Les mines de Challanches – Rando
This all-crossing hike opens onto a very beautiful panorama over the lower valley of Eau d'Olle and that of Bourg d'Oisans.
TECHNICAL INFORMATIONS :
Departure: parking lot in the hamlet of La Traverse (Allemond)
Elevation: 636 m
Duration: 2 hours there, 1 hour 35 minutes back
Distance: 2,9 km (one way)
Level: Medium (to be avoided with young children 2 ravine passages equipped with handrails)
MAP AND TOPO:
IGN TOP 25 map n°3335 EST
OBP map n°2 (Oisans au Bout des Pieds): trail 210
ITINERARY :
Reach the hamlet of La Traverse (6 km from the bottom of the village) by following the road above the church. Park on the bend after La Traverse.
Climb to the Chalanches hut:
Take the path opposite the car park which enters the woods to reach point 1259 and join the marked path.
Follow it north, and turn left, higher up, towards Les Chalanches (signs)
Continue along the Ferret path which opens towards the south, onto the Bourg d'Oisans depression.
Carefully cross two ravines (Drayre Grande and Drayre Creuse), the second of which is equipped with a handrail to compensate for its regular erosion.
The path continues along a balcony, then branches off sharply to the north and climbs fifty metres up to a large flat area where the Chalanches cabin (1806m) is nestled.
The view is open at this location, and allows you to enjoy a splendid panorama over the Bourg d'Oisans plain, the Écrins and Grandes Rousses massifs, but also over the austere north face of the peak of Cornillon.
You can go back down by the same route or by another path (210 bis on OBP map no. 2, 1h55 descent).
Descent and end of the Chalanches loop:
Take the marked path located to the left of the cabin (west) and follow it.
This descends due south on numerous short bends until reaching point 1297. It then branches off towards the East in order to make the long crossing of the south face of the Chalmettes mountain (Bois des Combettes) and reach the car park.
CULTURE :
The Challanches Mines, exploited under Louis XVI, provided a rare diversity of minerals.
These old silver mines, located at an altitude of nearly 2000 metres, were discovered by a young shepherdess in 1767. They were exploited for around thirty years in the 600th century. At the time, they were famous and produced up to XNUMX kg of silver per year. At their peak, they employed around a hundred workers, whose working conditions, given the altitude, were very difficult. The place is considered one of the most remarkable mineralogical sites in France, with around sixty species of minerals discovered on site, contributing to making Oisans a world-renowned centre for mineralogy.
Departure: parking lot in the hamlet of La Traverse (Allemond)
Elevation: 636 m
Duration: 2 hours there, 1 hour 35 minutes back
Distance: 2,9 km (one way)
Level: Medium (to be avoided with young children 2 ravine passages equipped with handrails)
MAP AND TOPO:
IGN TOP 25 map n°3335 EST
OBP map n°2 (Oisans au Bout des Pieds): trail 210
ITINERARY :
Reach the hamlet of La Traverse (6 km from the bottom of the village) by following the road above the church. Park on the bend after La Traverse.
Climb to the Chalanches hut:
Take the path opposite the car park which enters the woods to reach point 1259 and join the marked path.
Follow it north, and turn left, higher up, towards Les Chalanches (signs)
Continue along the Ferret path which opens towards the south, onto the Bourg d'Oisans depression.
Carefully cross two ravines (Drayre Grande and Drayre Creuse), the second of which is equipped with a handrail to compensate for its regular erosion.
The path continues along a balcony, then branches off sharply to the north and climbs fifty metres up to a large flat area where the Chalanches cabin (1806m) is nestled.
The view is open at this location, and allows you to enjoy a splendid panorama over the Bourg d'Oisans plain, the Écrins and Grandes Rousses massifs, but also over the austere north face of the peak of Cornillon.
You can go back down by the same route or by another path (210 bis on OBP map no. 2, 1h55 descent).
Descent and end of the Chalanches loop:
Take the marked path located to the left of the cabin (west) and follow it.
This descends due south on numerous short bends until reaching point 1297. It then branches off towards the East in order to make the long crossing of the south face of the Chalmettes mountain (Bois des Combettes) and reach the car park.
CULTURE :
The Challanches Mines, exploited under Louis XVI, provided a rare diversity of minerals.
These old silver mines, located at an altitude of nearly 2000 metres, were discovered by a young shepherdess in 1767. They were exploited for around thirty years in the 600th century. At the time, they were famous and produced up to XNUMX kg of silver per year. At their peak, they employed around a hundred workers, whose working conditions, given the altitude, were very difficult. The place is considered one of the most remarkable mineralogical sites in France, with around sixty species of minerals discovered on site, contributing to making Oisans a world-renowned centre for mineralogy.
