3 hikes in the Vercors
To share as a family

Does your family fancy heading out on the Vercors's hiking trails? Here is a selection of three easy hikes to share with the family from Villard-de-Lans, Autrans and Lans-en-Vercors for a day.

What's special about these family hikes? Pairing the kids' interests with the contemplative or sporty pleasures of the parents.

When you're 6, 8 or 14, walking for the sake of walking is rarely exciting.

You have to find an objective that brings parents and young walkers together.

So here are 3 hike ideas where your children will most likely be motivated to:

• head off in search of a waterfall and then a shelter you could come back to for a family mountain bivouac,
• look for snow in midsummer and enjoy a 360° viewpoint over the Vercors and the Isère valley,
• dip their feet in a mountain torrent after gaining some height along meadows where cows graze

These three hike ideas start from the villages of Villard-de-Lans, Autrans and Lans-en-Vercors.

You could also head out on a day-long Vercors hike with a Pied Vert mountain leader.

They will take you to the prettiest corners of the Vercors, or to a quiet spot far from the tourist crowds (our little hidden gardens).

They adapt the route to your group, favouring conviviality or a sporting challenge for those who want one.

And above all, they bring the parent-child group together with an approach tailored to each, depending on what people feel like discovering. For example, by diving into the world of mountain animals or that of plants with extraordinary abilities.

More info by email (contactpiedvert.com pbagnpg@cvrqireg.pbz) or by phone at 07 66 64 90 96.

Hike from Villard-de-Lans: Cascade de la Fauge and Cabane de Roybon

From the centre of Villard-de-Lans, head to the Pont-de-l'Amour. Continue the walk up along the Ruisseau de la Fauge. The waterfall is worth a short, picturesque detour where you may well feel the urge to soak your feet.

Then comes the pleasure of the climb. The children, or the parents, getting a bit out of breath? The climb finally eases after a few switchbacks. In summer you wind through tall purple epilobes (those big violet flowers in the foreground of the photo), behind which the Cabane de Roybon hides.

You'll probably enjoy its shade before heading back down, first along the same path, then towards the Magdelen spring.

The descent rolls quietly under your feet in the cool forest of the montane zone. Maybe you'll spot a track or a print in the mud, left by a wild animal of the Vercors.

This family hike makes a full day with a picnic. For the maths-minded: 400m of ascending elevation over 8 km.

Depending on how you feel, you might stop at the waterfall and return by the "tracks path" (animal prints carved in the rock), or push on towards the Col Vert.

See the route on a map

This hike also features in our selection of walks to the Vercors lakes.

Hike from Autrans: Glacière and Pas de la Clé

The most sporty among you can climb up from the centre of Autrans through the forest. The version open to all starts from the Gève car park.

From the car park, you first cross the big meadows up to the Gève refuge. Those odd bridges above the forest tracks make sense in winter: you're walking on the Autrans nordic skiing area.

At the refuge, take 5 minutes as a family to recall a few things about the Second World War. You're standing in front of one of the camps where the Vercors resistance was organised.

Then you take a wide forest track with place names recalling local geology, such as the Cyclone. Your eye will likely be drawn to the original shapes the rock takes around you.

The climb starts to bite. Can you feel the cool air on the back of your neck? You're probably getting close to the ice cave. From up close, for the more agile, you may be able to see residual snow in that hole even in midsummer.

The climb then continues up to the Pas de la Clé, an ideal spot for a picnic in the shade of a spruce.

The descent also offers its share of geological curiosities: lapiaz, scialets and chasms before reaching the Cyclone again, the refuge and the car park. The sportier walkers will push on down to the centre of Autrans, probably via the Combe des Mortes.

See the suggested route.

Lans-en-Vercors: Bec de l'Aigle and Gorges du Bruyant

From the centre of Lans-en-Vercors, off you go as a family for a day walk that takes you through the Gorges du Bruyant. The sportier families can add a detour by the Bec de l'Aigle viewpoint on the way back to finish in style.

You first walk up through the pastures where the cows producing the Bleu du Vercors milk graze. You may have picked up a slice for your picnic. You then drop down into the Gorges du Bruyant.

During the warmest hours of the day, you walk up this mountain torrent with many spots to rest, picnic and, above all, dip your feet.

You then leave the cool of the gorges to find the peaceful paths of the Via Vercors. They lead you back along the pastures to the village of Lans.

See the GPX route on a map.

Our little share of pretty trails stops here. If you enjoyed these summer tasters, maybe you'll continue the digital journey with a few photos of autumn or winter in the Vercors.

You could also extend the hike up to the Vercors Highlands for a family trek, or the Molière ridges?

Wishing you fine family walks, with your map or with a mountain leader.

On request, we can also organise an outing from Méaudre, Corrençon-en-Vercors, or why not, with a beautiful sunset over Grenoble.

Reviews and comments

Also discover our nature activities between Villard-de-Lans and Autrans for families: