Crossing the Vercors High Plateaus is a multi-day trek that everyone should do at least once in their lifetime.
This contemplative, varied itinerary in the heart of the wild Vercors and its nature reserve has something magical about it every time you venture there, regardless of the season. To add a more sporty and spectacular element to the hike, we decided to do only part of the GR91 trail, then pass via the iconic Grand Veymont, and finally the Vallon de Combeau at the end of the trek. A review of these 5 days of hiking from Corrençon to Trièves, covering approximately 55 km and 2,500 m of elevation gain, in ideal weather conditions for July.
Day 1 - Departure from Corrençon, 6km – 500m elevation gain
The full team at Corrençon © Cécile Thiaucourt
Around 2:30 PM, the time has come for departure from Corrençon at the golf course parking. A starting point that is very easy to reach by public transport from Grenoble (line T64/65 to Villard de Lans – many regular lines – then on-demand bus to Corrençon – line T67). I’m setting out with friends, most of whom have never seen the Vercors, and I can’t wait to show them this beautiful mountain range. Final check of our packs to make sure everything is there, and off we go! The packs are heavy because we’re hiking self-sufficiently for 5 days, so we need to carry all our food and a substantial water reserve (3 liters minimum recommended), as water and springs are rare in this mountain range. It’s quite hot for this first day, but part of the route is through forest, which is quite pleasant.
The first kilometers in Corrençon forest © Timothé Bourdilleau
We walk for about 2 hours and set up camp for the night. It’s still quite early, so we take the opportunity to leave our packs and make a round trip to the ridges toward Pas Ernadant.
View from Pas Ernadant © Timothé Bourdilleau
A beautiful surprise awaits us with a fine male ibex passing by just a few meters away.
Encounter with a male ibex © Timothé Bourdilleau
In the evening we test our first freeze-dried meals in a long series, an option chosen for its excellent weight-to-calorie ratio for meals on this adventure. And to our great surprise, the pasta with porcini mushrooms and cream turns out to be very good! Next comes a beautiful sunset for this first evening.
Sunset above Corrençon forest for this first night © Timothé Bourdilleau
Day 2 - Carette Cabin – Jasse du Play, 16km – 600m elevation gain
We rejoin the GR91 trail at Carette Cabin, at the entrance to the Vercors High Plateaus nature reserve. We follow a beautiful cool and shaded forest path before arriving at Darbounouse meadow, a vast open expanse in the middle of the forest that surprises at first sight. It will also be the ideal place for us to take a good lunch break.
Darbounouse meadow on the Vercors High Plateaus © Adrien Ozanon
Shortly after Darbounouse meadow, we decide to take a variant off the GR91 to reach Jasse du Play cabin, thus avoiding the climb up the Erges canyon in full sun. A beautiful forest variant where we encounter no one.
In the forest near the Jasse du Play © Timothé Bourdilleau
Great atmosphere in the group © Cécile Thiaucourt
Passing by the Jasse du Play shelter around 6 p.m., we’re surprised to see only 2 people, which is quite surprising during high season in the middle of July! Our evening camp spot will be located just after, at the Play spring.
At the Jasse du Play cabin © Timothé Bourdilleau
This is when we realize how precious and rare water is in the Vercors, as it takes us nearly 15 minutes to fill 1 liter of water! Fortunately for us, we are the only ones at the spring. But it will still take us nearly 3 hours to fill everyone’s water supplies (just under 3 liters each), and we can imagine it could quickly create a “bottleneck” if multiple groups of hikers come in succession to fill their water. While waiting to refill our water supplies, we settle in for the evening meal, continuing to test our freeze-dried meals.
Refilling water supplies and testing freeze-dried aligot! © Adrien Ozanon
But why is there so little water in the Vercors? Because it’s a karst-type massif, water “evaporates” into the rock and flows down to the valley, which is why you won’t find any lakes in the Vercors and almost no watercourses. Springs are therefore the only water sources available on the Vercors Plateaus. It’s important to be very careful to bring enough water with you (the 3 liters per person wasn’t too much!) and to check the condition of the springs before leaving to avoid the risk of running dry in the middle of your route, especially during this period marked by drought… The park also has a great tool on their website they make available to hikers to find out the condition of the springs, take advantage of it before planning your crossing of the Vercors Plateaus!
After this water “refilling” episode, we set up our evening camp just below the spring, where we enjoy the last reddish glows of the evening and the nearly full moon rising and illuminating our camp.
Evening glows © Timothé Bourdilleau
Bivouac spot near the Jasse du Play © Adrien Ozanon
D3 – Jasse du Play – Pas des Bachassons, via Grand Veymont, 11km – 800m+
After a good night’s sleep and breakfast in the sun, we’re off again for this beautiful stage. We pass by the Chau spring which only flows in a trickle, and we tell ourselves we were right to refill our water at the Play spring. Quickly, we spot Grand Veymont standing out clearly from the other peaks, and we can also make out a good part of the beautiful climb that awaits us! Although the crossing of the Vercors High Plateaus doesn’t officially pass this way, it would be a shame to miss out on the panorama that the highest peak of the Vercors has to offer at the top, especially with a clear blue sky like today! 700m of elevation gain awaits us to reach the summit, where trees quickly disappear to make way for stony terrain. Arriving at Pas de la Ville halfway through (1925m elevation), we take a short break and spot Gresse en Vercors on the other side below.
Climbing Grand Veymont © Timothé Bourdilleau
We then tackle the final fairly steep and sometimes a bit technical section through the rocks. It leads to a huge cairn, before gradually finishing the climb on a wide path well-worn by the many passages of hikers, which takes us to the summit along the ridge.
End of the ascent of Grand Veymont © Timothé Bourdilleau
Upon reaching the summit, the panorama is grandiose and remains one of (the?) most beautiful viewpoints in the Vercors.
Arrival at the top of Grand Veymont and view of Mont Aiguille © Timothé Bourdilleau
At 2341m, Grand Veymont allows you to observe the rest of the Vercors ridges and an unobstructed view of the other mythical peak of the Vercors, Mont Aiguille.
Panoramic view of the Vercors ridges from Grand Veymont © Timothé Bourdilleau
A female ibex even gives us the privilege of passing in front of us and taking a break to capture this moment with Mont Aiguille in the background.
A female ibex at the summit of Grand Veymont © Adrien Ozanon
After a good long lunch break, we start the descent towards Pas des Bachassons. We find ourselves at 5 after 2 friends turn off to go to Gresse en Vercors. A tough descent through rocky terrain but which quickly gives us a glimpse of Petit Veymont (2120m) right next to it.
Once in the plain below, we find grass and softer paths for our legs, before reaching Pas des Bachassons and its spring just after.
View of Grand Veymont and Petit Veymont from Pas des Bachassons © Timothé Bourdilleau
We have the privilege of observing a herd of 23 ibex right in front of us, and after refilling our water at the spring (which was flowing well), we set up our evening camp just nearby. Beautiful light comes to highlight Grand Veymont and Petit Veymont, which are visually linked by a beautiful aesthetic curve. It’s also an opportunity to test a new meal: freeze-dried dauphinois gratin! The taste is there but for the texture, we’ll pass!
(Re)discovery of French gastronomy with a beautiful view © Adrien Ozanon
Camping spot near Pas des Bachassons © Timothé Bourdilleau
Day 4: Pas des Bachassons – Pas de l’Essaure, 12km – 300m+
After a beautiful night under the stars, we set off again under glorious sunshine.
First rays of sunlight at Pas des Bachassons © Timothé Bourdilleau
We pass through the Queyrie plateau, known and characterized by its solitary and distinctive tree in the middle, a hook pine, the emblematic conifer species of the High plateaus. You will certainly also come across several marmots that particularly enjoy this place!
Queyrie plateau and its characteristic tree © Cécile Thiaucourt
Small group photo in the middle of a stone construction © Cécile Thiaucourt
We continue our path to Pas de l’Aiguille and the Chaumailloux sheepfold, known for its famous unobstructed view of Mont Aiguille. We take a well-deserved lunch break.
View of Pas de l’Aiguille and Chaumailloux shelter © Timothé Bourdilleau
After enjoying it thoroughly, we refill our water supplies at the spring (which flows rather well) before heading out for the last kilometres. After one final short climb, we pass by the Chamousset sheepfold before descending to Pas de l’Essaure. The landscape becomes very open and we can make out the mountains and high peaks of Dévoluy in the background.
Near Chamousset Sheepfold, descent towards Pas de l’Essaure © Timothé Bourdilleau
Arriving at Pas de l’Essaure, we find another superb spot to bivouac for this last night.
View of the Pas de l’Essaure plateau © Adrien Ozanon
Bivouac spot at Pas de l’Essaure © Adrien Ozanonende
While we are settled in, enjoying the moment and the evening, we even have the chance to observe a bearded vulture flying just above us, a rare and privileged moment for this species that was the subject of reintroduction in the massif in 2010.
Bearded vulture in flight © Wikimedia commons
And to finish the day, we then witness another phenomenon, solar this time, and in correlation with the almost supermoon of this 12 July: a paraselene! What is that? It is an image of the moon refracted in the clouds.
Moonrise at Pas de l’Essaure © Timothé Bourdilleau
Formation of a paraselene around the moon © Timothé Bourdilleau
Day 5: Pas de l’Essaure – Saint Maurice en Trièves, 14km – 350m+
We couldn’t end this trek without a sunrise. And for this last one, the occasion and the view were too beautiful to miss. So we get up around 5:20 AM to observe the orange hues of the sky above Chichilianne and next to Mont Aiguille, before settling down with a nice cup of tea and watching the sun rise in the distance above Dévoluy.
Sunrise at Pas de l’Essaure over Mont Aiguille © Timothé Bourdilleau
On to Vallon Combeau for these first kilometres of this last day, before leaving the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors nature reserve.
In front of the Vallon Combeau sign © Cécile Thiaucourt
We then enter the Diois region where we reach the Menée pass.
View of the Diois © Timothé Bourdilleau
Break at the Lauzette pass in the Diois © Timothé Bourdilleau
We then climb for our final pass of this hike, also an opportunity to pick some blueberries along the way!
Blueberry picking and observation of local wildlife © Adrien Ozanon
Next comes the final descent to Saint Maurice en Trièves, 800m of descent all the same, but interrupted by a few refreshing streams, something we hadn’t encountered since the start! Fortunately our packs are lighter too, our knees thank us. It’s worth noting that Saint Maurice is located at the edge of Trièves, it’s also possible to turn off at Col de Menée to reach Diois heading towards Chatillon. Arriving at Saint Maurice en Trièves, we’re back on the tarmac and in the crushing heat, which we hadn’t missed during these 5 days in a bubble. Bad luck for us, we arrived on a Wednesday, closing day for the 2 restaurants in the village, no cold beer to toast our arrival, so we’ll be under a shaded bus shelter instead… Check current transport options from Saint-Maurice-en-Trièves before setting out; services may be limited.
Final break under the bus shelter in Saint Maurice en Trieves © Cécile Thiaucourt
So this is the end of this wonderful long-distance hike across the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors, starting from Corrençon to reach Trièves, following the GR91 at first before turning towards Grand Veymont and continuing on other trails. A wonderful human adventure that we experienced collectively during these 5 days out of time on the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors. This crossing (or its variations) remains one of the most beautiful that I know. A varied and contemplative trek that allows you to soak up the wild and natural side of Vercors, away from any trace of civilization, except for the refuges and mountain huts.
End of this trek with a great team © Adrien Ozanon
Before attempting this crossing, consult current route maps, weather forecasts and the reserve regulations. For those looking for a more challenging version, you can of course do longer stages and/or combine some of them to set off for 3 or 4 days instead of 5.
Want to cross the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors yourself?
The crossing of the Hauts Plateaux du Vercors, whether undertaken independently or with a qualified guide, is a remarkable experience. It offers a deep disconnect, an authentic encounter with nature and the satisfaction of a human adventure. Since 1983, Grand Angle is your preferred partner for exploring these landscapes, offering itineraries suited to your wishes and your skill level.
Beyond this crossing, the Vercors offers many other routes. Travellers who prefer accommodation can explore the Trièves around Grand Veymont and Mont Aiguille. In winter, the landscape lends itself to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing when conditions allow. Check current access and weather before planning your route.
