Story:
A very satisfying hike on the eastern flank of the Chartreuse mountains - although with some enormous drops - so not one for those with rowdy kids or a fear of heights.
It starts from close to the little hamlet of Le Baume next to Saint Pancrasse, and proceeds through a number of quiet tracks to reach a very exposed panoramic viewpoint over the Grésivaudan valley below. This spot is called Chateau Nardent, although I’m not sure why - as I can’t imagine there ever was a Chateau here. I shot a quick bambuser video from Chateau Nardent on my phone (low quality).
Backtracking to the North, the path follows the eastern edge of the Gorge du Manival to reach a viewpoint at the base of Bec Charvet at the head of the gorge.
After this section I dropped down to Col du Coq which is accessible by road, and also one of the starting points for accessing La Dent du Crolles - so at this point the walk gets a lot busier.
From here I walked up to the twin peaks of Roc d’Arguille and Pravouta. Note that the south hillside of Pravouta and the Northwest hillside of the Roc d’Arguille are protection zones for the Black Grouse, and I believe are no-go areas (although I didn’t see any signs when I was up there).
From the top of Pravouta you can get a good view of one of the routes up La Dent du Crolles
Tips:
Take care at the Chateau Nardent viewpoint, and the walk up the ridge alongside the Gorge. There are several places where you could easily slip a very long way!
Take care at the Chateau Nardent viewpoint, and the walk up the ridge alongside the Gorge. There are several places where you could easily slip a very long way!
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