Tag Archives: Dauphiné Alps

Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, September

Tour of the Écrins Stages 11-12: Les Terrasses, La Grave, Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar d’Arène, and back to Le Monêtier-les-Bains

The final stages of our GR54 hike delivered some of the most memorable moments of the entire traverse. On Stage 11, we descended from Les Terrasses through La Grave and followed the Romanche river to Refuge de l’Alpe de Villar d’Arène. Further forays brought us deep into a glaciated valleys. Stage 12 climbed to Col d’Arsine and then followed Le Petit Tobuc — a milky blue stream — all the way down to Le Monêtier-les-Bains, where our trip began. A day in Grenoble rounded out the journey before returning to Lyon.

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Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, September

Tour of the Écrins Stages 8-10: Refuge de la Muzelle, Mizoën, and Les Terrasses

The northeastern portion of the GR54 loops around the Écrins massif through spectacular alpine terrain — past petrifying fountains and glacial lakes, over cols, and along milky blue streams fed by the glaciers above. These three stages cover the heart of that arc: the climb to Col de la Muzelle, a lesser-traveled variant bypassing Briançon and Les Deux Alpes, and a crossing of the Plateau d’Emparis with La Meije filling the horizon.

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Alps, France, Hut-to-hut walks, September

Tour of the Écrins Stages 4-7: Refuge du Pigeonnier, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, Refuge des Souffles, Valsenestre

We started our fourth through seventh days in the Écrins with a detour from the GR54 to get up close to some high peaks. After, we rejoined the GR54 and continued to the village of La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, up to Refuge des Souffles, and on to the village of Valsenestre.

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Alps, August, France, Hut-to-hut walks, September

Tour of the Écrins Stages 1-3: Vallouise, Refuge du Pré de la Chaumette, and Refuge Vallonpierre

Turquoise lakes, cascading waterfalls, and bearded vultures circling at eye level. The Écrins reveals itself valley by valley, col by col — and the first three stages set the tone. They took us from Le Monêtier-les-Bains to Vallouise, Refuge du Pré de la Chaumette, and Refuge de Vallonpierre.

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Alps, August, France, Hut-to-hut walks, September

Tour of the Écrins Overview & Planning

In August and September 2022, we visited the Écrins National Park, in the French Alps, for a 12-day hike, staying at refuges and in villages. We also enjoyed a few days in Lyon (an unexpected delight!) and a short stop in Grenoble.

In the years since, I’ve often described this trip as “the most fun I’ve had in the Alps and maybe the most fun I’ve had in the mountains.” We saw stunning, varied scenery, poked around interesting geology, and ate some amazing food.

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