Hiking - Refuge de Plan du Lac atop the plateau
A wealth of beauty and sensations, a diversity of atmospheres and landscapes in a panorama spanning 360°, all at high altitude and accessible to all! An absolute must-see!
At the beginning of June at the Refuge de Plan du Lac, there are about twenty of us national park agents, still misty eyed. It is 3:30 in the morning, the night at the refuge was short. Today the ptarmigans are being counted. These birds are so discreet that to get an idea of their number, we count them by ear. We count the singing males and, of course, they sing at dawn! At 4:30, everyone is in place, it is - 5 ° C and it bites a little! The first characteristic raucous songs are heard. The count lasts barely more than an hour and then we can gaze upon the orange summit of the Dent Parrachée as it is caressed by the first rays of sun. Some roosters still sing or fly into their competitor’s territory. Soon all the domes of the Vanoise will be glowing red. Didier Malrat, Vanoise National Park ranger.
Leave from Bellecombe car park. Take the GR®5 in the direction of the “Refuge de Plan du Lac”. The first 300 metres of the walk provide access to the Plan du Lac plateau passing over a small gorge dug out by the lake’s outflowing stream. Ÿou immediately find yourself in the heart of the alpine grasslands inhabited by some domestic herds of sheep and cows grazing under the eyes of numerous marmots. On the right of the trail, the scree colonised by rhododendrons and dwarf junipers are refuge to the discrete rock ptarmigan. On the left, the hilly terrain of the plateau is home to several small lakes, including Plan du Lac, next to the trail. The view opens on to the south face of the Grande Casse (3,855 m in altitude), the highest peak of the Vanoise and of all the Vanoise glaciers. After a small pass, the trail descends towards the refuge. Variation: Take the paved pastoral road reserved for alpine farmers and professionals, easy for wheelchairs and pushchairs to move over. People with disabilities can access the refuge by car (reserved parking at the back of the refuge) by requesting in advance a traffic licence at the National Park’s office located at Termignon.
Variation: Caution on the pastoral road Traffic licence to be requested in advance for direct access to the refuge for people with disabilities.
At the beginning of June at the Refuge de Plan du Lac, there are about twenty of us national park agents, still misty eyed. It is 3:30 in the morning, the night at the refuge was short. Today the ptarmigans are being counted. These birds are so discreet that to get an idea of their number, we count them by ear. We count the singing males and, of course, they sing at dawn! At 4:30, everyone is in place, it is - 5 ° C and it bites a little! The first characteristic raucous songs are heard. The count lasts barely more than an hour and then we can gaze upon the orange summit of the Dent Parrachée as it is caressed by the first rays of sun. Some roosters still sing or fly into their competitor’s territory. Soon all the domes of the Vanoise will be glowing red. Didier Malrat, Vanoise National Park ranger.
Leave from Bellecombe car park. Take the GR®5 in the direction of the “Refuge de Plan du Lac”. The first 300 metres of the walk provide access to the Plan du Lac plateau passing over a small gorge dug out by the lake’s outflowing stream. Ÿou immediately find yourself in the heart of the alpine grasslands inhabited by some domestic herds of sheep and cows grazing under the eyes of numerous marmots. On the right of the trail, the scree colonised by rhododendrons and dwarf junipers are refuge to the discrete rock ptarmigan. On the left, the hilly terrain of the plateau is home to several small lakes, including Plan du Lac, next to the trail. The view opens on to the south face of the Grande Casse (3,855 m in altitude), the highest peak of the Vanoise and of all the Vanoise glaciers. After a small pass, the trail descends towards the refuge. Variation: Take the paved pastoral road reserved for alpine farmers and professionals, easy for wheelchairs and pushchairs to move over. People with disabilities can access the refuge by car (reserved parking at the back of the refuge) by requesting in advance a traffic licence at the National Park’s office located at Termignon.
Variation: Caution on the pastoral road Traffic licence to be requested in advance for direct access to the refuge for people with disabilities.