THE HAUTES-ALPES ADVENTURE MAGAZINE
Spots, timing and insider advice to plan your next adventures, from the Queyras to Lake Serre-Ponçon.
Hiking & trail running
For six years, Corentin Esmieu watched the same she-wolf in a valley in the Briançonnais, without camera traps, relying solely on direct observation. The film he co-directed with Baptiste Deturche, Louve, une vie dans les Alpes, hits cinemas on 4 November 2026; the she-wolf herself remains out of reach, and that is just as it should be.
Hiking & trail running
On the French side, the gate installed in 2023 once again bars the entrance to the oldest tunnel in the Alps, bored in 1480 beneath the Col de la Traversette. Winter has gripped the Upper Queyras since 18 October: no more hikers will pass through to Italy before late spring or early summer 2027.
Unusual experiences
In the middle of winter, a few holes in the Dévoluy snow gave away a cave nobody had ever entered. Cavers from Gap have been exploring it ever since, down to 600 m below the surface. A network for specialists only, and a window on what the massif hides.
EXPLORE BY ACTIVITY
Marked trails, ridges and alpine lakes.
Legendary passes and committing descents.
Rafting, canoeing and water sports.
Crags, via ferratas and first climbs.
Skiing, Nordic and snowshoeing.
Cliff-side nights, paragliding and offbeat adventures.
THIS WINTER IN THE HAUTES-ALPES
EXPLORE BY AREA
EXPERIENCES TO LIVE
Shared dinner, sunrise over the peaks.
Professional guides, guaranteed thrills.
See the valleys from above, no experience needed.
COEZIA
Real-life puzzles and exploration: in the Embrun forest in summer, on snowshoes in Les Orres in winter.
Some of the clearest night skies in the Alps.
143,467
residents on 1 January 2023
Source: Insee (new tab)5 M
tourists per year, including 47 % under 35
Source: Hautes-Alpes Développement (hautes-alpes.net) (new tab)+4.8 %
overnight stays in summer 2025 compared with 2024, +12.9 % for international visitors
Source: Insee Flash PACA n° 117 (new tab)4,102 m
La Barre des Écrins, the highest point of the department
Source: Parc national des Écrins (new tab)2 sites
Vauban fortifications listed by UNESCO: Briançon and Mont-Dauphin
Source: Ministère de la Culture (new tab)Sources : Insee (new tab), Hautes-Alpes Développement (new tab), Parc national des Écrins (new tab), Ministère de la Culture (new tab)
LATEST STORIES
Hiking & trail running
For six years, Corentin Esmieu watched the same she-wolf in a valley in the Briançonnais, without camera traps, relying solely on direct observation. The film he co-directed with Baptiste Deturche, Louve, une vie dans les Alpes, hits cinemas on 4 November 2026; the she-wolf herself remains out of reach, and that is just as it should be.
Hiking & trail running
On the French side, the gate installed in 2023 once again bars the entrance to the oldest tunnel in the Alps, bored in 1480 beneath the Col de la Traversette. Winter has gripped the Upper Queyras since 18 October: no more hikers will pass through to Italy before late spring or early summer 2027.
Unusual experiences
In the middle of winter, a few holes in the Dévoluy snow gave away a cave nobody had ever entered. Cavers from Gap have been exploring it ever since, down to 600 m below the surface. A network for specialists only, and a window on what the massif hides.
Winter
At the top of the ski area, above 2,700 m, the pistes of Puy-Saint-Vincent drop due north towards the forest, facing the ridges of the Écrins National Park. The resort opens on 12 December 2026: now is the time to book a weekend to ski fast and long.
Hiking & trail running
Above Ceillac's last larches, a rocky bowl at 2,414 m holds the Queyras's largest glacial lake. The path is reported passable until 1 November, snow permitting: you have two weekends left to head up.
Hiking & trail running
Beside the Orceyrette at 1,927 m, larches turn yellow alongside dark green stone pines and emerald water. Above Briançon, this lake nicknamed 'little Canada' can be reached on an easy two-hour walk or tackled as a proper hike.
PRACTICAL GUIDES
