Pic de Chabriere (another alternative route)

The last of three route suggestions atop everybody's favourite alpine peak...

DISTANCE TO THE TOP: 9km
APPROXIMATE TIME TO THE TOP: 2hrs

START: Lac de Saint Apollinaire
FINISH: Lac de Saint Apollinaire

In two previous posts, I have suggested routes onto the Pic de Chabriere via the ridge to the south east of the peak, namely the Serre de Mouton. This walk offers a new route which does not ascend via this ridge and offers a pleasant alternative. 

Pic de Chabrières via the Serre de Mouton (alternative route)

Fancy an alternative route to the Pic de Chabrieres? Here's one...

TOTAL DISTANCE: 10.4km
APPROXIMATE TIME: 2hrs 30mins

START: Lac de Saint Apollinaire
FINISH: Lac de Saint Apollinaire


There are so many routes from the Lac de Saint-Apollinaire that it seems a waste not to show you the full array. This alternative route onto the Pic de Chabrieres, with the craggy Aiguilles beyond, goes some way to rectifying that. 

Begin once again at Lac de Saint Apollinaire, and again head up the steep dusty path found to the right hand side of the 'lake', indicated by the white and red horizontal signs. Continue up this track until you reach the wide, contour-traversing track which we briefly crossed over on day one.



View this route on a Larger Map

Once you reach this track, follow it round to the right, along the eastern edge of the hill. This is a nice, gentle walk through the pine forest, though open enough to see views of the northern mountains which border the Ecrins national park. In warm, sunny weather also look out for lizards, as they enjoy the dry ground that the forest floor offers.

Continue along the path and you will come to a small glade with log benches; this is an ideal resting point if you're still recovering from the initial slog up the hillside!

As you may have noticed, the track you are now following is indicated by orange and blue circles. This is important, as soon the route up onto the Serre de Mouton ("ridge of sheep"; see the Pic de Chabrieres route) leaves this track soon. Be sure to take the path up the hillside indicated by these circles.

Following this smaller, steeper path up the hillside you will soon come to a plateau and a messy junction of paths. Be sure not to ascend the hillside too early; wait until you have found the signpost (the one with the figure of the walker) which reveals the correct path.

Continue to ascend through the forest and the extent of the trees will begin to dissipate. When you come to the sign on the tree which shows an arrow downwards and an arrow to the right, go slightly beyond this tree and take the path up to the right.

The Pic de Chabrieres on the left, with the Aiguilles de Chabrieres behind it to the right

Soon you will be in familiar territory, as you will find yourself on the same open route I have previously suggested. Indeed, from here you can choose to ascend to the pinnacle of the Serre de Mouton or go further and onto the Pic de Chabrieres. I suggest using the route previously suggested as a quicker descent, offering if nothing else a circular route. Considering the lack of scope for such routes in the Alps, plus the lovely forest walking this offers, make sure not to miss out on this lovely walk.

Pic de Chabrières via the Serre de Mouton

A steep climb through woodland and ski resort-style open hillside, with great views to the south and east. 

TOTAL DISTANCE: 8.4km
APPROXIMATE TIME: 2hr 15mins

START: Lac de Saint Apollinaire
FINISH: Lac de Saint Apollinaire

If you are anywhere near the Lac de Serre-Poncon, you cannot help but notice the jagged points above its western edge. These are the Aiguilles de Chabrières, which sit proudly above the small village of Saint Apollinaire and its eponymous lac. This walk, whilst not taking you onto the craggy Aiguilles themselves, leads you onto the point in front of it, known as the Pic de  Chabrières. 

The Aiguilles de Chabrieres

The walk begins at the Lac de Saint Apollinaire. While calling it a lake is a slight exaggeration, this sheet of water is no doubt beautiful, and from here alone you have fantastic views of Pic de Morgon and the Queyras mountains.  I suggest parking outside the Campéole campsite, as there is usually a lot of space here, and then walking to the right hand side of the pond, heading towards the steep uphill track indicated by the white and red sign (see "Notes on signposting").

View this post's route on a Larger Map

From here, ascend up the path; this should take between 20 and 30 minutes, though due to the steep contours, perhaps allow for a little longer. The path snakes up through the pine forest; in summertime the paths are littered with pine-cones. 

At the top of this steep path you will hit a wider forest track which follows the contour of the hill. While in a couple of later posts we will be following this track round to the right, on this occasion follow  the track round to the left until, around the corner, appears another equally wide tributary track heading diagonally up the hillside. 

After following this track you will come to a small plateau or platform, on top of which nests a rather ramshackle hut or shelter. There is also a small water trough here; it should be fine to drink from though if there isn't a sign saying "l'eau portable" its probably best just to leave it alone! Take the signposted track to the left of this shack.

The following path through the remainder of the pine forest takes the form of lassettes, which is French for laces, basically meaning zigzags .

The nature of the path here therefore means that an otherwise steep trek up through the pine trees becomes a gentle walk, with the forest often giving way to open, sunny glades with yellow grass, wild flowers and a rainbow of butterflies making the ascent an ever-changing and interesting one.

This is without even mentioning the view, which appears occasionally as the tree cover decreases. Lac de Serre-Ponçon is ever-present, the deep blues contrasting with the greens and browns of the mountains above it.

The view gets even better once the forest is completely behind, and open, grassy fell side is all that is left until the top.

The ascent here becomes somewhat steeper without the lassettes of the forest to make the incline gentler, and on a hot day this ascent can prove quite tough indeed. However, this is of coursed counterweighted by the improving view, with Mont Guillaume and the start of the Provençal hills appearing to the north and south respectively.

Mont Guillaume from the seating area at the top of the Pic de Chabrieres

After a short climb, a peak of sorts is reached; the path intersects two small knolls. This is the summit of the Serre de Mounton (meaning "edge of sheep", which is strange because there doesn't appear to be any sheep for miles!) These two little hills have fantastic views: the southern knoll in particular has great views of the lac and the mountains towards the Mercantour  national park and the Italian border.

From here, a brief descent is followed by the final ascent of the day, the path veering off to the left at the bottom of the dip and towards the cliffs' edges along the mountain's southern edge. As a result, a different route is recommended, with the wide, flat track to the right followed by the steep ascent up the ski slope before joining the track at the top suggested.

This area between the Serre de Mouton and the Pic de Chabrières is also a great place to find marmots. For those of you who don't know, a marmot is a small beaver-like animal which is native to much of the Alps and the Pyrenees. They live in burrows and tend to reside in large alpine pastures or other high, upland areas. Indeed, in this small area between these two hilltops, we saw at least five different marmots. You have to know what you're looking for, though: many people walk a tremendous amount in the Alps but hardly ever see a marmot at all. 

An elusive marmot hides among the shrubs.

   Back to the walk. At the top of the last ascent, you will see a small hut used for skier's chairlifts. Ignore this, and instead follow the track up to two fenced areas: the first of these is a seating area (pictured above); the second is an observation table. This is the pinnacle of the Pic de Chabrières. On a clear day you can see Mont Seoline to the east (beyond Mont Morgon) and towards the Queyras regional park to the north east, with the flat-topped gable-like Brec de Chamberons indicating the Italian border. To the south, you may even be able to see Mont Ventoux in Provence. This whale-backed mountain, as the observation table confirms, is over 90km away.

Me in front of the Pic de Chabrieres, with the Aiguilles 

You can ascend onto the crags of the Aiguilles de Chabrières, though experience (and climbing gear) is recommended. Instead, either descend the way you came up (this is particularly enjoyable as the view remains in front of you) or use one of the routes I will describe in future posts as your descent. 

As mentioned, we will be returning to this mountain later on. Nonetheless, this route offers a beautiful and varied - yet quiet - walk with fantastic views and a great starter to any Alpine holiday.