Pics de la Font Sancte
3,387 m
France
- Elevation
- 3,387 m
- Prominence
- 724 m
- Difficulty
- 5/10
- Easy alpine
- Best Season
- Jun
- Routes
- 1
Routes
1Approximate line — not for navigation
An automated check found that parts of this line could not be matched to mapped trails, so it may stray far from the real route. Use it for planning only, with a map and a guidebook.
Why? 8 check notes
- danger scan: Plateau below the Pic des Heuvières → Pic Nord de la Font Sancte: straight line 970 m (limit 200 m)
- danger scan: Plateau below the Pic des Heuvières → Pic Nord de la Font Sancte: sustained 51° > 40° on a straight line
- danger scan: Plateau below the Pic des Heuvières → Pic Nord de la Font Sancte: straight line dips 219 m below both ends
- last routed vertex 970 m from the summit (closed by straight)
- 100% approximate geometry
- ascent 2372 m vs net gain 1605 m (+48%)
- DIN time up 10.42 h vs published 5.0 h (+108%)
- DIN time down 8.28 h vs published 3.0 h (+176%)
The usual way to the highest point of the Queyras: a long walk of about 1,600 m from Basse Rua (1,781 m) in the Val d'Escreins past the Font Sancte oratory to a high cirque, then a 400 m scree couloir of up to 40° between the North and South peaks. Serious rockfall hazard when the couloir is dry; best climbed on snow in May–June. About 5 hours up.
Elevation Profile
approximate line- Distance
- ≈ 7.8 km
- one way
- Ascent
- ≈ +2,372 m
- −767 m lost on the way up
- High Point
- 3,387 m
- Time Up
- ≈ 10h 25m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- ≈ 8h 17m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the public car park at Basse Rua (1,781 m) at the head of the Val d'Escreins, follow the yellow and red-and-yellow waymarks up the Rif Bel torrent towards the Font Sancte oratory, ignoring the Vallon Claus turn at about 1,880 m and leaving the GR de Pays to the Col des Houerts at about 2,100 m. Pass the oratory (2,280 m) and climb a cairned path steeply over two glacial rock steps to a grassy plateau at about 2,650 m below the Pic des Heuvières, with a small lake on the right. The west couloir between the Pic Nord (left) and the Pic Sud (3,371 m, right) rises about 400 m. In summer it is a mass of steep scree close to the limit of stability, narrowing and steepening to about 40°; rocks fall almost constantly from the Pic Sud and are dislodged by other parties. Keep to the left (true right) side: the slabs, ledges and rocks there (UIAA II–III, reasonable rock) avoid much of the scree and keep you away from the Pic Sud. Higher up the slope eases; aim for the mountain-rescue radio relay rather than the col between the peaks, then the summit cairn (3,385–3,387 m). Descend the same way, downclimbing the left-hand rocks where possible; every step on the scree releases stones. Allow about 3 hours down. The route is best in May–June when the couloir is snow-filled (start very early, with crampons and ice axe), or after an autumn snowfall; in a dry midsummer couloir with other parties above, many experienced walkers turn back.
Start
Basse Rua1,782 m
- A free summer shuttle from the Vars villages to the Val d'Escreins reserve has run in July–August; otherwise no public transport. The nearest railway station is Mont-Dauphin–Guillestre.
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Basse Rua → Pic Nord de la Font Sancte | 7.8 | 2,372 | 767 | 10h 25m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Basse Rua1,782 m
- Feature: Plateau below the Pic des Heuvières3,158 m
Grassy plateau above two glacial rock steps; small lake on the right
- Summit: Pic Nord de la Font Sancte3,387 m
Key Passages
- Glacial rock steps above the Font Sancte oratory
- West couloir between the Pic Nord and the Pic Sud (rockfall, up to 40°)
- Left-hand slabs and ledges (UIAA II–III)
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 38%Overview
A group of limestone and schist peaks between the Queyras and the Ubaye whose North summit (about 3,385 m) is the highest point of the Queyras and of the Val d'Escreins nature reserve. The walkers' route climbs a long, rockfall-prone scree couloir and is best done on spring snow.
The Pics de la Font Sancte — North (the highest), South (3,371 m) and East (3,275 m) — rise above the Val d'Escreins in the commune of Vars, close to the watershed with Ceillac and the Ubaye. The Val d'Escreins has been a protected nature reserve since 1964, covering about 25 km² from roughly 1,600 m to the Font Sancte summit, with larch forest, alpine meadows and wildlife; it was long part of the Queyras Regional Natural Park. The name ('holy spring') comes from a spring and oratory below the peaks, long a place of pilgrimage.
The usual summer route from Basse Rua is a long, demanding day of about 1,600 m: a pleasant valley walk to the oratory and a high cirque, then a steep 400 m scree couloir between the North and South peaks that is notorious for rockfall once the snow has gone. It is a far better proposition in May–June on firm snow with crampons and an ice axe, and the couloirs of the Font Sancte are classic spring ski-mountaineering objectives. From the top the view takes in the Chambeyron, the Queyras, the Écrins and Monte Viso.
Alternative approaches from Ceillac via the Col Girardin and the east ridge (PD-, poor rock) or from the Vallon de Panestrel to the South peak (PD) are more alpine undertakings.
Climbing Notes
Suitable for experienced mountain walkers comfortable on steep, loose ground, with a helmet and, when there is snow, crampons and an ice axe. Allow 8–8½ hours round trip for 1,600 m. The best window is May–June on hard morning snow with a very early start, or late season after a snowfall; the access road usually reopens around mid-May, so check before going. In a dry summer couloir, rockfall from the South peak and from other parties is the main danger: keep to the left-hand rocks, move through without stopping, and turn back if parties are above you. Bivouacking and camping are banned in the Val d'Escreins reserve; the Refuge de Basse Rua at the road end has 24 places in summer.
Season
Best Jun- January: Not advisable
- February: Not advisable
- March: Not advisable
- April: Possible
- May: Good
- June: Best (best window)
- July: Good
- August: Possible
- September: Possible
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Access road closed; winter
- Feb
- Access road closed; winter
- Mar
- Access road closed; ski-mountaineering only
- Apr
- Spring ski-mountaineering in the couloirs; road may still be closed
- May
- Road usually reopens mid-May; snow in the couloir, crampons and ice axe
- Jun
- Best: firm snow in the couloir with a very early start; refuge opens mid-June
- Jul
- Couloir drying out; rockfall increases
- Aug
- Dry couloir with heavy rockfall; many parties turn back
- Sep
- Dry couloir with rockfall; refuge closes early September
- Oct
- Possible after a snowfall; road closes with the first snow
- Nov
- Winter conditions
- Dec
- Access road closed; winter
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge de Basse Rua: book by phone or via refuge-basserua.fr; open daily in July and August, call ahead in June and September.
- Rules
- Val d'Escreins nature reserve: bivouacking and camping are prohibited; dogs on a lead; no picking of plants; fires only in designated barbecue areas
- The road into the Val d'Escreins is closed in winter and usually reopens around mid-May depending on snow; when closed, add about 10–11 km return on foot
- Getting There
Vars; Guillestre
Turin (TRN); Grenoble Alpes-Isère (GNB)
- Car: from Guillestre take the D902 Col de Vars road for about 10 km, then turn left into the Val d'Escreins to the public car park at Basse Rua (1,781 m)
- Free summer shuttle from the Vars villages to the reserve (July–August; check the current timetable)
- Rail: Mont-Dauphin–Guillestre station
Hazards
- Rockfall
- Exposure
- Avalanche
- Weather
Huts & Shelters
1- 1,760 m
Refuge de Basse RuaRefugeStaffed
24 beds · Mid-June to early September (2026: from 12 June; closing dates 8–12 September depending on source)