Pic de Bure

2,709 m

France

Elevation: 2,709 m
Prominence: 1,268 m
Difficulty: 3/10; Mountain hike
Best Season: Sep–Oct
Routes: 1

Routes

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SACT3HikeNormal route

Sources differ: T2 (Camptocamp)

The most attractive walkers' route: about 1,280–1,350 m of ascent from the valley above Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy up the long scree combe of the Combe Ratin to the NOEMA radio observatory on the Plateau de Bure, then across the stony plateau to the summit. About 4 hours up, 6–7 hours round trip.

Elevation Profile

approximate line

Distance: 7.8 km; one way
Ascent: +1,263 m; start → summit
High Point: 2,709 m
Time Up: 5h 17m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 3h 39m; DIN 33466 · same way back

Start from the car park near L'Enclus and the lower station of the IRAM observatory cable car (about 1,490 m), reached from Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy along the D17; the forest track to the Cabane de l'Avalanche (1,540 m) was badly damaged in 2025. From the Combe de Corne signpost, follow the marked path through the forest and the grassy valley (big cairn, red dots) west then south to the first step of the Combe Ratin. Climb the combe on its right bank — a long, sometimes steep but stable scree slope with a small rock band and a second grassy step — to emerge on the Plateau de Bure near the NOEMA observatory (about 2,560 m), roughly 1,030 m above the start. Take the waymarked path across the plateau rather than an old GPS track: walking off the path around the observatory is prohibited. The path crosses the barren plateau east, drops to a saddle at 2,511 m between the Combe de Bure and the Combe d'Aurouze, and follows cairns up to the summit (2,709 m) and its orientation table. Return the same way, or descend the GR 94B through the Superdévoluy ski area (a longer loop of 18–19 km). The Combe Ratin holds snow late — often until the end of June — and its entrance can then need an ice axe. There is no water on the route and the plateau is a stony desert, very hot in summer.

Start

L'Enclus1,488 m

No public transport to the trailhead was confirmed.
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	L'Enclus → Pic de Bure	7.8	1,263	46	5h 17m

Waypoints

Parking:
L'Enclus1,488 m
Car park near the lower station of the observatory cable car
Feature:
Cabane de l'Avalanche1,540 m
Summit:
Pic de Bure2,709 m

Key Passages

Scree of the Combe Ratin
Crossing of the Plateau de Bure past the NOEMA antennas
Saddle at 2,511 m and cairned summit path

Equipment

0/5 packed

Technical

Ice axesnow in the Combe Ratin, often until late JuneRecommended

Footwear

Hiking bootslong scree slopesRequired

Clothing

Waterproof and warm layersRequired

Other

Plenty of water and sun protectionno water on the route; very hot in summerRequired
Trekking polesRecommended

Downloads

Route confidence 75%

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Overview

A limestone summit (2,709 m) in the Dévoluy with a 600 m vertical east pillar on one side and a vast stony plateau on the other, home to the NOEMA radio observatory. Walkers reach it by a long scree combe and a crossing of the plateau.

Pic de Bure, the third-highest summit of the Dévoluy in the Hautes-Alpes, dominates the Superdévoluy ski resort. Its shape is distinctive: a high, gently tilted limestone plateau to the west and a sheer east pillar some 600 m high. The Plateau de Bure, at about 2,550 m just below the summit, carries the IRAM NOEMA observatory, an array of twelve 15 m antennas that is the most powerful millimetre-wave radio telescope in the northern hemisphere.

For walkers it is a long day: about 1,300 m of ascent by the Combe Ratin or the GR 94B through the ski area, with steep scree, no water and a desert-like plateau that is very hot in midsummer and lovely in autumn. The summit has an orientation table and views over the Dévoluy, the Écrins and the Vercors. For climbers, the east pillar is one of the great limestone walls of the French Alps.

Climbing Notes

Good fitness for 6–8 hours and 1,300 m of ascent is the main requirement; the Combe Ratin is steep scree with good footing and no real scrambling. Carry all your water and sun protection; there is none on the mountain. Snow lingers in the Combe Ratin until about the end of June, when an ice axe is worth carrying. On the Plateau de Bure stay on the waymarked path around the observatory — walking off it is prohibited. In winter the summit is a ski-touring objective, partly using the Superdévoluy lifts.

History

The first route on the north face was climbed in 1943 by Raymond Leininger and L. Malipier. René Desmaison, André Bertrand and Yves Pollet-Villard made the first ascent of the east pillar over three days in September 1961, then billed as the hardest climb in the French limestone Alps (TD+); Pierre Béghin and partners made its first winter ascent in 1973. In 1999 the plateau was the scene of two disasters: on 1 July the observatory's cable car fell, killing 20 people including astronomers and technicians, and on 15 December a helicopter crash during the investigation killed five more. A monumental cross erected on the summit in 2000 by the 4th Chasseurs regiment of Gap has since fallen.

Season

Best Sep–Oct

January: Possible
February: Possible
March: Possible
April: Possible
May: Not advisable
June: Good
July: Good
August: Good
September: Best (best window)
October: Best (best window)
November: Possible
December: Not advisable

Jan: Ski-touring only
Feb: Ski-touring only
Mar: Ski-touring only
Apr: Spring ski-touring
May: Snow in the combes
Jun: Snow in the Combe Ratin until about the end of June
Jul: Very hot on the plateau; start early
Aug: Very hot on the plateau; start early
Oct: Ideal: cooler, clear autumn days
Nov: Early snow possible
Dec: Winter conditions

Access & Permits

Rules

Plateau de Bure: walkers must stay on the waymarked path around the NOEMA observatory; walking off it is prohibited (a €750 fine was reported in 2024)
The observatory cable car is for IRAM staff only

Getting There

Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy (Dévoluy); Gap

Grenoble Alpes-Isère (GNB); Marseille Provence (MRS)

Car: from Gap or Corps to Saint-Étienne-en-Dévoluy, then the D17 up the valley past the Superdévoluy turning to L'Enclus and the observatory cable car's lower station (the forest track to the Cabane de l'Avalanche was badly damaged in 2025)
From Superdévoluy (about 1,480 m), the GR 94B climbs through the ski area to the plateau

Hazards

Weather
Rockfall