East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93

7 steps

1. East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 1

   • 7h
   • 20,8km
   • +525m

2. East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 2

   • 7h
   • 17,3km
   • +1330m
3. Omblèze

   East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 3

   • 7h
   • 19,4km
   • +899m
4. Vassieux-en-Vercors

   East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 4

   • 5h30
   • 15,5km
   • +917m
5. Gresse-en-Vercors

   East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 5

   • 5h30
   • 16,2km
   • +674m
6. Treschenu-Creyers

   East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 6

   • 7h
   • 18km
   • +1186m
7. Glandage

   East-West crossing of the Vercors on the GR®93 - Stage 7

   • 2h30
   • 7,9km
   • +321m

14 points of interest

• Abbey of Léoncel

  It was under the abbey of Jean de Bonnevaux that Léoncel was created on August 23, 1137, with the arrival of 12 monks. The community was erected as an abbey, and its church was consecrated in 1188 by Robert de la Tour du Pin Archbishop of Vienna, the Pope's legate, the bishops of Die and Valencia. In keeping with the peculiar rules of simplicity, this Cistercian edifice of pure Romanesque style is in perfect harmony with the rigor of the landscape. The abbey church has been listed as a Historic Monument since 1854.
• Col de la Bataille

  Several hypotheses exist as to the origin of the name of the Col de la Bataille. It could be that the name comes from the conflict between the monks of Leoncel and the monks of the other slope for the supremacy of the breeding Ovin. Another hypothesis evokes the confrontation between the winds of the North and the winds of the South.
• The deer

  The forest of Ambel is particularly appreciated by the Cerf. This large deer can weigh up to 250 kilos, comes to breed in the forest of Ambel. From mid-September to mid-October, this is the rutting period, so you can hear the stag's slab. However, this important period for the stag requires a certain tranquility, stay on the paths and be silent, respect the instructions of the information panels.
• Plateau of Font d'Urle

  Property for a small part of the commune of Vassieux en Vercors, for the most part the department of Drôme since 1954, the departmental domain of Font d'Urle is a sensitive natural space. Its vocation is the protection of nature and the reception of the public. Some rules of common sense make it possible to protect this space as well as to cohabit in good understanding with the shepherds and their flocks. Picking flowers that are particularly spectacular in May and June is prohibited. Dogs, even on a leash, are prohibited during the summer season (May to October). In the middle of the mountain pastures, there are herds of horses in semi-freedom. In this vast steppe of altitude, stretch of grass and rocks "with for all border the sky" (Joseph Kessel), one would think oneself in Mongolia.
• The Chironne mountain pasture

  It is an enclave of the commune of Chamaloc located at the foot of the road of the pass of Rousset on the plateau of Vercors. Pastoral tradition of the south of France, the transhumance of the sheep is registered in the agricultural practices for more than 1000 years. Each commune of piedmont has always sought to have alpine pastures on the surrounding mountains. A pastoral grouping, allows several breeders of the villages below, associated with colleagues of Alpes de Haute Provence, to finance a shepherd and the equipment necessary to the sheep of a herd of sheep: access track, catchment of sources , Water reservoir and sheepfold. Attention, we are in a wolf zone. The herds are protected by Patou dogs. If you cross sheep, make a wide detour. Keep your dog on a leash!
• Ancient Roman road

  A superb mule track (ancient Roman road), carved in the middle of a cliff, allowed the convoys of mules and the flocks to climb from the Diois, to reach the Chironne meadow and then, via the eponymous pass, to Vercors. This development, which required many years of work and many years of work, shows the men's perseverance in providing access to the valuable resources of mountain pastures.
• In balance between 2 climates

  On the South Corniche of the Vercors, you progress on a line of climate change. In the slopes to your right, descending towards the valley of the Drôme, one finds holm oaks, one of the emblematic trees of the garrigue, vegetation of the Mediterranean climates. If you hike in July, you will probably notice purple squares among the fields below. These are the most northern lavender of France. The perspective opens up the valley of the Drôme. The big rock in front of you, the Glandasse, forms the southernmost point of the Vercors Hautes Plateaux Nature Reserve and marks the extreme advance of the Northern Alps. The massifs which close the horizon to the south make with the Baronnies on the left bank of the Drôme and Mediterranean climate obligatory, part of the Pre-Alps of the South.
• At the crossroads of several important trails, the Cabin de Pre Peyret is one of the most frequented of the massif. Located at the entrance of the high plateaus at 1600 m, this unguarded stone hut can accommodate 10 people for the night. It has a stove.The place exudes an old tradition of welcome because it is an old cabaret where those who were penniless went to drink at the Fountain of the Endettés, which bears his name well.
• The Vulture Ball

  At the dawn of the 2000s, the Regional Natural Park of Vercors participated in an operation to reintroduce vultures fawn on the scale of the Pre-Alps. These birds had disappeared from our mountains in the 19th century. By relying on the population of the Grands Causses, the idea was to exchange (birds, and therefore genes) with the Pyrenean populations. A vast population occupies a space that goes from the Spanish Pyrenees to the Vercors, which the birds traverse freely (the observation of the banded birds proves it to us). The Col de Rousset and the circus of Archiane are two sites of rest and nesting for these great gliders (almost 3m of wingspan). They use the ascending currents along the cliffs to transit from one to the other. A large shadow on the ground, raise your head, a vulture passes over you ...
• The Nature reserve of the Hauts-Plateaux of Vercors

  Unique by its size of 17,000 hectares, the Réserve des Hauts-Plateaux extends over 10% of the territory of the Regional Natural Park of Vercors. Today it is the largest terrestrial reserve in metropolitan France. Between 1050 m and 2341 m of altitude (with the Grand Veymont in climax), it undergoes very contrasted climatic influences, at the hinge between the northern and southern pre-Alps. The strong seasonal human presence has shaped it since prehistoric times. Pastoralism has been practiced there for over a thousand years.Now marked by an alternation of mountain pastures and forests, the Reserve has the largest forest of hooked pines in the limestone Alps and a rich flora of 738 species. Animal life is discreet but abundant.
• The reintroduction of Vultures

  Discover the story of a reintroduction, the stages, the social value of the Vulture, the conditions to "apply" as a home site, the working method. A long-running adventure that is now managed in a network throughout Europe.
• The circus of Archiane

  The impressive limestone cliffs of the circus of Archiane dominate the hamlet of the same name of more than 1000 m. More than 100 million years ago, we were here under an ocean, this one deposited the sediments that now form the plateau of the Vercors. Then, the uprising of the Alps, as well as erosion gave its current form to the site. It is a place where the fauna (Bouquetin, Chamois, Gypaète Barbu, Griffon Vulture ...) and the flora are rich there. Outdoor activities are also very present with hiking and climbing.
• Pasture of the Jocou

  Every summer the slopes of the Jocou welcome sheep flocks in summer (some cattle on the lower part). The herds maintain these vast alpine pastures, which give a bucolic framework to this hike. Without the maintenance of the alpine pastures, the forest would gradually gain ground.
• The Griffon Vulture

  Perhaps you will have the chance to observe the griffon vultures. Reintroduced in the Vercors in 1999, this scavenger can weigh more than 10 kilos and have a wingspan of up to 2m80. The vultures search for carrion, often where the flocks are found.