Parc National des Écrins

The Écrins massif is the southernmost massif in the Alps with a summit above four thousand meters. The massif lies in the Écrins National Park, the parts just outside the park perimeter are used for winter sports. After a tip from a running friend, I chose Puy-Saint-Vincent as my first destination. The distance was too long to drive in one day so I camped at the lakeside of Lac d’Annecy on my first night. Sunday I reached Dutch owned Camping Croque Loisirs, which is a lovely, green camping at an elevation of 1450 meters.

Hike 1: Tour du Bal

The first day I hiked an easy route starting from the camping. There was basically one tour which matched my criteria, climbing up to a ridge at about 2700 meters, following the ridge for some time and then down to the camping. It was clearly not a popular route, I just met one other hiker who told me I was walking Tour du Bal. Later I found that the route crossed the Col du Bal, hence the name.

Hike 2: Glacier Blanc

The second day I hiked to Glacier Blanc, the longest glacier of the park. The snout of the glacier is quite close to a mountain hut. This hut is a starting point for climbs to the Barre des Écrins (4,102 m) and guided hikes on the glacier. The route is quite busy with climbers carrying rope and helmets. This was the only day the weather turned a little foul with low clouds and the occasional rain shower.

Starting point is a parking spot at Pré de Madame Carle at 1874 meters. Le Refuge du Glacier Blanc is located at an elevation of 2550 meters. The 676 meter climbs takes about 2,5 hours and is quite steep at times, steep enough to need metal chains to pull yourself up.

At Pré de Madame Carle I had one of the best salade Niçoise with French mustard dressing. You can make a similar dressing by whisking (optional: garlic and/or shallot) mustard and white wine vinegar together. Whisk in the rapeseed oil, then add the water (whisking continuously) to emulsify the dressing. 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, splash white wine vinegar, 3 tbsp rapeseed oil, 1-2 tbsp warm water.

Hike 3: Lac de l'Eychauda

My last day in Écrins I hiked to Lac de l'Eychauda in the blazing sun. About 3 hours to reach the lake and 3 hour back to my car, so a pretty easy hike. The view during the ascent and decent was beautiful.

This journey continues here Parco nazionale del Gran Paradiso