Stage Vogealle – Folly

Map of the Vogealle – Folly stage

Description of the Vogealle – Folly section

From the Refuge de la Vogealle, the trail first climbs a few meters towards Lac de la Vogealle until it reaches a junction where a path branches off to the left towards Pas de l’Ours. The ascent is steep, and you need to keep your eyes peeled: the path is a bit narrow in places and the rock is crumbly, and it’s not uncommon to spot numerous ibex in this area.

Once you’ve crossed Pas de l’Ours (2,115m), you arrive in the magnificent hanging valley of La Vogeallette. The trail continues, traversing scree slopes descending from the south face of Pointe Rousse des Chambres. The climb continues through the last scree slope, which leads to Col des Chambres (2,338m).

At the Col, you have the option of making a round trip to Pointe de Bellegarde to enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the surrounding area. It takes about 30 minutes from the Col to reach the summit of the Pointe via scree slopes, following the various cairns along the trail.

Back at the Col, the descent begins towards Lac des Chambres, crossing a large valley that often remains snow-covered late into the season due to its lack of sun exposure. The trail markings are less frequent on this section, but it’s still very easy to find your way by following the cairns.

 

Once at the lake, there are two possible routes depending on the season. At the beginning of the season, the lake is full, so you must take the cable-assisted path that runs along the right side of the lake (coming from the Col des Chambres). At the end of summer, the lake’s water level is low, and it is sometimes possible to take a path that follows the lake on the left. The descent then continues on a fairly steep but very manageable path to the Refuge du Folly.

Difficulty of the stage

The Pas de l’Ours is located just past the Refuge de la Vogealle on the way to Lac des Chambres. This section is relatively short but very steep with rather crumbly rock.

The passage is not equipped with chains. The path is a little narrow in places, but it remains very passable. Recommended for sure-footed hikers.

Alternative

All the main difficulties of the Pas de l’Ours are visible from the path leaving the Vogealle. If you do not wish to take this route, it is possible to reach the Refuge du Folly by continuing towards Lac de la Vogealle and then taking the path that climbs up to the Combe aux Puaires. This alternative avoids the Pas de l’Ours and Lac des Chambres.

This leads to a junction where you have two options:

• Descend via a path towards the Refuge du Folly.
• Head northeast and climb towards the Pas au Taureau to reach the Refuge de Bostan.

Stages

• Previous stage: Susanfe – Vogealle
• Next stage: Folly – Bostan

Pictures of the Vogealle – Folly stage