4. East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 4

6 points of interest

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  The Vulture Ball

  At the beginning of the 2000s, the Regional Natural Park of Vercors participated in an operation to reintroduce vultures fawn on the scale of the Pre-Alps. These birds had disappeared from our mountains in the 19th century. A vast population now occupies a space that goes from the Spanish Pyrenees to the Vercors and that the birds run freely (the observation of the banded birds proves it to us). The Col de Rousset and the circus of Archiane are two sites of rest and nesting of these great gliders (almost 3m of wingspan). They use the ascending currents along the cliffs to transit from one to the other. A large shadow on the ground, raise your head, a vulture passes over you ...

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  The But de l'Aiglette 1524m

  The But de l'Aiglette with its 1524 m, is a promontory of the cliffs South of the Vercors. The 360 ° panorama is magnificent: from the Diois to the South to the plateau of Vercors in the North.

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  The Chironne mountain pasture

  It is an enclave of the commune of Chamaloc located at the foot of the road of the pass of Rousset on the plateau of Vercors. Pastoral tradition of the south of France, the transhumance of the sheep is registered in the agricultural practices for more than 1000 years. Each commune of piedmont has always sought to have alpine pastures on the surrounding mountains. A pastoral grouping, allows several breeders of the villages below, associated with colleagues of Alpes de Haute Provence, to finance a shepherd and the equipment necessary to the sheep of a herd of sheep: access track, catchment of sources , Water reservoir and sheepfold. Attention, we are in a wolf zone. The herds are protected by Patou dogs. If you cross sheep, make a wide detour. Keep your dog on a leash!

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  Ancient Roman road

  A superb mule track (ancient Roman road), carved in the middle of a cliff, allowed the convoys of mules and the flocks to climb from the Diois, to reach the Chironne meadow and then, via the eponymous pass, to Vercors. This development, which required many years of work and many years of work, shows the men's perseverance in providing access to the valuable resources of mountain pastures.

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  In balance between 2 climates

  On the South Corniche of the Vercors, you progress on a line of climate change. In the slopes to your right, descending towards the valley of the Drôme, one finds holm oaks, one of the emblematic trees of the garrigue, vegetation of the Mediterranean climates. If you hike in July, you will probably notice purple squares among the fields below. These are the most northern lavender of France. The perspective opens up the valley of the Drôme. The big rock in front of you, the Glandasse, forms the southernmost point of the Vercors Hautes Plateaux Nature Reserve and marks the extreme advance of the Northern Alps. The massifs which close the horizon to the south make with the Baronnies on the left bank of the Drôme and Mediterranean climate obligatory, part of the Pre-Alps of the South.

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  At the crossroads of several important trails, the Cabin de Pre Peyret is one of the most frequented of the massif. Located at the entrance of the high plateaus at 1600 m, this unguarded stone hut can accommodate 10 people for the night. It has a stove.The place exudes an old tradition of welcome because it is an old cabaret where those who were penniless went to drink at the Fountain of the Endettés, which bears his name well.