Le GR® 54 – Tour de l'Oisans et des Écrins
The GR® 54 is a 10 to 15 day roaming adventure for the most seasoned. The more reasonable will cut it into "portions" to enjoy with relish over a week or during weekend getaways.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
Departure: Bourg-d'Oisans, possibility of parking at the Vénéon car park (by informing the Tourist Office) see GPS coordinates
Elevation: 12 m
Round trip duration: between 9 and 14 days
Return distance: 190 km
Level: very difficult
MAP AND TOPO
Topo guide Tour of Oisans and Ecrins – GR® 54 (ref 508)
Discover the GR® 54 – Tour de l'Oisans et des Écrins, in the heart of the Écrins National Park. This must-see mountain hike connects you with some of the most iconic mountaineering destinations where pioneers wrote some of the most authentic stories of Alpine conquest. La Meije – 3983 m, the Barre des Écrins – 4102 m, these names make you dream and their sight, travel!
This mountain GR® is accessible to those who are initiated and fans of long-distance hiking. The “54” links together sustained stages, spiced up with technical passages. From alpine valleys to majestic passes, the route winds through a preserved setting marked by high mountains.
During the winter of 1962-1963, a few friends organized themselves with the means at hand to define a route on a map and then a practicable itinerary: contacting acquaintances in the different valleys, looking for a place to sleep at each stage (mountain refuge, “grand-dortoir”…).
In the spring of 1964, the route was officially approved under the title "GR® 54". At that time, some passes, such as that of Aup Martin, had not been used for several decades. The first hikers felt like real pioneers! In reality, they were using very old paths that allowed the inhabitants of the neighboring valleys to communicate with each other, on foot, possibly with pack animals and as short as possible via the passes.
At the time, there was already talk of creating an Écrins national park... It would see the light of day 10 years later, but it already had a framework of trails to allow the discovery of the prestigious valleys and peaks of the massif.
A journey with multiple possibilities
The GR® 54 is part of the trilogy of long-distance hiking trails in the French Alps (with Mont Blanc and Vanoise). But it is undoubtedly the wildest of all, and the most difficult: 184 kilometers to cover, 14 passes and more than 12 meters of elevation gain.
A journey through alpine hamlets, deep valleys and high alpine passes, under the eyes of discreet but very present emblematic fauna.
THE 13 STAGES of the GR:
1. From Bourg-d'Oisans to Clavans le Bas
2. From Clavans le Bas to Mouterres
3. From Mouterres to Alpe de Villar d'Arène
4. From Alpe de Villar d'Arène to Monêtier-les-Bains
5. From Monêtier-les-Bains to Vallouise via the Eychauda pass
6. From Vallouise to Pré de la Chaumette via the Aup Martin pass
7. From Pré de la Chaumette to Lake Vallonpierre
8. From Lake Vallonpierre to La Chapelle in Valgaudemar
9. From La Chapelle in Valgaudemar to Souffles
10. Breaths of the Desert in Valjouffrey
11. From the Desert in Valjouffrey to Valsenestre via the Côte Belle pass
12. From Valsenestre to Lake Muzelle
13. From Lake Muzelle to Bourg-d'Oisans via the Col du Vallon
Departure: Bourg-d'Oisans, possibility of parking at the Vénéon car park (by informing the Tourist Office) see GPS coordinates
Elevation: 12 m
Round trip duration: between 9 and 14 days
Return distance: 190 km
Level: very difficult
MAP AND TOPO
Topo guide Tour of Oisans and Ecrins – GR® 54 (ref 508)
Discover the GR® 54 – Tour de l'Oisans et des Écrins, in the heart of the Écrins National Park. This must-see mountain hike connects you with some of the most iconic mountaineering destinations where pioneers wrote some of the most authentic stories of Alpine conquest. La Meije – 3983 m, the Barre des Écrins – 4102 m, these names make you dream and their sight, travel!
This mountain GR® is accessible to those who are initiated and fans of long-distance hiking. The “54” links together sustained stages, spiced up with technical passages. From alpine valleys to majestic passes, the route winds through a preserved setting marked by high mountains.
During the winter of 1962-1963, a few friends organized themselves with the means at hand to define a route on a map and then a practicable itinerary: contacting acquaintances in the different valleys, looking for a place to sleep at each stage (mountain refuge, “grand-dortoir”…).
In the spring of 1964, the route was officially approved under the title "GR® 54". At that time, some passes, such as that of Aup Martin, had not been used for several decades. The first hikers felt like real pioneers! In reality, they were using very old paths that allowed the inhabitants of the neighboring valleys to communicate with each other, on foot, possibly with pack animals and as short as possible via the passes.
At the time, there was already talk of creating an Écrins national park... It would see the light of day 10 years later, but it already had a framework of trails to allow the discovery of the prestigious valleys and peaks of the massif.
A journey with multiple possibilities
The GR® 54 is part of the trilogy of long-distance hiking trails in the French Alps (with Mont Blanc and Vanoise). But it is undoubtedly the wildest of all, and the most difficult: 184 kilometers to cover, 14 passes and more than 12 meters of elevation gain.
A journey through alpine hamlets, deep valleys and high alpine passes, under the eyes of discreet but very present emblematic fauna.
THE 13 STAGES of the GR:
1. From Bourg-d'Oisans to Clavans le Bas
2. From Clavans le Bas to Mouterres
3. From Mouterres to Alpe de Villar d'Arène
4. From Alpe de Villar d'Arène to Monêtier-les-Bains
5. From Monêtier-les-Bains to Vallouise via the Eychauda pass
6. From Vallouise to Pré de la Chaumette via the Aup Martin pass
7. From Pré de la Chaumette to Lake Vallonpierre
8. From Lake Vallonpierre to La Chapelle in Valgaudemar
9. From La Chapelle in Valgaudemar to Souffles
10. Breaths of the Desert in Valjouffrey
11. From the Desert in Valjouffrey to Valsenestre via the Côte Belle pass
12. From Valsenestre to Lake Muzelle
13. From Lake Muzelle to Bourg-d'Oisans via the Col du Vallon
