Vieux Chaillol

3,163 m

France

Elevation: 3,163 m
Prominence: 678 m
Difficulty: 3/10; Mountain hike
Best Season: Jul–Sep
Routes: 1

RegulationReported 16 Jun 2026
The Écrins National Park issued a new bivouac order (Arrêté no. 148/2026, 16 June 2026) after a public consultation in April 2026: bivouac only from 19:00 to 09:00, one night per site, small low tents only, more than one hour's walk from the core boundary and from roads.
ecrins-parcnational.fr

Routes

3D Preview

SACT3HikeNormal route

The standard ascent: from the Chaillol 1600 ski station through larch forest to the Col de la Pisse (2,354 m) and the national park boundary, along the old Malcros irrigation canal to the Cabane des Parisiens (2,695 m), then a pathless, cairned climb up scree and rock steps to the summit. About 1,550 m of ascent and 20–21 km return; roughly 4 hours up and 3 down.

Elevation Profile

Distance: 10.1 km; one way
Ascent: +1,565 m; start → summit
High Point: 3,163 m
Time Up: 6h 29m; DIN 33466
Time Down: 4h 24m; DIN 33466 · same way back

From the car parks at Chaillol 1600 (about 1,606 m) follow the paved road, which becomes a yellow-waymarked forest track, to Les Cabanes (1,750 m, about 35 minutes). Turn left for the Col de la Pisse, climbing through larches by Le Chevalet (2,052 m) and La Grande Baumès (2,137 m), then on open slopes and a long traverse with a few zigzags to the Col de la Pisse (2,354 m, about 2 hours), where you enter the core of the Écrins National Park. The forest track can be driven to higher car parks, saving a little ascent. From the col a cairned path heads north-east across a long series of humps, partly along the remains of the Malcros canal with its sandstone slabs, to the Col de Côte Longue (2,690 m), where the path from Champoléon and the Tourond refuge joins, and just beyond it the stone-roofed Cabane des Parisiens (2,695 m, about 3 hours). The final 470 m has no real path: climb north up scree and a series of rock steps (the Baisses de Chaillol), following cairns and keeping to the line of the ridge; partway up, bear right rather than following the trace straight ahead. The summit appears only at the last moment. Descend the same way (about 3 hours). A popular variant on the way down visits the Lac de Mal Cros and the 114 m canal tunnel. The slope faces due south and is very hot in summer: start early. Snowfields often lie above about 2,900 m into July.

Start

Chaillol 16001,600 m

Seasonal buses serve Saint-Michel-de-Chaillol and the Chaillol 1600 station stop (timetables not verified).
Parking at the trailhead

Stages

Day	Stage	km	m ascent	m descent	Time
1	Chaillol 1600 → Vieux Chaillol	10.1	1,565	6	6h 29m

Waypoints

Parking:
Chaillol 16001,600 m
Trailhead:
Les Cabanes1,765 m
Feature:
Le Chevalet2,042 m
Col:
Col de la Pisse2,353 m
Boundary of the Écrins National Park core
Col:
Col de Côte Longue2,669 m
Junction with the path from Champoléon and the Tourond refuge
Bivouac:
Cabane des Parisiens2,699 m
Unstaffed stone shelter at the Col de Riou Beyrou
Summit:
Vieux Chaillol3,163 m

Key Passages

Col de la Pisse (national park boundary)
Malcros canal remains below the Col de Côte Longue
Pathless, cairned scree and rock steps (the Baisses de Chaillol) above the Cabane des Parisiens

Equipment

0/8 packed

Technical

Ice axe and cramponsearly summer, when the snowfields above about 2,900 m are hardRecommended

Safety

Headtorchearly start to avoid the heatRecommended

Footwear

Walking bootsscree and rock steps above the Cabane des ParisiensRequired

Clothing

Sun hat, sunglasses and sun creamRequired
Warm and windproof layers3,000 m summitRequired

Navigation

Map (IGN TOP 25 3437OT Champsaur)pathless final section; follow cairnsRecommended

Other

At least 1.5 l of water per personsouth-facing and hot; little water above the forestRequired
Trekking poleslong descentRecommended

Downloads

Route confidence 80%

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Overview

The highest summit of the southern Écrins (3,163 m), a broad pyramid above the Champsaur that is one of the easiest 3,000 m peaks in the French Alps: a long, hot, non-technical walk from Chaillol 1600, finishing on cairned scree with a view of the Meije, Barre des Écrins and Pelvoux.

The Vieux Chaillol dominates the Champsaur valley north of Gap, between the communes of Champoléon and La Motte-en-Champsaur, and is visible from all the surrounding valleys. It lies inside the core zone of the Écrins National Park and gives its name to the Chaillol massif, the southern bastion of the Écrins.

Its popularity comes from being a 3,000 m summit within reach of fit walkers: no glacier and no climbing, but about 1,550 m of ascent and 20–21 km return from the Chaillol 1600 ski station, on a slope that faces due south. The path is good to the stone-roofed Cabane des Parisiens at 2,695 m; the last 470 m are pathless scree and rock steps marked by cairns. A second approach comes from the Champoléon valley via the Tourond refuge and joins at the Col de Côte Longue.

The summit view takes in the south faces of the Meije, Barre des Écrins, Ailefroide and Pelvoux, and beyond them Monte Viso, the Queyras, Ubaye, Mont Ventoux, Céüse, the Dévoluy and the Vercors. Paragliders launch from the top on calm days.

Climbing Notes

Fitness is the main requirement: a 7–8 hour day with 1,550 m of ascent and descent, most of it in full sun. Start at dawn in summer, carry plenty of water, and turn round if storms build in the afternoon. Above the Cabane des Parisiens follow the cairns closely; the ridge is not exposed if you keep to the line, but the flanks steepen on both sides. Snowfields linger above about 2,900 m into early summer; they are usually harmless, but take an axe and crampons in June or after cold nights. Dogs are not allowed beyond the Col de la Pisse (national park core). In winter the south side is a classic ski tour (Camptocamp 2.2) from Chaillol 1600.

History

The Malcros canal, followed by the path below the Cabane des Parisiens, was authorised by a decree of Napoleon III in 1853 and built between 1874 and 1914 to carry water from the Mal Cros glacier, which has since vanished and been replaced by a lake, to the fields around Saint-Bonnet. It was abandoned about fifty years after it came into use because of the cost of upkeep and insufficient water, and is being restored by the Malcros 2818 association. The Cabane des Parisiens is said to have housed Parisian convicts conscripted to build and maintain the canal.

Season

Best Jul–Sep

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

Jan: Ski touring from Chaillol 1600; avalanche awareness essential
Feb: Ski touring
Mar: Spring ski touring
Apr: Spring ski touring; snow on the hiking route
May: Snow on the upper mountain; not a hike
Jun: Snowfields above about 2,900 m; axe and crampons may be needed
Jul: Hot on the south slope; start early, afternoon storms
Sep: Cooler and quieter
Oct: Short days; first snow possible on the upper slopes
Nov: Early winter
Dec: Ski touring when snow allows

Access & Permits

Rules

Écrins National Park core zone from the Col de la Pisse: dogs are banned even on a lead; no fires; no picking of plants or collecting of minerals; no mountain bikes
Bivouacking in the core zone is allowed only between 19:00 and 09:00 and more than one hour's walk from roads and the park boundary; camping is prohibited

Getting There

Saint-Bonnet-en-Champsaur (Gap for full services)

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

Car: from Gap take the N85 towards Grenoble to La Fare-en-Champsaur, then the D945 to Saint-Bonnet and the D43 to Chaillol 1600 (about 40 minutes from Gap)
Train: SNCF station at Gap
Bus: the Chaillol 1600 bus stop is served seasonally (timetables not verified)

Hazards

Weather
Rockfall
Remoteness

Huts & Shelters

Cabane des ParisiensBivouacUnstaffed
2,695 m