Via Ferrata des Gorges d'Ailefroide, Via ferrata in Vallouise valley, Hautes-Alpes department, France.
The route follows the Ailefroide gorges, featuring three sections of increasing difficulty with footbridges, monkey bridges, and vertical passages alongside the Ailefroide stream in a granite rock environment spanning approximately 2,130 feet (650 meters).
Built in 2013 and renovated in 2012 to enhance safety, this via ferrata was developed as part of the Hautes-Alpes mountain sports expansion aimed at diversifying tourism offerings in the Écrins mountain range region.
This facility promotes via ferrata climbing as a way to discover the Alpine environment, attracting families and outdoor enthusiasts who come to experience secured climbing in a protected natural setting near Mont Pelvoux.
Accessible from the parking area before the Claux tunnel on the D994 road, the route takes approximately three hours and requires equipment including helmet, harness, and energy-absorbing lanyards, available for rental from mountain guides.
The first section is suitable for children from eight years old and allows multiple river crossings on suspended footbridges over the stream, providing an enjoyable experience accessible to beginners with numerous safety rungs.
Location: Pelvoux
Location: Vallouise-Pelvoux
Address: D994T, 05340 Vallouise-Pelvoux, France 05340 Vallouise-Pelvoux
Website: https://paysdesecrins.com/les-via-ferrata-du-pays-des-ecrins-ete
GPS coordinates: 44.87791,6.47560
Latest update: November 28, 2025 17:34
Via ferrata routes in the Alps combine steel cables, metal rungs, and bridges into protected climbing paths through alpine rock faces. The routes extend through the Dolomites, French Alps, Austrian Ötztal, and Swiss mountain regions between 2,600 and 9,800 feet in elevation. Routes such as the Ivano Dibona or Cresta Ovest della Marmolada follow former military paths from World War I. Routes like the Via Ferrata de la Cascade in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes run alongside waterfalls and gorges. In the Salzkammergut and Grisons regions, routes such as Postalm and Schwarzhorn access summits and mountain lakes. The Spanish Voie Olmo near Alicante offers Mediterranean climbing sections in limestone cliffs. Technical sections with overhangs and traverses alternate with secured walking passages. Most via ferrata require climbing harnesses and appropriate equipment.
Vallée de la Vallouise
830 m
Église Saint-Étienne de Vallouise
3.6 km
Cime de la Condamine
3.8 km
Chapelle Notre-Dame-de-Bon-Secours d'Ailefroide
2.6 km
Belvédère des 3 refuges
2.1 km
Stele, memorial
2.6 km
War memorial, memorial
1.3 km
Belvédère des 3 refuges
2.1 km
Belvédère du glacier blanc
1.8 km
Scenic viewpoint
2 km
Scenic viewpoint
2.4 km
Wayside cross
1.4 km
Wayside cross, Christianity
1.4 km
Croix du Serre
285 m
Le Dahu de la Vallouise
3.7 km
War memorial, memorial
2.6 km
Work of art, sculpture
2.6 km
Clock tower, turret clock, clock, sundial
3.8 km
Lavoir
1.3 km
Croix Haute
2.7 km
Wayside cross
3.8 km
Croix d'Hervé
2.9 km
Croix du Chastelet
3 km
Turbo à foin
2.6 km
Stele, memorial
2.6 km
Waterfall
2.9 km
Waterfall
3.5 km
Waterfall
3.5 kmReviews
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