Le Piolit via the Col de Chorges

Description

A sporty hike that takes in the colourful mountain pastures leading up to le Piolit. Le Piolit, the region's iconic peak, rewards the effort, with its steep gradients. This little-frequented route offers a wide variety of flowers to brighten up the climb. This bucolic atmosphere is succeeded by a rockier landscape which marks the end of the hard stretch and gradually reveals a more distant horizon from which the first 3000m of the Ecrins to the north and the lake of Serre-Ponçon to the south emerge. - First follow the track via the yellow markings, then leave the track for a small path on the right. Once back on the track, immediately take a small path opposite. Follow this path to the track and cross it to take the path opposite. Turn left after 30 m towards the Col de Chorges. Turn left and pass a farm once you are in the mountain pastures. Turn right at a new detached house, then right again onto the track. - At a new car park, go through a gate via the pedestrian gantry then follow the track again towards the Col de Chorges. Continue straight on at the following intersection. Then take a small path on the left that leads around a cow pasture. Go through a cow gate (making sure you close it) and take the path on the left. - Ford a stream then turn right onto a small grassy path shortly afterwards. Continue straight on at the next intersection. Keep an eye out for the yellow markers in the mountain pastures. Turn right into the hollow of a small valley, then continue on a track that disappears under the grass 200m higher up. - Then go along a ravine. Climb up along a scree slope where you may find a stream, then turn right away from it (yellow markers and cairns). Follow the cairns in the pastures and then cross a new scree slope. A series of scree slopes then a final difficult ramp leads to the Col de Chorges. - Turn left to climb Le Piolit. There is only one track but the final part is very steep and more uneven.

Difficulty

Official rating: difficult, 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/991049-Le-Piolit-par-le-col-de-Chorges). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
• Official elevation gain: 1,004 m, Parc national des Écrins