Tour du Vieux Chaillol

The Vieux Chaillol (3163 m) is an emblem of the Gap region and lies in the southern part of the Écrins National Park. This walk offers you a chance to explore the valleys that surround the Chaillol: the green Champsaur valley (that contains the River Drac), the extremely Alpine Valgaudemar, and the wild and unspoilt Champoléon valley. You will need five days to walk this Alpine circuit. The walk starts at the gîte des Marrons in Chaillol. The first stage follows a balcony above the wooded ‘bocage’ farmland of the Champsaur, before the Dévoluy. You now make your way up the Valgaudemar, the ‘Himalayan’ valley of the River Séveraisse, drawn to the peaks of the Écrins Massif. If you have one or two extra days, you can take two variant routes to the Pétarel lakes and the base of the Olan. The third stage reveals the area’s great peaks, including the Sirac, Les Rouies and Les Bans… A short stage takes you to the Vallonpierre and you can take a more Alpine variant route via the foot of the glaciers at Chabournéou. A great section awaits you on the fourth stage, as you cross three mountain passes beneath the Sirac. Near La Chaumette, by the Drac Noir (or Drac de Champoléon) River, you descend to Les Gondouins. If you have some mountaineering experience, there is a descent along the wild Isola valley that leads to Les Auberts. The final stage, along a balcony above the Drac Blanc and Drac Noir rivers in the Champsaur valley takes you back to Chaillol. A short climb at Les Richards leads to the Palastre belvedere and some outstanding views. You might also opt for the more Alpine variant route to the Col de la Vénasque. And the circuit has come full circle!
Take care: some variant routes are not suitable for people with no mountaineering experience and should only be walked once the snow has melted.

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