Walking Holidays in the French Alps - Vaujany and Ski Peak

Vaujany with 300 days of sunshine per year is paradise for walking holidays in the French Alps. The famous walking route GR54 starts and finishes in Bourg d’Oisans below and passes through the hills and valleys only a few miles away, through the Ecrins National Park. Step out of your chalet door for some serious French Alps hiking and you are on one of the signposted and well maintained trails that lead up from the valley below, through the village and up high into the peaks above. Or stroll to the impressive cable car that departs every hour from the village centre and whisks you up to 2000m, 2800m and beyond - from here it’s like being on top of the world.

So much French Alps hiking for all levels

Our knowledgeable and themselves walking in the Alps enthusiastic staff can always advise you regarding different route choices, picnic spots and great challenges for all levels. To have an idea what is available have a look below. Space restricts us to only a taster...

Easy – Rambling along!

From Vaujany, your base for walking holidays in the French Alps, several easy and clearly signposted trails stretch out and head up through the meadows towards La Villette and beyond. There are also a number of forest walks up or down from the village, that provide shade, animal prints, streams for the kids to play in. A family favourite is always the challenge of traversing up from La Villette through the beautiful forest to reach the spectacular La Fare waterfall.

Further afield, take the cable car, then pop out at Alpette (2000m) with views to die for and stroll through the undulating countryside next to a stunning lake , complete with fishing, picnic spots and a dip for the brave (the water is freshly melted glacier). Thanks to the regular and fast cable car service the village runs in the summer, there is always the option of riding up and saving the legs for longer, beautiful strolls downhill back to the village. Great French Alps hiking.

Intermediate - ‘Amber rambler’

From Vaujany: Tackle the winding paths past La Villette up to the Col du Sabot and be rewarded with stunning views of Mont Blanc the dams below and the French Alps. Or climb up to the ‘Table d’Orientation’ high above Vaujany on the Rissiou Ridge - apart from incredible views you can supplement your picnic with forest strawberries, wild raspberries and myrtils galore.

Further afield: Board the cable car and ride as high as you like. At each stop (2000m and 2800m) numerous great day hikes are on the menu. This is French Alps hiking at its very best. Try the loop from 2800m down to 2000m via the Refuge de La Fare for an exciting half-day’s hike.

Vaujany is located just on the edge of the Ecrins National Park. We can recommend walks of various lengths and inclines to suit all levels. For instance a good outing for a family is to stay at probably the most accessible mountain hut in the Parc des Ecrins; The Lavey hut. This involves a 2 or 3 hour walk from the road up to the Hut which sits in a beautiful valley with spectacular views of the surrounding peaks. There are grassy meadows, banks of flowers, rushing water, pools, rocky buttresses and snowy summits! Fantastic! If you have never stayed at a mountain hut you’re in for a treat. Your hosts will provide you with dinner and breakfast and you will all bed down in a dormitory together (blankets provided).

Also, Cicerone produces a great guide book for walking in the park. In this book are several intermediate walks that combined with a less than one hour drive to the starting point can be tackled from Vaujany as a base in a day. The challenge is how many can you complete in one walking holiday in the French Alps?

Serious - ‘Ramb-O’

The list of French Alps hikes from Vaujany alpine mountain resort or in the surrounding mountains that are challenging and can be tackled in one day or with a stay in a mountain refuge is virtually endless. With a spectrum that stretches from the valley floor below at 1000m to Pic Blanc above at 3300m - you are going to find challenges, if that is your cup of tea. Guide books are available and the village Tourist Information supplies maps of routes and the locations of the mountain refuges.

For a long day’s walking in the French Alps, take the Vaujany cable car up to 2800m (both stages). At this height you are on rough rocky ground and a whisker away from the snow and ice beyond. Take the path alongside a string of lakes, down the Plan des Cavalles (a favourite bivouac spot), continuing via the Col de Couard, down to La Villette (that’s a descent of 1500m!). The first couple of hours are alongside a series of lakes, pools and streams, water abounds and then the path drops steeply down to La Villette from the Col de Couard.

Another wonderful walk locally starts and ends at Rivier d’Allemont which is just 15 minutes away by car (down from Vaujany to the bottom of the road and turn right towards the Col de Glandon). The path climbs steeply up to a high plateau where you will walk beside a series of lakes, Les Sept Laux. At the watershed you turn west over the Col de La Vache (2500m), across to the Pas de La Coche and thence back down to Riviere d’Allemont.

Further afield there are many walks in the Ecrins National Park that include a night in a mountain hut. We recommend both the Chatelleret Hut and the Pilatte Hut as worthy objectives in themselves with awesome scenery along the way. The approach to both these huts is from La Berarde, itself a rather special village completely cut off during the winter months but busy with climbers and walkers during the summer months. The Chatelleret is situated beneath the impressive south wall of La Meije and the Pilatte hut is beneath Les Bans.

For more information on mountaineering and via-ferrata please choose from the menu both ‘Other Activities’ and ‘Mountaineering’.

For a unique challenge - consider the famous GR54 Tour de L’Oisans, one of the most famous mountain walks in the French Alps. The route stretches 183km (115 miles) through the Ecrins National Park and is usually completed in 9-14 days.

Refuges - the secret of great French Alps hiking

France operates a quite outstanding system of mountain refuges: ecrins-parcnational.fr and montagne-virtuel.com These are a series of accommodation options available at high often remote locations that allow the mountain walkers the possibility of taking on longer walks with an overnight on the mountain and thus cutting down on the equipment needed. They vary from Alpine hostels, almost like hotels to little more than glorified cowsheds. They are usually staffed and catered and you can be sure of a warm welcome and the company of fellow hard-core hikers. A night in a refuge is an experience to treasure. Ski Peak and Vaujany are perfect partners for an unforgettable walking holiday in the French Alps.

So if you enjoy walking in the French Alps - just remember your boots. we’ll look after the sunshine, scenery and Kodak moments!