Pré de Madame Carle – Écrins National Park
Pré de Madame Carle – Écrins National Park
Pré de Madame Carle: gateway to the Écrins glaciers
End of the road, beginning of the adventure. Located at the end of the Vallouise valley, the Pré de Madame Carle is an emblematic site of the Écrins National Park, nestled at an altitude of 1,874 m. Here, glacial panoramas and legendary peaks await you.
Buried under the snow, Madame Carle’s meadow becomes a world apart. At an altitude of 1,874 m, this mythical site in the Écrins National Park offers an icy setting of legendary peaks and pure silence.
Here begin the great winter adventures, towards the Barre, the Dôme or the Agneaux… for those who are committed, crampons on their feet and hearts wide open.
📸 #PreDeMadameCarle
An exceptional site for hikers and mountaineers
This glacial plateau is the unmissable starting point for the great races to the Barre des Écrins
(4,102 m), the Dôme des Écrins, the Roche Faurio or the Agneaux. It is easily accessible from Ailefroide via a road built in 1938. Every summer, thousands of visitors come to contemplate the moraines, witnesses to the spectacular retreat of the Glacier Blanc.
📲 To enrich your visit, download the LegendR app: landscape reading and quiz on local history and mountaineering.
Access & Refuges
Glacier Blanc car park (end of the road)
Check the weather, get equipped (crampons, warm jacket, water bottle) and leave early. Respects the instructions of the National Park: marked trails, protected fauna, fragile site.
On-site shelters:
- Refuge Cézanne (au Pré): refreshing break
- Glacier Blanc refuge (2,542 m): ideal stop before the summits
- Refuge des Écrins: base camp for expeditions
History & legend
Local stories add a magical dimension to your visit: it is said that Madame Carle, the unfaithful wife of a Grenoble lord, met a tragic end at the bottom of this valley. Jealous, her husband would have deprived their mule of water and food, leading her to the Saint-Pierre torrent where Madame Carle disappeared forever. Since then, it has been whispered that its spirit hovers over the plain, inviting caution and respectful contemplation of nature.
📸 #PreDeMadameCarle
History & legend
Mrs. Carle
Local stories add a magical dimension to your visit: it is said that Madame Carle, the unfaithful wife of a Grenoble lord, met a tragic end at the bottom of this valley. Jealous, her husband would have deprived their mule of water and food, leading her to the Saint-Pierre torrent where Madame Carle disappeared forever. Since then, it has been whispered that its spirit hovers over the plain, inviting caution and respectful contemplation of nature.
📸 #PreDeMadameCarle
