Le Pal De Fer

Hiking > Routes > Chartreuse > le Pal de Fer

Description

From the Montfort Funicular Railway follow the signposts to St Hilaire and the Chateau Robert. The path climbs past some concrete reservoirs and steepens to the medieval Chateau. From the Chateau take a left turn to a steepish wooded track. This turns to the north, traverses the Rau de Montfort (river) by a wooden footbridge then under the railway by a small tunnel. There are some spectacular views over the Gresivaudan and the waterfalls. After some zig-zagging it rejoins the railway and climbs some 20 meters via a stone staircase (the Pal de Fer). You can see the top of the Via Ferrata at this point. After a loop you reach St Hilaire du Touvet.

From here there are a number of options:

1. you can descend by the same route
2. take the funicular railway
3. traverse to the Sentier du Facteur by the Balcon des Petites Roches?
4. climb the Dent des Crolles via the pas des Terraux

There is an express bus serviceevery 20 minutes from Grenoble to Crolles. Cost is about 2 euros and the trip takes half an hour.

Trip Reports

20th June 2007

Started at 6.30am. Already very hot. Crossed two parapentists on the path who were getting in an early morning flight from St Hilaire. Descended by the Balcon des Petites Roches and the Sentier du Facteur.

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