Copyright: © 1998 - 2010 John Gardner
| A Walking Guide to the Massif de la Chartreuse |
Walks on l'Aup du Seuil
The Aup du Seuil (spelt Aulp du Seuil on the map) is a synclinal basin upland area which runs down from the col de Bellefond (1900 m - also known as col de Bellefont) in the south, to the Cirque de St. Même (1300 m) in the north, and is separated from l'Alpe by the vallon de Pratcel (map). The lower northern end is forest-covered lapiaz, and the southern end is pasture, and it is all a highly protected nature reserve. It is spectacularly beautiful, but the real jewel in the crown is the Cirque de St. Même. This is where the truncated synclinal basin plunges 600 metres into an idyllic amphitheatre of streams and flat meadows, In the middle of the face, the water from the largest resurgence in Chartreuse emerges from a spring, and immediately leaps over the first of four waterfalls on its way down to the meadows 300 metres below. Above the resurgence is the largest and most impressive cave entrance in the area - the Grotte du Guiers Vif.
The Cirque de St. Même is, understandably, a veritable honey pot, and the PNRC have taken steps to control access to the area. They have imposed a charge of 8.00€ (July 2004) to park in the valley at weekends and public holidays; traffic is now prevented from entering the meadows of the Cirque; and a large car park has been built at the end of the access road. All these are very positive steps, but it is recommended that you avoid the area at popular times.
Many of the walks into the synclinal basin enter from the east. The four walks described below all start from the west. None of them will disappoint, and between them, they allow the exploration of the full length of this beautiful upland basin, and some of the bounding crêtes.
| Roman Inscription from St. Philibert | Roman Inscription via Pas de la Mort |
| Habert de la Dame via Pas de la Mort | Habert de la Dame and the Forneau Crête |