My trail circuit by: Robin Duvillard
A pleasant climb along a forest path, which becomes wilder over the kilometres. Here you will find everything the Vercors has to offer: meadows, cliffs, ridges, contrasting colours. A little corner of the mountains to discover without hesitation!
This circuit lets you immerse yourself in this little preserved valley, the Fauge, where the high rock faces contrast with the peaceful fields and undergrowth.
4 points of interest
The outcrops of flint of Plâtres
The flint of the Plâtres, like that of the rest of the region, has been sought by prehistoric men who used it to make their tools.The north of the Vercors is characterized by the abundance of the lodgings in the Quatre-Montagnes area, to which the outcrop of the Plâtres Senonian flint belongs.The search for the geographical origin of flints carved by men during Prehistory can make it possible to understand the circulation of human groups within the territories they frequented.Point of view of the Côtes
The panoramic view allows you to gaze at the landscape as sculpted by the glaciers.This landscape is marked by the presence of external lateral moraines forming parallel cords, originating from rocks torn off and transported by the glacier that occupied the valley of Fauge 20 000 years ago.Some erratic blocks, which are found in the center of the village of Villard-de-Lans, have been transported by this glacier and come from the ridge between Pas de l'Œille (1960 m) and Pré Achard .Roybon
Between the rocks of Ranc des Agnelons and the rock of the Cornafion (2,049 m), at the foot of the Vert pass, is the site of Roybon, frequented by the hunters of the Mesolithic towards 7,000 years before. J-C.More than 500 flakes, tools and armor of flint arrows were found near the creek. The raw material is essentially local. The presence of a quartz shard from the Alpine crystalline massifs shows the mobility of these human groups.Thus, the presence of water in Roybon certainly favored the stay of prehistoric men on the site during their ibex hunting expeditions.Athlete training
The Fauge valley is regularly used for training by Vercors athletes. "We often have long training sessions during the long, hot summer days, when biathletes do most of their annual training volume. The aim is not to look for performance but to get your body working for a long time at low intensity to develop your capillary network and multiply your mitochondria, etc... To combine these training days with shooting, I sometimes ask a coach to take my equipment to the shooting range in Corrençon, and meet him there after a training run". Marie Dorin-Habert
Description
The departure is from the Cochettes car park in Villard-de-Lans.
Km 3.75: advance along the Chaulange Combe below the Gobert path, view over the Val de Lans. Splendid, particularly with the sea of clouds on an Autumn morning.
Km 5.25: arrive at the Combe Chaulange 1 signpost on the Gobert path. Facing the Cornafion spur, panoramic view across the entire mountain chain, the alpine ski slopes and the High Plateaux of the Vercors in the background. A magnificent spot for a short break or a picnic!
Between kilometres 4 and 7, I like to take advantage of the Gobert path with its slightly downhill profile in this direction to stretch out after the steep climb to the Chaulange Combe - a real treat! (and yes, you can enjoy running...!)
Arrive at the Roybon cabin 2. The unmissable Villardian refuge, with the perfect location to spend a pleasant evening.
Km 7.2: view from the Roybon refuge with an impressive panorama over the North Vercors mountains. You can take a break... but I must keep running!
Km 8.4: arrive in the Fauge Valley, above the Bergerie (sheepfold) 3. It is sometimes a bit tricky to avoid getting your feet wet in the field in wet weather, but with a bit of experience you succeed...
Km 9.5: Another climb at the end of the Fauge Valley with a small, but pleasant, panorama before the ascent to the Lake of Les Près 4.
Km 10.4: end of the climb for today! Arrive at the artificial Les Près Lake. Take time out to look at the surprising view, before going back down.
Km 10.6: a final 360° panorama of the North Vercors before going back down towards civilisation and a snack?
Km 12: feeling good?
A short detour by the Collet des Clots, then the Abri de la Fauge 5 to take advantage of the Fauge Valley - often shady and cool - on the way down for a final pleasure!
Km 14: while we are here, why not leave the path to admire the Fauge waterfall 6 and cool down. Or hurry to finish the last kilometre and eat a crepe?
Km 15.8: at the famous Pont de l'Amour 7 you have nearly arrived, and the return to the Cochettes car park is close. Well done!
- Departure : Les Cochettes (car park) - Villard-de-Lans
- Arrival : Les Cochettes (car park) - Villard-de-Lans
- Towns crossed : Villard-de-Lans
Forecast
Altimetric profile
Sensitive areas
- Impacted practices:
- ,
- Sensitivity periods:
- JunJulAugSepOct
- Contact:
- Impacted practices:
- ,
- Sensitivity periods:
- JunJulAugSep
- Contact:
- Impacted practices:
- , ,
- Sensitivity periods:
- JunJulAugSep
- Contact:
Recommandations
The Champions Trails are specific training trails (difficult and technical) which do not always correspond to the signalled itineraries on the ground. The technical descriptions are not as precise as those for the other Vercors Rando circuits. Usual practice is to download the gpx trace in order to follow the itinerary.
Be careful in rain and fog as certain passages may be slippery and technical (particularly the Pas de l'Oeille crossing).
For obvious safety reasons, this itinerary can ONLY be followed in its entirety outside of the snow period!
Take advice about snow cover (sometimes late) at the start of the season.
You will cross summer pastures, and maybe meet herd protection and guard dogs.
Always ensure that you go a long way around the animals, calmly so that the dog can identify you. Don't caress or threaten them.
Keep dogs on leads!
Information desks
101 place Mure-Ravaud, 38250 Villard-de-Lans
More information
Report a problem or an error
If you have found an error on this page or if you have noticed any problems during your hike, please report them to us here: