Pic de Château Renard, Mountain summit in Hautes-Alpes, France

Pic de Château Renard is a mountain summit reaching 2989 meters located in the Escreins Massif of the southern Alps. From this vantage point, hikers can survey the Queyras region stretching below and spot Mont Viso in the distance on clear days.

The Observatoire de Saint-Véran was built in the 1970s on the mountain's south flank at 2,936 metres, not on the summit, which reaches 2,989 metres. It is described as Europe's highest observatory and is run by the association AstroQueyras, mainly for amateur astronomy. Its equipment includes a 620 mm Cassegrain telescope and two 500 mm Ritchey-Chrétien instruments.

The summit links to the village of Saint-Véran through trails that reveal stories about the region's past copper mining operations and mountain living traditions. Walkers encounter signs along the way that explain how local communities adapted to this high-altitude environment.

The summit sits on the ridge line between Saint-Véran and Molines-en-Queyras, 5 km from the Italian border. The observatory is on the south flank at 2,936 m, below the 2,989 m top. The ridge continues southeast to the Col de Longet (2,701 m) and northwest to the Cime de Combe Crose (2,674 m).

The Observatoire de Saint-Véran sits on the mountain's southern flank at 2,936 m, not on the summit itself, and is run by the association AstroQueyras. Its equipment includes a 620 mm Cassegrain telescope and two 500 mm Ritchey-Chrétien instruments, used mainly for amateur astronomy.