Le Pas de Cavale

Description

To get to the Champsaur via Le Pas de la Cavale, a gentle footpath runs the length of the Fournel valley. This is a long hike in some of the wildest scenery. "Freezing and enclosed, the Fournel valley? Not as much as you would think as even the pig that the shepherd took to the Grand Cabane got sunburnt!" Jean-Philippe Telmon, warden. From the Deslioures Car Park, at the end of the trail that follows the Fournel stream, take the footpath to the right, which is an alternative itinerary to the GR54 trail (Tour of Oisans). After the first few bends, you will arrive at a plateau from which a trail through the shale leads to La Balme pastoral hut. Follow this trail to the Clausis stream and enter the National Park. Then continue until you reach the Grande Cabane, which is situated above the Fournel glacial cross-cliff. - From here, the footpath continues up into the valley alongside beautiful wetlands, crossing scree and shale before reaching the pass. - Three possibilities for the return trip: back the way you came, via the Pré de la Chaumette to get to the Champsaur or by l’Aup Martin pass in order to reach Vallouise.

Difficulty

Official rating: difficult, by Parc national des Écrins.

Before you go

• The car park is a stone's throw away from the Deslioures ecological reserve, which is the largest European site for the Queen of the Alps. This is a protected plant and it is strictly forbidden to pick it. It blossoms from July to August.

Getting there

Start: Parking des Deslioures, la Salce, l'Argentière-la-Bessée, L'Argentière-la-Bessée (05).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/938029-Le-Pas-de-la-Cavale). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 1,220 m, Parc national des Écrins