Distance: 75 km
Duration (average) : 5h
Level: Black level - Very difficult
Level: Reserved for experts/confirmed
Elevation: 1950 D +
Departure: Saint-Étienne-de-Crossey
Loop
Recommended period (s): Autumn, Summer, Spring

By bike

In the Chartreuse regional natural park, this route is dotted with natural monuments, such as the Saint-Even circus, but also great classics of cultural Isère, such as the Grande Chartreuse museum.

From Saint-Étienne-de-Crossey, take the D49 towards Saint-Nicolas-de-Macherin. Just after Le Pilon, turn right to reach Sainte-Sixte.
Then pass Le Burlet and continue on the D28 to Miribel-les-Échelles.
You continue on the D49, pass Les Échelles, Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers then walk along the Gorges du Guiers Vif to reach Saint-Pierre-d'Entremont.
Then turn right to take the direction of Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse via the Planolet.
Turn right to go to Saint-Laurent-du-Pont (D520B) then follow Villette and Basbolin.
Join the D49 and turn left towards Saint-Roche and return to the starting point via Ture.

This foray into the land of the Carthusian monks offers the spectacle of a monumental and unspoiled nature, with emerald green forests, leaping torrents and steep cliffs.

Additional information : Loop

History, culture and heritage: 
The Guiers Vif gorges: they are called Frou gorges under the pass of Frou (from the patois frou, which means awful). From the top of its 150 meters in corbelling, the pas du Frou dominates the Guiers Vif, natural departmental border between Isère and Savoie. The road, clinging to the side of the cliff, connects Saint-Pierre d'Entremont to Saint-Christophe-sur-Guiers. The ruins of Montbel castle: dominating the Frou gorges, (variant of 2 km round trip) occupy a promontory from which there is a wide view of the Chartreuse. It was the second stronghold of the lords of Entremont, then it became the property of the Carthusians, who were driven out during the Revolution, and finally state property, before being abandoned. The Cirque de Saint-Même (variant of 8 km round trip) is one of the most visited sites in Chartreuse. This impressive amphitheater of limestone cliffs 500 meters high is streaked with four large rumbling waterfalls, whose waters come from underground sources in the Guiers Vif. The 30 hour hike on the waterfall trail is a must and requires good walking shoes. Another unmissable visit to Chartreuse, the church of Saint-Hugues-de-Chartreuse, called the Museum of Contemporary Sacred Art: another unmissable visit to Chartreuse, the church of Saint-Hugues-de-Chartreuse. This church is entirely decorated by the painter Arcabas, with superb frescoes in brilliant colors made over a period of more than XNUMX years. A major work of contemporary sacred art. The Grande Chartreuse museum: in Saint-Pierre-de-Chartreuse, it is located near the monastery. It provides visitors with the keys to understanding the Carthusian order, thanks to a new scenography made up of films, audio-guides and testimonies. An invitation to silence and contemplation.

Tips and Suggestions: 
Chartreuse liqueur... and its variations: even if it is not made at the Grande Chartreuse monastery, but in Voiron, Chartreuse liqueur is inseparably linked to the massif and the monks. It has in fact been produced by the Carthusian fathers since the 130th century according to a secret recipe which includes around XNUMX mountain plants and flowers. Several varieties of liqueurs are now marketed: yellow, green (sweeter, less alcoholic), vegetable elixir… This liqueur can be used in the composition of different products, including chocolates. Thus, those at the Chartreuse du chocolatier Petit, in Saint-Laurent-du-Pont, are particularly renowned. Isabelle and Emmanuel Petit welcome the public to their premises, laboratory and store, for a tasting of chocolates and confectionery. They explain how chocolate is made, from the cocoa bean to the subtle chocolate-chartreuse mixture. www.chartreuse.fr www.chocolatier-petit.com

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Passes and panoramas of Chartreuse

38960 Saint-Etienne-de-Crossey

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