Tour of the Vercors: The Natural Fortress
Loop around the natural fortress of the Vercors, through vertiginous cliffs, deep forests, and the high plateaus of the Resistance.
Six days around the Vercors, a limestone plateau ringed by cliffs that made it a natural stronghold for the Resistance in 1944. The route starts at Villard-de-Lans, reaches Correncon-en-Vercors and its forest, crosses the Col de Rousset with its dramatic drop towards the Diois, then Die and its clairette wine, Vassieux-en-Vercors where the Resistance memorial recalls the reprisals of July 1944, and finally Pont-en-Royans with its houses hanging above the Bourne. This is a massif of deep forest, arid high plateaux and gorges. The Hauts-Plateaux reserve is the largest in France and offers no resupply across two days of walking: carry your own water and food. The Vassieux memorial deserves a full half-day.
Practical info
- Stops
- 6
- Duration
- 6 days
- Transport
- đŸ¥¾ On foot
- Distance
- ≈ 70 km
- Best time
- Spring and summer
Itinerary
- 1
Villard-de-Lans
Station-village du Vercors nord, porte des Quatre Montagnes.
- 2
Corrençon-en-Vercors
Hameau paisible, golf le plus haut d'Europe et foret de la Loubiere.
- 3
Col de Rousset
Basculement spectaculaire vers le Diois, vue sur le sud du massif.
- 4
Die
Clairette de Die, remparts romains et marche provencal.
- 5
Vassieux-en-Vercors
Memorial de la Resistance, haut lieu de l'histoire du maquis.
- 6
Pont-en-Royans
Maisons suspendues au-dessus de la Bourne, gorges spectaculaires.
