Track No. 21: The Ranch
Description
Discover Vallouise from a completely different angle!
The circuit passes through forests and pastures, to meet La Gyronde river
The circuit is available in skating or classic technique.
1. Once you've arrived at the Chalet Nordique with your Pass in your pocket, set off to discover the southern Vallouise plain, heading for La Gyronde via circuit n°21 Le Ranch.
2. The circuit is a loop, running along the Pra des Nais road, uphill towards Puy-Saint-Vincent, then downhill towards the La Gyronde river, returning to the starting point just past the Maison du Parc.
- Towns crossed : Vallouise-Pelvoux
Recommandations
→ Cross-country ski trails are groomed, marked and safe. Access is subject to a charge and reserved for Nordic skiers.
→ You use these trails under your own responsibility: find out about weather conditions and trail closures, and don't overestimate your possibilities.
→ Respect the signs: trail directions, dangers, prohibitions, avalanche closures, etc.
→ Dogs are forbidden on cross-country ski trails.
→ Night-time activities and biathlon shooting in the Nordic area must be supervised by a professional.
→ Skiing outside opening hours is dangerous and prohibited (presence of grooming equipment).
→ Take your garbage with you
Tours are available in skating or classic technique.
Winter conditions are very pleasant all day long. However, from March onwards, it's best to practice in the morning, as some of the trails are quickly exposed to the sun.
Don't hesitate to ask for a piste map at the Chalet Nordique in Vallouise or at the Pelvoux lift information point!
Please note: This information is for guidance only. It is your responsibility to check the weather report and conditions before you set off. The Tourist Office and Écrins National Park cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident. In case of doubt, contact professionals: instructors or equipment hire companies.
Emergency contact details: Secours Montagne: 04 92 22 22 22 or 112
6 points of interest
HistoryThe Vallouise Park Centre
Vallouise Pelvoux is a municipality within the Parc National des Écrins. Renovated in 2014, the Park Centre ("Maison du Parc") houses the offices of the local Park staff and has a spacious visitor reception area. It offers a permanent interactive exhibition inviting discovery of the territory and its heritage features, a temporary exhibition space on the upper floor and an audiovisual room (screenings and talks). It is currently in the process of applying for the "Tourisme et Handicap" tourism and disability label. Admission is free and so, too, are most of the activities in offer.
FaunaThe sun bird
So what is the identity of this sun bird? It's the royal, or golden, eagle of course. Although it is telling the time here, in the surrounding natural landscape it hunts marmots. But what becomes of it in winter when the marmots hibernate deep in their burrows? It's a lean time. It has to make do with a hare or ptarmigan, and in particular the carcasses of chamois which have not survived the winter or have been killed in an avalanche.
FloraThe ash tree
Even in winter, the ash can be recognised from its large black leaf buds. The leaves are compound. A pioneer species that grows easily, the ash has long been used by man for everyday needs: its foliage was used to feed cattle and its hard, flexible wood was used to make a variety of objects such as tool handles. Its French name frêne often appears in local place names too: Freissinières (frêne noir - black ash), Le Freney etc. Evidence of its historical importance to human communities..
- Fauna
The gerris
Some strange creatures are moving jerkily over the surface of the water: Gerrises, insects related to bedbugs. Like a true insect, they have six legs and they «skate» across the water using their intermediate and hind legs which are covered in hairs to make them water-resistant. They are carnivorous and anything on the water surface, dead or alive, is good to eat! They catch their prey with the forelegs, sucking up the juices with their strong proboscis!
- Fauna
The long-tailed tit
Some birds are causing a stir in a tree, constantly coming and going and uttering little calls. They are round and black and pinkish beige in colour with a long tails, hence their name, the long-tailed tit. They are resident birds and always live in small groups. They inhabit forests, undergrowth and even gardens. They weave a ball-shaped nest out of lichen, moss and dry grass.
- History
The chapel of Saint-Romain
Included on the Supplementary Inventory of Historical Monuments in 1931, the chapel of Saint-Romain has been converted into an eco museum. It was the first chapel to be built in Puy-Saint-Vincent and is thought to date from the twelfth century. Up to the mid-fifteenth century, the village bore the name of its patron saint: Puy-Saint-Romain. Then, in honour of the arrival of the Dominican monk Vincent Ferrier, the village took the name Puy-Saint-Vincent. It stands on a rocky promontory outside the village, and offers a panoramic view over the Les Écrins massif and the Gyronde Valley, over Vallouise in particular.