Hiking in France’s epic wilderness — the Tour of Queyras (GR 58)

For just over 110 kilometres (64 mi), the Tour du Queyras takes you on a hike in an exceptional mid-mountain setting. From larch forests to green mountain pastures, you cross the highest valley of the Hautes-Alpes and walk alongside magnificent summits. You’re never far from a lake or a mountain stream, and the abundance of water mixed with vibrant mountain vegetation gives the landscapes breathtaking colours. The immersion is total and the change of scenery guaranteed.

I present here a six-stage itinerary. In general, the Tour du Queyras starts in Ceillac and is hiked counter-clockwise. This is how I have organised my Collection but you can always do it in reverse. It’s possible to do the Tour in more or fewer stages, and those who prefer to take a little more time will find advice on how to do so in stage 4. The Tour has no technical difficulties and is achievable for anyone in good physical condition. It also crosses two other GRs, the GR 5 and the GR 541, so you can add alternatives to your itinerary if you like.

You can get to Ceillac with the ZOU! shuttle bus no. S24 from the Montdauphin-Guillestre SNCF station. It is a stopping point for several TER lines from Valence, Marseille and Grenoble, and for the Paris-Briançon overnight line. It takes about 30 minutes by bus from the station to the centre of Ceillac.

Each stage ends in a village where you can easily find something to eat and a place to spend the night. There are also many gîtes and inns along the route. It is advisable to book your accommodation in advance, especially if you plan to do the GR between mid-July and mid-August. Prefer to pitch a tent? No problem: the Queyras is a regional nature park and you can camp wherever you wish as long as you are at least one hour's walk from residences and not in a hay field. There are also campsites along the route and many huts allow you to pitch a tent on their land. Campfires in the forest, on the edge of the wood and near to areas of risk (flammable materials) are strictly forbidden.

In addition to the detailed maps in this Collection, you will find the typical red and white GR markings along the route.

Although the Tour du Queyras is passable from May and until mid-November, you may encounter a lot of snow on the passes at the start and end of the season. In contrast, the GR is known to be particularly flowery in the last two weeks of June.

Map of stopover gîtes: montourduqueyras.fr/images/carte-queyras-grand.jpg

Getting to the Queyras by train: envie-de-queyras.com/news/gare-ligne-scnf-queyras-mont-dauphin (in French)