1. From La Grave to L'Alpe de Villar d'Arène (start of the GR54)

Fauna

Hut

Lake and glacier

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Starting at La Grave, the mountaineering Mecca of the Oisans, discover the Alpine pastures of L'Alpes de Villar d'Arène in immediate proximity to La Romanche.

This stage of the GR®54 is certainly the most striking. All the way along the Stage, La Meije dominates the route which gradually leaves the villages of La Grave and Villar d'Arêne behind to get lost in alpine pastures - a paradise for marmots - at the foot of La Grande Ruine and the peak of Les Agneaux. An idyllic backdrop and welcoming refuges where you can spend the night.

Description

From the cablecar car park, take the D1091 which runs through the village of La Grave. After the post office, the road splits. Take the right-hand fork which will cross the La Romanche river a little further on. Just after the bridge, take the path on the left and then, where two paths intersect, take the right-hand path. Behind the Chalet des Vernois, the path runs uphill following the stream and then crosses it. Then, head back down through the Bois de la Chal d'Outre as far as the bridge opposite the Villa d'Arne (1,650 m). Do not cross it, but stay on the path running along the left bank of the La Romanche river as far as the Pont des Brebis (1,662 m). Cross the bridge and follow the road on the right as far as the gite. Cross over the Pont d'Arsine (1,667 m), continue as far as the summer car park and take the path on the left-hand side of the lake. The valley narrows and, after the Le Colombié stream, the path rises towards the Alpine pastures. Leaving the Les Crevasses path to the left (which runs down from the Le Lautaret pass), go past a weather station and follow the right-hand path to the refuges of L'Alpe de Villar d'Arène and Chamoissière.

Departure : La Grave
Arrival : Alpe de Villar d’Arène, Villar d’Arène
Towns crossed : La Grave and Villar-d'Arêne

3 points of interest

A Villar d'Arène: le four chauffé 15 h est à point, on enfourne - Jean-Pierre Nicolet - PNE
Know-how
Villar d’Arène communal oven
Pies, raviolis and crozet pasta are some of the main culinary specialities in Villar d'Arène, but above all it is the famous Pô Buli (“boiled bread”) that has made the village’s reputation. Once a year, in November, the village inhabitants make this bread using an ancestral recipe. For over 500 years, it has been kneaded with rye flour and boiling water, and then baked in the communal oven in the centre of the village, near the Penitents’ chapel.
Vallée de la Romanche, Charles Bertier - © Musée de Grenoble
History
Romanche valley, Charles Bertier
The Romanche was a source of inspiration for many mountain artists and it have been painted repeatedly. Charles Bertier (1860-1924) was inspired to paint Vallée de la Romanche au Pied-du-Col and Les Fréaux près de la Grave, two oil paintings that were painted in 1894. The artist from Grenoble learnt to paint landscapes with Jean Achard, and mountains with the abbot Guétal and did not hesitate to set up his easel on the high summits of the Dauphiné Alps. More to the point, his mission was to make his contemporaries 'understand the mountains'!
Marmotte au printemps - PNE - Papet Rodolphe
Fauna
The marmots’ "bosse"
The alpine marmot is naturally present on grass at altitude. Here, it occupies a singular place which we call the marmots’ "bosse». This hibernating rodent is only visible between April and October. The marmot lives in a family and respects a hierarchy. Games, grooming, fighting and biting ensure the dominance of a couple as well as the cohesion of the group. Each animal participates in the delimitation of the territory by rubbing its cheeks on rocks and also by urinating and defecating there. When there is danger, the marmot emits a high and powerful whistle in order to warn the others.

Altimetric profile

Sensitive areas

Along your trek, you will go through sensitive areas related to the presence of a specific species or environment. In these areas, an appropriate behaviour allows to contribute to their preservation. For detailed information, specific forms are accessible for each area.