Trail running in the mountain peaks from Barcelonnette
Barcelonnette is situated in the heart of the Ubaye Valley, one of the most beautiful valleys in the Southern Alps. This quaint city has a bit of a Mexican flare with the local food and shops, but is typically French with its mountain culture and access to high alpine peaks.
This area is one of my favourite places to run because you can enjoy beautiful forested trails that lead to breathtaking rocky peaks and high alpine environments.
The best time to run here is in the summer and fall. In the summer you can run up high to escape the heat and in the fall the valley is gorgeous with yellowing trees and fresh snow.
This Collection highlights some of my favourite places in, and around, Barcelonnette, and I hope you enjoy.
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This was the Salomon Ubaye Trail race in Barcelonnette. Staring from downtown Barcelonnette, the course gradually climbs to Uvernet, then you get lost in some beautiful forest trails.The climb up to Chapeau de Gendarme (the highest point of the race) is a real treat, giving you a view of the whole Ubaye Valley.You close the loop back to Barcelonnette through the ski resort trails of 'Le Super Sauze.' The final descent is a steep one and spits you right onto the streets of Barcelonnette.
A bit of a drive outside of Barcelonnette, this loop is a must-run!Situated at the base of Mount Chambeyron is a wonderful refuge, so we headed up to the refuge and decided to loop around Mount Chambeyron, into Italy and then back around into France.While we were at it, we bagged two 3,000 meter (9,842 ft) peaks, and the first one was just above the Refuge de Chambeyron.
This is a point to point run that connects the Ubaye Valley to the Laverq Valley.I started at the Pralou Ski Resort (there are buses to the top from Barcelonnette). From there I started on a single track trail to climb up over the ski resort and up to Col de Thuiles.From there I ran to Tete de la Sestriére and down on a beautiful balcony trail into Laverq Valley. Watch out for Ibex here, I saw a lot!
This was the second leg of my adventure, after riding up to Maljasset from Barcelonnette on my bike. I stashed my bike at the trailhead and then headed out.This route links Col de Marniet, Col de Mary and then some bonus miles into Italy to discover a bit of the Italian Alps. Both Cols are incredible and there's a great lake near Col de Marniet, perfect for a picnic. There's some gorgeous valleys, lakes and ridge lines to be enjoyed here. So much to explore if you keep going into Italy!
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Collection Stats
- Tours5
- Distance95.8 mi
- Duration32:35 h
- Elevation30,575 ft
