Key facts

Distance: 3.8 km
Ascent: +136 m
Descent: −116 m
Estimated time: 1 hr 05; hiking
Difficulty: Very easy; 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 28%
Dirt & gravel 72%
Path types: Trail 4%
Track 64%
Road 32%

Description

This is not a legend... It is a slice of Prapic life a hundred years ago! Here, the houses in Prapic with their oversized barns and a bit further away the fields snatched from the mountains are witnesses to the hardships of life. Is it the will to live that has shaped exceptional characters and picturesque personalities? Here is an example at the end of this path... From the shady car park, go to Prapic on the 200 m of road closed to traffic. Cross the village square in front of the tourist information sign post, go up the paved road and turn left following the arrows. The path leaves Prapic between the agricultural buildings and follows through the fields. Continue going up by following the Blaisil torrent until the crossroads where the Pisses Lake path and the Poet’s Tomb path separate. Go up to the right in order to arrive, 150 m further along, at the foot of a large rock in the form of a sarcophagus at the foot of which notice boards tell the history of the site. Return using the same itinerary in the opposite direction.

Difficulty

Official rating: very easy, by Parc national des Écrins.

Before you go

In stormy weather, avoid the tomb: risk of falling stones.

Getting there

Start: Prapic, Orcières (05).

Sources

Track: Parc national des Écrins, Licence Ouverte 2.0, Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab) (destination.ecrins-parcnational.fr/trek/918678-Le-Tombeau-du-poete). 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: 136 m, Parc national des Écrins

The Poet’s tomb