Valjouffrey: Discover mountain hikes and the history of the valley

If you’re looking for a hotel in Valjouffrey, its trails and landscapes provide a concrete starting point for planning your trip. In the village and its valley, you’ll encounter different scales: a five-day trek, individual circular hikes and a glacially shaped landscape. There are also places of remembrance and structures that bring past ways of life and architectural solutions into focus.

Valley and landscape

The Haute vallée de la Bonne, also called Font Turbat, is a typical U-shaped glacial valley. Moraine ridges mark stages in the glacier’s retreat. Together, these features describe both the shape of the valley and traces of its glacial development. If, during your stay in Valjouffrey, you want to take in the landscape itself as well as the hiking trails, the shape of the valley offers a distinctive geological point of interest.

The network of trails for exploring Valjouffrey includes the GR 54 “Tour de l’Oisans.” Alongside specific circular hikes and treks, it forms part of the local trail network. The routes therefore each offer a different framework: one is a named tour with a specified duration and distance, while the other is a trail network that includes a well-known long-distance route.

Hikes by duration and route

The Tour du Pic de Valsenestre is a five-day trek covering 44.7 kilometres. The entire route lies within the municipality of Valjouffrey. Its duration and total distance give you an idea of the scale of this multi-day undertaking. Seasonal access depends on snow, weather and trail conditions. Take these factors into account when planning and check them before setting out.

Le vallon de la Chalp is a single hike with a different duration and distance: this difficult out-and-back route starts in La Chalp in Valjouffrey, covers 6.8 kilometres and takes 5.5 hours. Compared with the Tour du Pic, it offers a different scale for planning: a multi-day trek on the one hand, and a single hike with a specified duration on the other. Weather and trail conditions can also affect access for this mountain hike.

The Tour du Valjouffrey is a circular hike that starts and ends in La Chapelle-en-Valjouffrey; the route passes through La Chalp. This means it can be described using different landmarks from the Vallon de la Chalp hike: the latter is an out-and-back route that starts in La Chalp, while the Tour du Valjouffrey starts and ends in La Chapelle. Seasonal conditions can affect the difficulty and trail conditions on the Tour du Valjouffrey.

Nature in the Vallon de Valsenestre

The hike through the Vallon de Valsenestre passes through a valley where chamois are numerous in the alpine zone and ibex are found on the high rock faces. Wildlife is therefore one possible nature-related focus of the hike, not a guaranteed sighting: observations are seasonal and never assured.

Near the end of the valley, an authentic shepherd’s hut, recently restored, stands on a pleasant, level area. It is another point of interest in the Vallon. The valley’s features thus include both alpine wildlife and a hut whose location and restoration offer a different perspective on the surroundings.

Places of remembrance and structures

The Scierie des Ségoins is a place of remembrance where visitors can learn about life in the valley in the past. At the Cascade et digue des Roberts, a dry-stone wall is a notable structure: it was built to protect the hamlet from flooding caused by the stream and restored in 2011. While the Scierie focuses on the valley’s past, the wall illustrates a specific protective function and its restoration.

The Chapelle Sainte-Anne in Le Désert-en-Valjouffrey also has its own historical details: it has a gallery, a pulpit and a confessional. Its interior appears unchanged, while structural problems have also been noted. These details belong together when assessing the chapel’s furnishings and condition. The place of remembrance, the restored dry-stone wall and the chapel thus complement the hikes with different cultural points of interest in Valjouffrey.

More destinations

Discover more destinations: La Verpillière, Saint-Chef, Cholonge, Eybens, Saint-Barthélemy-de-Séchilienne, Fontanil-Cornillon, Saint-Savin, Allevard.

For the broader travel overview: Isere.