Stage 1 of 7 · La Haute Traversée de Belledonne

Val-d'Arc → Baraque à Michel

Distance
19.5 km
Ascent
+1,587 m
Descent
-603 m
Est. Time
6h 59m
Altitude
319–1,407 m
Type
point-to-point
🏔️ Mountainous

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Explore this stage

See the route, inspect its climbing, or preview the stage over real terrain.

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400m600m800m1,000m1,200m1,400m05 km10 km15 km19.5 km1,405m320m
Flat (<5%) Gentle (5–10%) Moderate (10–15%) Steep (15–25%)

Huts along this stage

Mapped in OpenStreetMap within 300 m of the line. TrailSplits has not checked whether they are open, sleep walkers or take bookings: ask each one.

  • Batterie de Rochebrune· unstaffed hut· 1,400 m km 10.3 · on the line

Route briefing

What comes next

Climbs, water and huts in route order. Not listed does not mean absent: it may not be mapped.

14 route events
  1. Start

    0 m

    Val-d'Arc

    Start

    Route geometry · source 2026-04-02

    About 0 min in

    19.5 km remaining

    +1587 m remaining

  2. Water

    0 m

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-02

    About 0 min in

    19.5 km remaining

    +1587 m remaining

  3. Water

    0 m

    Drinking Water

    Water

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-02

    About 0 min in

    19.5 km remaining

    +1587 m remaining

  4. Climb

    920 m

    1054 m climb

    8.2 km at 12.9% average

    OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-02

    About 20 min in

    18.6 km remaining

    +1587 m remaining

  5. Climb

    16.6 km

    405 m climb

    2.9 km at 13.9% average

    OpenStreetMap route data · source 2026-04-02

    About 5h 57m in

    2.9 km remaining

    +414 m remaining

  6. Hut

    19.2 km

    Cabane de Champet

    Mountain hut

    OpenStreetMap · source 2026-04-02

    About 6h 53m in

    303 m remaining

    +70 m remaining

  7. Finish

    19.5 km

    Baraque à Michel

    Finish

    Route geometry · source 2026-04-02

    About 7h 00m in

    0 m remaining

Trail route lab

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19.5 km Distance1,587 m Climb6h 59m Est. time1,407 m High pointHARD Difficulty
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🚌

Getting Here

Aiguebelle (bus stop)

630m from trailhead · ~7 min walk

📍

End: Baraque à Michel

No nearby transit stop at the end. Check the next stage's start stop.

Segment Breakdown

Auto-analyzed from the elevation profile. Each segment shows the dominant character for planning your effort.

SegmentDist↑ / ↓TimeCharacter
Val-d'Arc → km 6.5 (1087m)
320–1,087m
6.5 km+767m / -3m2h 39m🔺 Steep Climb
km 6.5 (1087m) → km 13.0 (1097m)
1,087–1,405m
6.5 km+353m / -343m2h 07m🏃 Highly Runnable
km 13.0 (1097m) → Baraque à Michel
865–1,297m
6.5 km+443m / -243m2h 13m📈 Climbing
Total19.5 km+1,587m / -603m6h 59m

Pace & Fuel Calculator

Adjust your flat 10K pace to see personalized finish time, calorie burn, and hydration needs.

7:00 /km
4:00 /km (elite) 12:00 /km (leisure)
Fast Hiker / Jogger
Est. Finish Time
4h 31m
Calories
2,103 kcal
Water Needed
3 L
Effort Distance
38.4 km
flat-equivalent
🍫 Recommended: ~45g carbs/hr (204g total) Electrolyte needs vary with conditions and sweat losses; no individual sodium target is estimated.

Terrain Analysis

Lower-gradient terrain
Unknown
Gradient coverage unavailable
% of route below 15% gradient
Climb Ratio
81 m/km
Very steep profile
↑ 1,587m ↓ 603m

Surface & Technicality

Gradient breakdown
Low gradient (14%) Easy Grade (41%) Moderate Climb (27%) Steep (19%)

Gradient describes steepness, not exposure, scrambling, footing or current conditions. Technical difficulty is unknown where no mapped rating is available.

Surface

≈43% paved · ≈57% unpaved
Mixed paved & unpaved

Estimated for the full route from the 58% with mapped surface data in OpenStreetMap.

Current Conditions

Loading live weather...

Based on 1991–2020 climate averages, the weather on La Haute Traversée de Belledonne Stage 1: Val-d'Arc → Baraque à Michel is usually best from April to October.

Weather this week

Loading the forecast for low point (319 m) and high point (1,407 m)…

Weather by month

Typical weather on this stage: at the lowest point (319 m) and the highest point (1,407 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.

Monthly climate averages and daylight
Month
WeatherPoorMixedMixedGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodGoodMixedPoor
High point, day / night2°/-5°3°/-5°7°/-2°11°/2°15°/6°19°/9°21°/10°21°/10°16°/7°12°/4°6°/0°3°/-3°
Low point, day / night8°/-1°10°/0°14°/3°18°/7°22°/11°26°/14°28°/15°28°/15°23°/12°18°/9°12°/4°9°/1°
Rain, mm1038780679990767793103122121
Snow at high pointPossiblePossiblePossibleFrost––––––PossiblePossible
Daylight9 h 0410 h 2211 h 5013 h 2814 h 5215 h 4015 h 2214 h 1112 h 3711 h 029 h 338 h 44

Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.

Averages cannot establish current trail conditions. Check recent local reports, the forecast and restrictions before departure. Snow and ice can persist on shaded sections or arrive outside the usual season.

Planning ahead?

Checking snow-monitoring coverage... Notifications require permission on this device; on iPhone use the installed Home Screen app. No email alerts are sent.

Safety & Bailouts

Exit routes not verified

We do not have a verified emergency exit plan for this route. A nearby settlement, hut or route endpoint is not necessarily reachable or open. Do not leave the trail based on a straight-line distance or compass direction.

Mapped high point: 1407 m, approximately 10.2 km along the route. This is not an assessment of the most remote or exposed point.

Review possible exits against current local information before your trip. In an emergency, contact local rescue services; this page is not live rescue guidance.

Suggested Gear List

Auto-generated based on 19.5 km, 1587m ascent, max altitude 1407m, ~7h duration.

Essential 5 items
  • 👟
    Trail running shoes / hiking boots
    Required for any trail
  • 📱
    Phone (charged) + offline map
    Navigation & emergency contact
  • 💧
    3L hydration vest
    Estimated 3.5L; verify refill availability
  • 🍫
    Trail mix, bars & sandwich
    Est. 2449 kcal burn
  • 🆘
    Emergency space blanket
    Critical for preventing hypothermia if you stop moving
Recommended 6 items
  • 🧴
    Sunscreen
    Basic sun protection
  • 🧥
    Light rain jacket
    Weather changes fast in the mountains
  • 🔦
    Headlamp
    7h route — plan for delays
  • 🩹
    Mini first aid kit
    Blister plasters, tape, antiseptic
  • 🥢
    Trekking poles
    19% steep terrain, 1587m+ ascent
  • 🧊
    Microspikes / light crampons
    Snow risk in Jan, Feb, Mar
Nice to have 1 items
  • 🦵
    Gaiters
    Keep snow out of boots

Logistics

This route runs from Val-d'Arc to Baraque à Michel (19.5 km by trail). You'll need to arrange transport back to your starting point.

Start — Getting There
Val-d'Arc
🚌 Aiguebelle (321m)
Finish — Getting Back
Baraque à Michel
No transit stops detected nearby. Check local timetables.

Nearby Points of Interest

🚏 Transit stops along this stage

  • 🚌 Aiguebelle km 0.1 · 321m off trail
  • 🚌 Le Villard (arrêt scolaire) km 5.3 · 1.3 km off trail

🛖 Shelters

  • Shelter 1.9 km off trail
  • Shelter 1.4 km off trail
  • Cabane de Mille km 6.2 · 1.6 km off trail

💧 Water Sources

  • Drinking Water 1.9 km off trail
  • Drinking Water 396m off trail
  • Drinking Water 821m off trail
  • Drinking Water km 0.1 · 462m off trail
  • Drinking Water km 0.1 · 462m off trail

🏠 Mountain Huts

  • Cabane de Champet km 19.2 · 259m off trail

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Route data from OpenStreetMap © contributors, licensed under ODbL. Updated 2026-04-02.