspersed with the natural sounds of wildlife and the earth. This environment allows everyone to find a certain serenity, a pleasure of reconnecting with something when, crossing valleys, passes and summits, time slows down.

So we take this time to observe and marvel of course, but also to share this moment with our family, friends or tribe.

Hiking is the simplest, most accessible way to explore and enjoy our mountains: a pair of feet, a little equipment, a map or a few route ideas and... off you go!

Eychauda east coast
White Glacier Downstream

The route: one of the keys!

Father of Mrs. Carle
Eychauda valley bottom

So your whole group is well motivated to explore the spaces around us, but where do we start?

Choosing a hiking route is key, even for a simple “day” outing. It depends on multiple factors: composition and experience of the group, physical conditions of the day, weather, desires and objectives of each person…

But for our part, we always advise you on one essential objective: to please yourself, safely.

Here we offer you a small selection of hikes around the Clot Saint Joseph, some of which allow you to leave on foot from the house. The list is not exhaustive, but will allow you to develop, for example, a hiking program for your one-week stay from our home.

You will often be in the protected area of ​​the Ecrins National Park. You will find a lot of information on the page of our site that we dedicate to it, particularly concerning the strict environmental protection rules that apply there. 

If you are already a regular visitor to the valley, do not hesitate to ask us for other routes: on the almost 7000 km of marked trails that the Hautes-Alpes, we should be able to find something for you!

 

Easy walks or hikes

These routes are perfect for a first approach to hiking, around the house and Vallouise, and allow a discovery of the surrounding environment.

Iconic hikes not to be missed

Our valley is full of trails, each more beautiful than the last, but if you are only here for a few days, here are the "Unmissable" ones, those that you "must have done". They are of course quite popular, but you cannot come to Vallouise without climbing the Glacier Blanc, a great icy witness to our changing climate.

Lesser-known or more difficult hikes

After a few days of training, or because you already have some experience, you want to go a little higher, or get off the beaten track, the following routes are for you.

A map, with other selected routes

The Ecrins offer a vast area of ​​mountains to discover. We have grouped on this map again a selection of the routes that have been listed by several hikers around our valleys.

Think about your safety

You are going to go hiking, sometimes on routes taking you to altitudes easily above 2000m, so it is high mountain, with its sometimes hostile character.

Remember that you are hiking for pleasure and not out of obligation: So never put yourself in danger., in order to avoid any rescue operation which is always traumatic! We are not high mountain guides, but we can nevertheless give you some common sense rules.

  • Study your itinerary, adapted to your group, before departure. Especially if one of you is subject to vertigo, this may force you to turn back if a route takes you to a "committed" passage. And don't forget your map!
  • Inform someone of your departure, your theoretical route and your estimated return time. This third party will be able to call for help if necessary.
  • Get weather information before leaving. Depending on how the weather is changing, think about adapting your itinerary and know how to give up on bad weather, as temperatures drop very quickly when you are at an altitude of over 2000m. Storms in particular are weather conditions that we prefer to avoid in the mountains.
  • Take all the equipment you need for your hiking program, but no more so as not to overload yourself. Plan for sturdy and suitable walking shoes because too many accidents each season are due to unsuitable shoes.
  • When hiking and in the mountains, you burn calories and you get dehydrated very quickly: always have water, drink regularly and eat properly to avoid the "big cravings" that will leave you feeling dehydrated.
  • Stay on marked paths. In case of difficulties, you will find help and rescue more easily there if necessary.
  • In the Parc des Ecrins there are strict regulations, which we invite you to consult. Any waste disposal during your hike is obviously prohibited.

During the summer, many herds are in the mountain pastures to take advantage of the good grass in the pasture, you will surely come across them. They are accompanied by their defense dogs against the predators they may encounter. Their job being to protect the herds, they can consider you as potential enemies. The following video then explains the behaviors to adopt.