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Vallon du Fournel

Vallon du Fournel

In the shadow of Les Écrins National Park, there are some little-known bike routes away from the crowds. For example, the trail circuit in Vallon du Fournel.

Description

The base of this tour is the village of L'Argentière-la-Bessée, just south of Briançon. At the beginning, you roll comfortably along the asphalt road out of the valley before the route branches off into the idyllic valley of Freissinières. After the village of Freissinières, the ascent continues on a gravel road up to the Col d'Anon - a remote pass that gives you the feeling of having arrived in no man's land.

From here, a lonely, wild but consistently good singletrail descent into the Vallon du Fournel begins. The narrow path winds its way down through a dense forest to the valley floor - a fantastic forest trail with plenty of flow.

The next ascent begins here on the Fournel valley floor: this time, the route leads up to the Col de la Pousterle on an impressive gravel road. The route runs through the dry southern slopes and offers impressive views of the Écrins mountains time and again. The pass is a popular place for a rest - but we leave it behind us and ride a little further uphill until just before the Lac des Charbonnières.

This is where the long descent back into the main valley begins. The start is technically challenging, but becomes increasingly flowy and leads into a perfect S2 trail. Alternatively, you can start directly from the Col de la Pousterle on a less demanding trail - both variants meet in the lower section.

The trail ends at a country road, which you follow to a nearby campsite. For the final section, there is another short climb - you used to be able to avoid this section, but a landslide has changed the route. This is followed by a beautiful, easy trail in S1 mode, which leads you in gentle bends towards the starting point. The last few meters roll out on asphalt.

Conclusion: A versatile tour away from the mainstream with great singletrail descents, scenic charm and two rather inconspicuous but worthwhile pass crossings.

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Map & GPX-Track

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44 km

1685 m

1685 m

952 above sea level

1897 above sea level

L'Argentière-la-Bessée

L'Argentière-la-Bessée

3516

well suited

Thomas Giger
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Spotguide Briançon
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Portrait Thomas Giger

About the author: Thomas Giger

Thomas Giger has been the editor of Ride MTB since 2002 and is a regular online and print author. Over the years, he has specialized in tourism topics and is particularly well known for his blog-style columns. He is also one of Ride MTB's active tour authors.

Thomas Giger has been the editor of Ride MTB since 2002 and has had a significant influence on the tour database. His focus is on single trail tours. There are few who know the trails in Switzerland as well as he does. However, his areas of expertise also include Aosta, the French Western Alps, and the whole of South Tyrol.

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Note: This content has been automatically translated from German. Please report any incorrect translations.