Vallon des Étages - hiking from Les Étages

A wild valley starting from the hamlet of Les Etages and ending in a glacial cirque.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION :
Start: Parking des Étages
Ascent: 450 m
Duration: 4 h
Distance: 10.4 km
Level :
Medium hike

MAP AND TOPO
IGN Top 25 map no. 3436 ET
Topo map OBP n°5 (Oisans au Bout des Pieds), trail 541

YOU'RE HIKING IN THE HEART OF THE ECRINS NATIONAL PARK
The Écrins massif is an exceptional area, open to all, with a rare natural, cultural and landscape heritage. To protect these treasures, the heart of the park is marked with blue-white-red painted flags, where regulations must be respected. Please take note of them when planning your hike to preserve this collective asset on the ecrins-parcnational.fr website.

ROUTE :
Park at the parking lot on the outskirts of the hamlet of Les Etages, the trail starts just before the parking lot in the middle of Les Etages, then descends to the bridge over the Vénéon torrent at the foot of the village. Turn left and continue towards "vallon des Étages rive droite". Cross the small bridge over the ruisseau du Vallon, and begin the heat-protected ascent through the forest to the glacial lock, where the wild and unspoilt Vallon des Étages opens up. In June, the diversity of the flora is a feast for the eyes, and the valley's abundant fauna promises some great encounters.
After the pastures, the ascent takes place in the middle of the moraine of the Pointe du Vallon glacier, following the quernes along the way.

On the way back, ford the Vallon des Etages stream and descend the left bank to Les Étages.

SIGHTS ALONG THE WAY :

• the tip of the Vallon des Étages
• The Soreiller valley and the Dibona river
• Le Rouget