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Tour du Mont Thabor - Moderate
Duration: 5 days
Trails: T2 trails
Distance: 15 - 20 km / 9 - 12 mi per day
Ascent per day: 500 - 1000 m / 1640 - 3281 ft ascent per day
> Enjoy the French and Italian cuisine in cozy huts
> Hike our 5-day Tour du Mont Thabor itinerary that will give you a fantastic Alpine challenge
> Don't worry about booking the accommodations, we got that covered!
The Tour du Mont Thabor, the French Alps' best-kept secret. In Vallée de la Clarée you can find unspoiled Alpine scenery, away from the beaten track, the most hospitable gites and refuges, and to top it all off: The option for a family-friendly trek. Forget the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Walker's Haute Route, and the other big names. Around Mont Thabor you can enjoy quality mountain time without having to take too much time off and without breaking the bank. We wanted to keep it all for ourselves, but happiness is only real when shared. So, allez! Let's discover the Tour du Mont Thabor and the trails of Vallée de la Clarée together!
Grande Randonnée GR57 is better known as the Tour du Mont Thabor. This is a loop around the lesser known but still very prominent Mont Thabor, in Vallée de la Clarée in the Hautes-Alpes. Vallée de la Clarée is a sheltered, dead-end valley north of the fortified town of Briancon, on the border between France and Italy and forms part of the unspoilt Massif des Cerces. There are no ski slopes or other large-scale tourism, this valley is there only for hikers, cyclists, and other nature lovers. When doing the full circuit, you can expect a total distance of around 85 kilometers and more than 5,000 meters of elevation gain. You don't have to, though. Tour du Mont Thabor is easily broken up into pieces.
Itinerary
Day
1
Névache - Refuge des Drayères
Duration: 05:15 h
Distance: 18.3 km / 11.4 mi
Ascent: 1040 m / 3412 ft
Descent: 470 m / 1542 ft
Follow the Clarée in a northwest direction. You follow a contour path all the way past Refuge de Ricou (coffee stop!) and Les Chaumes. Today offers a great warm-up for what's to come. Not too easy, not too hard, but it definitely gets the legs moving. You can also take an alternative route via Refuge de Laval, but if you want to do it properly, stay on the GR route.
Refuge des Drayères
Day
2
Refuge des Drayères - Valmeinier
Duration: 06:00 h
Distance: 20.1 km / 12.5 mi
Ascent: 740 m / 2428 ft
Descent: 1410 m / 4626 ft
More descent than ascent is on the menu for today. Find your way past streams and, especially, past lakes. You are hiking from one "Lac" to the other, starting with Lac de la Clarée. Then there is Lac Rond, after that Lac Grand Ban, and eventually even Lac Vert. Lac Vert is known for its beautiful blue-green colors. There's more than lakes: The views are magnificent on this stage, and your stay for the night is in the small hamlet Valmeinier. Here you will spend the night in a cozy mountain hotel.
Hôtel Club Les Carrettes (Valmeinier)
Day
3
Valmeinier - Refuge du Mont Thabor
Duration: 06:55 h
Distance: 18.3 km / 11.4 mi
Ascent: 1760 m / 5774 ft
Descent: 750 m / 2461 ft
A tough day at the office today. With almost 1,800 meters vertical meters, your legs will get a good beating. This is because Col des Marches is on the schedule for today. Your long ascent will be rewarded with a quick dip to refuge, which has the same name. Here you can recharge your batteries for the next col; Col de Battalières. From the top you have fantastic views over de surrounding peaks and lakes of Sainte-Marguerite. Two hundred meters of elevation lie between you and the hospitable Refuge du Mont Thabor. Well done, grab a beer!
Refuge du Mont Thabor
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