Key facts

Distance: 12.9 km
Ascent: +279 m
Descent: −178 m
Estimated time: 3 hr 15; hiking
Difficulty: Moderate; official rating
Route: Out and back; same way back

Profile and gradient

under 10%
10 to 20%
over 20%

Surface and path types

Surface: Paved 1%
Dirt & gravel 98%
Unknown 1%
Path types: Trail 98%
Road 1%
Off-network 1%

Description

A trail that will delight fans of wide open spaces, pastoral farming and thrills on the schist paths of Les Crevasses. Famous for regularly featuring in the Tour de France, the Col du Lautaret is also the starting point for some of the best hiking trails. The crossing to Alpe de Villar d'Arène along the vertiginous path of Les Crevasses is a very pleasant one in dry weather. The landscapes are wide-open and impressive, and deeply marked by the high summits, by pastoral farming and agricultural terraces that were honed out of the slopes around the villages of La Grave and Villar d'Arène. From the car park below the Col du Lautaret, head upwards and you will soon arrive at a crossroads. Take the right-hand fork and leave the Laurichard path. Cross a footbridge and make your way up the hillside. The path crosses several streams and areas of bushes leading to a more open space where it arrives at the Belvedere de L'Homme. Soon after, go through (and then close) a barrier before going down the sometimes uneven schist slopes of a path called Les Crevasses, with some care to be taken in wet weather on slippery terrain. You arrive at the Villar d'Arène mountain pasture and cross the GR 54 near the weather station. Soon afterwards, leave the GR 54 and make a right before continuing straight ahead as far as the Alpe de Villar-d’Arêne refuge. Go back the same way as far as the Col du Lautaret.

Difficulty

Official rating: moderate, by Parc national des Écrins.

Before you go

The way to the Crevasses path is across uneven schist slopes. Care needs to be taken in this slippery terrain, especially in wet weather.

Getting there

Start: Col du Lautaret, Villar-d'Arêne (05).

Sources

Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/921264-Du-Lautaret-a-l-Alpe-de-Villar-d-Arene-par-le-sentier-des-Crevasses). Time estimated by GPX Path with the Mac app rule, breaks not included.
Surface and path types: © OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL, extract of 28 October 2026, matched to the track every 10 m (openstreetmap.org/copyright)
Official elevation gain: 279 m, Parc national des Écrins

Crossing from Lautaret to Alpe de Villar