10 ideas for family activities in La Grave
Opt for the authenticity of the Hautes-Alpes, where the mountains adorn themselves in their verdant mantle and offer an enchanting setting for unforgettable vacations.
Do you want to escape the hum of cars, leave the window open at night to listen to the song of goldfinches and the lapping of streams, leave crowded beaches to breathe in the greenery and admire glaciers?
Here are our family activity ideas for a few days in the mountains near La Grave in summer - from simple, low-budget pleasures to activities that provide little shivers of excitement.
1. Short or long walks to a mountain lake
In summer, nothing beats hiking to a lake. Can you feel it already? Refresh yourself in the crystal-clear waters of a lake at the foot of the peaks, or perhaps wade into a small stream and freeze your feet a little - one of the family activities not to be missed!
Then doze off in the short grass of an alpine pasture. Depending on your choice of lake, it takes between 20 minutes and, for the highest one, 5 hours to reach these oases at the summit.
2. Groundhog hike
Some of the best places to see them are on the Villar d'Arène alp or, for those who prefer to walk very little, around the small butte de Serre Orel on the Col du Lautaret (on the right as you approach from Villar d'Arène).
Go and see them in the morning, before their midday nap, or at the end of the day—when the weather is nice, as they don't like to go out in the rain. But above all, don't feed them! Human food is not suitable for wild animals, which can become ill if they eat it.
Mountain guides also offer outings to discover the fauna of the Alps. You can enjoy an evening out with chamois, a day out with ibex or small trappers, or a 100% discovery day with birds of prey and other mountain inhabitants.
3. First night in a mountain hut with the family
After just 1h30 of walking, we reach comfortable huts where we can savour the pleasure of spending the night in the middle of the mountains and enjoy the absolute calm that reigns when the day's hikers have descended.
4. Close to the Ecrins National Park
The Côte Belle trail, starting from the Laurichard parking lot at the foot of Serre Orel, offers a view-to-level ratio that's well worth the detour: less than 100 m to climb for an extraordinary panorama of the Haute Romanche valley, the peaks and glaciers of the Écrins and, as a bonus, exuberant flora. On the rocks you'll find signs to help you interpret the surrounding nature and landscape. In fine weather, you can continue towards the Alpe de Villar and the heart of the Park on the crevasse trail, which is still virtually flat and rather airy, but well laid out.
Panorama hike Short itineraries
5. Aperitif with local products
Add your favorite drink and some small slices of bread with fresh goat cheese and a teaspoon of wild garlic pesto on top. The result will be a perfect moment!
You'll find fresh goat's cheese at Ferme des Molières and Ferme Coursaline, and bear garlic pistou at the market garden farm Jardin du Moulin. You can buy local produce direct from the farms or at the small farmers' market in Arsine on Sunday mornings from July to September. There are vegetables, meats, cheeses and faisselles, eggs, pasta, honey, honey-based sweets and craft beers.
6. Milking and country walks with the Ferme des Molières goats
Every day during the summer, at the end of the day, you can visit the farm to watch the milking.
7. Discovering heritage
Photo rally: you'll set off in search of the places and objects represented in the treasure hunt material, so you can discover every little corner of this authentic village!
Sur le chemin des saveurs faranchines: set off on a tour of the hamlets of Villar d'Arène, solving riddles along the way to discover the village's traditions.
Ethnobotanical trail - edible plants: around the hamlets of Arsine and Pied du Col, you can follow the desks to find out which edible plants were used in the past and, in some cases, are still used today. For families, an educational booklet is available from the Tourist Information Office in La Grave. The Bureau des Guides de La Grave also organizes edible plant outings with a mountain guide.
8. Vertical stories
Galleries, minerals, mining equipment and mining stories will be revealed as you progress vertically. Depending on the age of your children and your courage when it comes to vacuums, you can choose between the short via cordata route or the long route via the start of the Grands Clots via ferrata, with a return via cordata via the ledges.
9. Perched above the valley
10. And also ... a little adrenaline rush
In La Grave and Villar d'Arène, you can enjoy all kinds of mountain sports: climbing, via ferrata,walks and hikes on the glacier, mountaineering,rafting, canyoning, paragliding, andmountain biking.
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