discovering the hiking trails of Queyras

A regional natural park since 1977, Queyras is a recognized hiking area which offers amateur and seasoned walkers an exceptional experience.

There is everything to enjoy if you like to walk. Located in the Hautes-Alpes, bordering northern Italy, Queyras is a preserved mountain which offers hikers a magnificent playground. Director Anne-Sophie Lévy-Chambon decided to walk these paths to highlight the richness of this site.

His thing is to go up at night to admire the sunrise. Nicolas is a mountain guide and he regularly accompanies walkers to the Queyras peaks, such as the Pain de Sucre which rises to more than 3,000 m, on the French-Italian border.

Departure at 4 a.m., so obviously it stings a little… But the reward is there, at the end of the climb: the first rays of sun reveal a breathtaking panorama. The entire Alps chain is visible, with the most famous peaks.

No one regrets their efforts: “It's the magic moment”, whispers a hiker, “only happiness” added another. Not a bit jaded, Nicolas appreciates the show just as much: “All sunrises are different…It’s always different, the rise, the atmosphere, you can’t get tired of it.”

A regional natural park since 1977, Queyras is a land of hiking. Here, 600 km of marked trails offer walkers a wide variety of landscapes. Guarding within the park, Laurent travels through them with always the same happiness: “As we often say, we have a nice office, eh!”

He goes to meet hikers to provide information and remind people of good practices and park regulations. In fact, more and more people are discovering the mountains, without always mastering the codes.

For Laurent, the idea is to be tolerant, to inform and warn, without reprimanding. So that everyone can share this natural space and benefit from it, while preserving it.

“When we ask people about a problem, in 98% of cases it's 'excuse us, we didn't know', so obviously it goes well. People are sincere, we see it clearly, so it's up to us to inform and do a little education and awareness raising.”

Philippe Barbero knows the Queyras trails well too. Since his childhood, he has walked them with his family. More than 20 years ago, he created the Queyras Passion association whose mission is to restore abandoned mountain heritage.

That day, we found him on a path, surrounded by an army of volunteers. Head to a small 17th century chapel, which was once the heart of a hamlet of 2,000 people.

Of this story, only ruins remain, but beautiful, solid ruins, which the group is working hard to bring back to life. Everyone took their vacation days to participate in the project. Young and old, everyone is motivated.

A great atmosphere, great work! And then it's for a good cause, we're redoing beautiful local chapels, we're beautifying the country.

With the support of goodwill, some public aid and above all a lot of elbow grease, the association has already rehabilitated around twenty sites.

For Philippe, “it is a great pride to be the artisans of this chain of heritage conservation, to breathe new life into places steeped in history. And to share it with all those who come to Queyras, who all use these beautiful paths.

Find these testimonies in “Le Queyras off the beaten track”, a documentary by Anne-Sophie Lévy-Chambon, on france.tv.

First published on December 9, 2023