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Lac de Serre-Ponçon 5-day Mountain Bike Tour

Sport, Cycling sports, Mountain biking itinerary in Embrun
32.5 km
  • Almost 150 km of mountain bike trails hugging the shores of one of the gems of the Hautes-Alpes: Lac de Serre-Ponçon. An itinerary unique of its kind, punctuated by perfectly clearly waymarked and single-track trails, with easy-to-negotiate uphill stretch

  • From Embrun, the route rises rapidly into the dense forests of Boscodon. A halt at the Abbey is an opportunity to recharge your batteries mid-way up. A pretty descent down to Savines-le-Lac sets the tone for what is to come: this tour will be fun, technical at times and panoramic.
    From Savines, a straightforward ascent leads to the belvedere of Pierre Arnoux. A succession of balcony paths lead down to the perched village of Pontis. You gradually leave the coolness of the beech forest behind...
    From Embrun, the route rises rapidly into the dense forests of Boscodon. A halt at the Abbey is an opportunity to recharge your batteries mid-way up. A pretty descent down to Savines-le-Lac sets the tone for what is to come: this tour will be fun, technical at times and panoramic.
    From Savines, a straightforward ascent leads to the belvedere of Pierre Arnoux. A succession of balcony paths lead down to the perched village of Pontis. You gradually leave the coolness of the beech forest behind to enter a more open landscape of terraces, old hamlets and a dolmen, yet with the magnificence of the lake always within eyesight. The final stretch of this second stage takes an unused railway line along the Ubaye: don't forget to take lamps for the tunnels!
    The third stage is the least challenging but just as pretty, running through the plateaus and hills of Ubaye Serre-Ponçon and La Bréole. The trails leading to L'Escoubaye and its belvedere and the descent to the foot of the dam will take your breath away...
    From this imposing dam, a long ascent takes you to an important World War Two Resistance monument, the Croix des Prés, before reaching "Le Ruban". The view from here is undoubtedly the finest on the route. It follows numerous technical descents down to the shores of the lake. Proceed with caution!
    The final stretch from Chorges runs past a succession of bays and inlets, an ever-present temptation to take a swim, before heading uphill to Puy-Sanière. Brace yourself for the Descente des Tourniquets. This helter-skelter section is a must-ride for mountain bikers in the Embrunais area.

    Hard
  • Departure
    Embrun
  • Difference in height
    364.624 m
  • From Gap or Briançon, via the N94.
    Direct train lines : Paris/Briançon ou Marseille/Briançon
    TGV to Grenoble, Valence, Aix en Provence.
    Booking information and ticketing :
    https://www.oui.sncf/

    TER PACA (Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur) Chorges railway station or Embrun railway station.
    www.ter.sncf.com/paca
  • Documentation
    GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)
365 meters of difference in height
  • Maximum altitude : 1663 m
  • Minimum altitude : 757 m
  • Total positive elevation : 365 m
  • Total negative elevation : -848 m
  • Max positive elevation : 235 m
  • Min positive elevation : -686 m