Muz'Alpe in Vénéon : 3 days hike

Isère ()

Chantal DURDAN

Description

3-day loop, departure and arrival at the Gauchoirs car park.
1st day: 7 km 500
Elevation gain: 1689 m
Vertical drop: -416 m
Average running time: 5h
Accommodation: Muzelle refuge
Leave your car in the Gauchoirs car park (altitude 842 m) and take the path towards Lac du Lauvitel.
On the left of the lake, take the path towards Col du Vallon (altitude 2531 m).
From the Col du Vallon, descent to the Muzelle refuge (altitude 2115 m).
2nd day: 12 km 500
Elevation gain: 1067 m
Vertical drop: -1181 m
Average running time: 5h
Accommodation: Alpe du Pin refuge
From the Muzelle refuge, descend by the normal route to the hamlet of Alleau in the town of Venosc (altitude 934 m).
At the Alleau bridge, turn left on the path towards Plan du Lac below the D530 road. After 900 m of trail, exit on the D530 road and follow it to the Plan du Lac dam (altitude 1185 m / elevation gain 251 m).
Before the bridge over the dam, take the path on the left bank of the Vénéon torrent which will lead you to the hamlet of Lanchatra (altitude 1430m / elevation gain 245m).
On leaving the hamlet, follow the path for about 800 m and on the left take the fork which leads to a small footbridge over the Lanchatra torrent and pass to the right bank of the torrent.
Follow the path to descend to Plan du Lac then and follow the left bank of the Vénéon to go up to the Pont des Granges. Then follow the path towards the Alpe du Pin refuge (altitude 1805 m / elevation gain 571 m).
The Alpe du Pin trail climbs along the Froide Pisse waterfall.
3rd day: 20 km
Elevation gain: 667 m
Vertical drop: -1630 m
Average running time: 6 h
From the Alpe du Pin refuge, set off for the Vallon de la Mariande, a very wild valley (altitude 2064 m / elevation gain 259 m).
Descend to the hamlet of Clôt (altitude 1383 m / drop 681 m), then go up to the hamlet of Champhorent (altitude 1584 m / drop 201 m).
Cross the route de la Bérarde D530 and go up to the hamlet of Champébran (altitude 1670 m / elevation gain 86 m).
While following the path, descend to the hamlet of Pré-Clot (altitude 1557 m / negative elevation 113 m) and continue to the town of Saint Christophe en Oisans (altitude 1462 m / negative elevation 95 m) following the path at above the D530.
From there, go up to the hamlet of Puy (altitude 1583 m / elevation gain 121 m).
While following the path, descend to the Plan du Lac dam. Be careful to go down to Plan du Lac and not to continue on Les Deux Alpes).
At the dam, follow the D 530 to find the path that goes down to the Alleau.
From Alleau, follow the track between the Vénéon torrent and the D530 to return to Les Gauchoirs (negative elevation 741 m).