The upper Romanche Valley stretches out at the foot of one of the most beautiful summits of the Ecrins, La Meije. The north facing side of the valley is rugged and wild with glaciers and summits of close to 4000 m (13120 feet). On the sunny side, green terraced fields, charming hamlets, alpine lakes and meadows brimful of alpine flowers dominate the picture. Everywhere, there are lovely spots where you can enjoy the contrast between Alpine pastures and rugged peaks. Below we have listed some of the most beautiful natural sites around La Grave and Villar d’Arène.
Girose Glacier

The glacier unveils as soon as you leave the top station of the La Grave Cable Car. To admire the glacier up close you can go on a glacier walk with the La Grave Guides and visit the ice cave.
Goléon Lake

In a hanging valley above the picturesque village of Valfroide lies the scenic Goleon Lake. At the lake, la Meije attracts all the attention while the Goleon peak reigns at the back of the valley.
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Le lac du Pontet
Les cours, Villar-d'Arêne
Le lac du Pontet
Beautiful lake above the hamlet of Les Cours, near Villar d'Arêne.
You can get closer by car, but the walk starting from Les Cours hamlet, across the fields by the small road, is very…
Emparis plateau lakes
Depart du Chazelet, La Grave
Emparis plateau lakes
Lerie lake and Black lake, nestled on the plateau from Emparis are just magnificent viewpoints to the edges of the North face from La Meije and 'Le Rateau' pic 3809 m, 2 famous peaks of the…
Lautaret pass - Natural Reserve of Combeynot
D1091, Villar-d'Arêne
Lautaret pass - Natural Reserve of Combeynot
The Lautaret pass is the crossing point between the Romanche Valley and the Guisane Valley. It is also one of the lowest points on the ridge line separating the Northern Alps and the…
Natura 2000 - Haute Romanche
Mairie de la Grave, La Grave
Natura 2000 - Haute Romanche
The world's largest network of biodiversity conservation.
Natura 2000 is born from the desire to maintain this biodiversity while taking into account, social, economic, cultural and…
Ecrins National Park
, Briançon
Ecrins National Park
Covering an area of 91,800 hectares in the central zone, the Ecrins National Park, straddling the Isère and Hautes-Alpes department, covers a mountainous surface ranging from 800 to 4,102…
Goléon lake
Lac du Goléon_Depart du Hameau des Hières, La Grave
Goléon lake
From the Goleon Lake, you'll have breathtaking views of the surrounding glaciers and of the peaks of La Meije, Aiguilles d'Arves and Aiguilles de la Saussaz.
Puy Vachier Lake
, La Grave
Puy Vachier Lake
Puy Vachier Lake is at the bottom of a valley surrounded by rocky bar in a rather mineral world, close to the second intermediate of the cable car station; about 1 hour walk.
There is a…