Loop 54 - Les Pinées

History and architecture

Lake and glacier

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A mountain route with an escape along the banks of the Durance to discover the Vague du Rabioux

A mountain and forest ambience on the first part of the route, with cool, damp streams and the old steep road on the side of the Rabioux gorges. If you keep you eyes peeled you might even catch a glimpse of the Demoiselles Coiffées. The return journey, a jaunt along the banks of the Durance, is less difficult. A fairly difficult blue course.

6 points of interest

Geology and geography
Fairy chimneys
The Cheminées de Fée (fairy chimneys), also known as the demoiselles coiffées, are a reminder of the presence of ancient glaciers that long-since disappeared: these moraines, made up of sand, gravel and poorly cemented blocks of rock, were glacial deposits that eroded over time.
A block of hard rock protects the softer underlying conglomerate from erosion by run-off.
Fauna
Common cuckoo
This is a medium-sized migratory bird, identifiable by its «cuckoo» call heard between April and July in woods and open spaces.
The females seek out the nests of small passerine birds and when she finds a nest with eggs in it, she eats one of them and lays another in its place. In the parasitised nest, the cuckoo chick hatches first and ejects the other eggs from the nest so that it is raised, alone, by its adoptive parents
Water
Gramorel Canal
Present all the way along the trail, the purpose of this canal is to irrigate the valleys. It is essential for farmers for the maintenance of their fields. This system enables 64 hectares of land to be irrigated. It was dug in the eighteenth century and is 5.5 kilometres long. In 1827, following significant damage caused by landslides, regulations were introduced to ensure that the canals were maintained as a collective effort.
Geology and geography
The Herbonne plateau
This plateau is representative of glaciofluvial terraces. They form a tabular promontory, bounded by vertical walls formed in the cemented glaciofluvial materials, at the foot of which the Le Rabioux mountain stream flows on one side and the Durance on the other. This glacial rock is a typical formation of the Haute-Durance valley, similar to the Roc d'Embrun or that of Mont-Dauphine. Its formation dates back to one of the last ice ages (100,000 years ago). At that time, the Durance glacier occupied the entire valley. Today, on its sedimentary rock base, the Roc is covered by vegetation which is highly characteristic of steppe grasslands.
Fauna
Red kite
The red kite is a medium-sized bird of prey with a wingspan of up to 1.6 metres. In flight, the red kite can easily be recognised by its slender silhouette and its deeply forked tail. It has contrasting russet-brown and white plumage. Its diet is a relatively eclectic, made up of rodents, reptiles and invertebrates. It is also a willing scavenger. It is for this reason that red kites can sometimes be seen in large number near landfill sites, and often in the company of black kites.
Vernacular heritage
Chapel of St James
This small chapel stands on a rocky plateau overlooking the confluence of the rivers Durance and Rabioux. It was constructed with pebbles from the Durance and is roofed with stone slabs. « It must once have served as a waypoint for pilgrims from Italy making their way to Santiago de Compostella. They would take shelter here, pause for a while and gather their strength for the rest of their journey. Today, this chapel is no longer used for religious celebrations.» Monique MAYNé

Description

Just after Châteauroux-les-Alpes town hall, turn left up rue sainte-Irieneé (D663). At the cemetery, skirt it to the right and head up the road to the right towards the 'Les Pins' camp-site.
At Le Vazet take the hairpin road to the right, then the path straight ahead.
At the road turn right towards the waterfall (DFCI G84). At the Auberge de l'Épinay road, turn right towards the Charançons gîte, Muandes car park and the Pisse waterfall.
At the lookout, ascend to the left and then turn left a second time. /!\ At the hairpin bend, leave the track and take a path straight downhill. Ride along the canal and dismount in a few places.
Then leave the canal to ascend 200 m to the right at the level of the torrent des Échirolles (steep climb) then turn left twice following the GR. Stay on the main track, then turn left onto the road when you reach the first few houses. /!\ Slow down on the downhill road: leave it at the hairpin on a track to the right. At the road, turn left downhill and then right through the hamlet of Les Rozans. Choose the most well-signposted options downhill as far as the road.
At the D994H, ascend to the left, then after 300m descend to the right the road of Fontmoline in direction of the camp-site les Cariamas.
7200 m after the football pitch, descend to the roundabout on the right, take the 1st exit towards Briançon. After the bridge, turn right towards Les Baumes. After the railway bridge (Pont des Eygas), take the path on the left and stay on the road.
At the pisciculture des écrins, turn right onto the route de la vague. At 600m, take the stony track on the left until you reach the chapel of St Jacques, then descend on the right to join the road.
At the road descend to the left as far as the Vague du Rabioux and make a U-turn staying on the road
Returning to the fish farm, cross the railway line and then the bridge to reach the village, staying on the road.

Departure : Châteauroux les Alpes
Arrival : Châteauroux les Alpes
Towns crossed : Châteauroux-les-Alpes

Altimetric profile

Recommandations

Herd protection dogs

In mountain pastures, protection dogs are there to protect the herds from predators (wolves, etc.).

When I hike I adapt my behavior by going around the herd and pausing for the dog to identify me.

Find out more about the actions to adopt with the article "Protection dogs: a context and actions to adopt".
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Information desks

Place de l'église, 05380 Châteauroux-Les-Alpes

https://www.serreponcon-tourisme.com/chateauroux.les.alpes05@gmail.com 04 92 43 23 31

Transport

SNCF: Chorges station, Embrun https://www.sncf-connect.com/
Bus : Valserres, La Bâtie Neuve, Chorges, Puy Saint Eusèbe, Puy Sanières, Embrun Baratier, Les Orres, Remollon, Theus, Espinasse
Marseille-Briançon : (LER29)
Marseille, Nice : Lignes Express Régionales (LER) +33 (0)809 400 415
Grenoble : Transisère +33 (0)4 26 16 38 38
Gap-Barcelonnette (LER535)
Carpooling area : Rond point des Orres - 05200 Baratier
Plane:
Marseille Provence Airport (188km) - +33 (0)820 811 414
Grenoble Alpes Isère Airport (158km) - +33 (0)4 76 65 48 48
Lyon Saint Exupéry Airport - (203km) +33 (0)826 800 826
Turin Caselle Airport - (178km) + 39 011 567 63 73

Access and parking

From Grenoble, Lyon, Paris : RN 85 or RN 75. At Gap, take the RN 94 towards Briançon.
From Marseille, Montpellier A51 to La Saulce, continue towards Tallard (D942) and Briançon (RN 94).

Parking :

Parking de la Mairie, Châteauroux le Alpes