Le Piolit vertical kilometre

Description

A sporty route through the colourful mountain pastures leading to Le Piolit. Le Piolit, the region's iconic peak, rewards the effort, with its steep gradients. This very bucolic atmosphere is followed by a more mineral landscape which marks the end of the efforts and gradually reveals a more distant horizon from which emerge the first 3000m of the Ecrins to the north and the lake of Serre-Ponçon to the south. 1. First follow the track via the yellow markings, then leave the track for a small path on the right. Cross the track and stay on it until you reach the crossroads. Go straight ahead past the houses. Turn left towards a farm then continue uphill past a second house. 2. When you reach the track, keep right until you reach the end. Then take a path on the left that leads around a cow pasture. Turn left down the path. 3. Cross a stream and shortly after turn right onto a small path. Continue straight on at the next intersection. Turn right into the hollow of a valley and continue on a track that disappears under the grass 200m higher up. 4. Then go along a ravine. Then climb up along a scree (yellow stakes and cairns). Follow the cairns in the pastures and then cross a new scree slope. There is one scree slope after another as far as the Col de Chorges. 5. Turn left to reach the summit of Piolit, the final section is very steep and more rugged. 6. The return journey takes the same route.

Difficulty

Official rating: moderate, by Parc national des Écrins.

Getting there

Start: Hameau de Naune Raze, Chorges (05).

Sources

• Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/995596-Kilometre-vertical-du-Piolit). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 1,029 m, Parc national des Écrins