La cabane de Rif Meyol

Description

The climb takes you through a softwood forest and leads to the Rif Meyol pastoral hut. There is no lake here, no impetuous stream, no glacier but a silent cirque that is far from busy, where the fauna, as well as the exuberant vegetation impress by their abundance and diversity. A wild but calm environment synonymous with a protected area. Bernard Nicollet, warden in the Valbonnais area After taking a small forestry track, directly from the Confolens waterfall car park, the first two-thirds of the route go through a beech and pine forest to reach the bottom of the high grass pastures. From the old half-ruined stone hut, the meandering path leads up to another altitude "pessière" (spruce forest). You will then reach the pastures, in the true sense of the word, which form a patchwork of rhododendron and blueberry moors, green alder thickets, adenostyles alpinas, raspberry plants and meadows of fleshy grasses. Now at the subalpine stage, there are few trees to obstruct the view over immense greenery surrounded by rocky ledges in the distance. The Rif Méyol is not far. It is discreetly located in the relief and surrounded by large splashes of dark green that are monk's rhubarb.

Difficulty

Official rating: moderate, by Parc national des Écrins.

Before you go

• For early morning walkers, do not forget your gaiters to protect against the abundant dew.

Getting there

Start: Parking de la cascade de Confolens ou du village du Périer, Chantepérier (38).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/935853-La-cabane-de-Rif-Meyol). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 919 m, Parc national des Écrins