Bienvenue au Pays de la Meije

L’emblématique montagne de La Meije domine fièrement le paysage, créant une toile de fond exceptionnelle pour toutes les explorations. Elle est sans conteste l’une des plus belles montagnes des Alpes.Majestueuse, la Meije surplombe du haut de ses 3983m la haute vallée de la Romanche où se blottissent les deux jolies petites communes de La Grave et Villar d’Arène, chacune entourées de leurs hameaux.

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les hautes vallées – La Grave, la Clarée, l'Izoard

“Les Hautes Vallées, c’est plus qu’un décor. C’est un rêve. Une émotion. Des souvenirs. Un souffle. Ici, on respire plus fort, on vit plus grand, et on partage… Laissez-vous porter au cœur de notre territoire ! Vivez un rêve éveillé à La Grave, en Clarée et à l’Izoard !” 

Regarder la vidéo pour vivre les Hautes Vallées en été
Family glacier hike - T.Poinas

Découvrir le Pays de la Meije

Où se trouve le Pays de la Meije ?

Le Pays de la Meije se situe dans les Hautes Vallées – La Grave, la Clarée, l’Izoard, au pied de la Meije (3983 m), l’un des sommets les plus impressionnants du massif des Écrins.

Entre les Hautes-Alpes et l’Oisans, cette région alpine est traversée par la vallée de la Romanche et constitue l’une des portes d’entrée du Parc national des Écrins, célèbre pour ses glaciers, ses paysages sauvages et sa biodiversité exceptionnelle.

LaGrave and its hamlets

Village mythique face à la Meije

For centuries, the inhabitants of La Grave have shaped a unique Alpine civilization adapted to the challenges of high mountains. La Grave offers an exceptional panoramic view, overlooked by the majestic Meije massif. La Grave was once surrounded by a fortified wall, which has now completely disappeared.
The village has retained a very dense urban fabric, as evidenced by the numerous narrow streets known as "trabuc," connecting the houses to each other.

The village, perched at an altitude of 1,500 meters, has a rich heritage. The five hamlets of Les Traverses at an altitude of 1,800 meters, Les Hières, Valfroide, Ventelon, Les Terrasses, and Le Chazelet (a family ski resort), also offer heritage treasures, including stone houses and churches decorated with tuff...

The Meije Glacier Ropeway takes you into the bowels of the high mountains at 3200m altitude, right up close to the Meije.

Discover La Grave and its hamlets

 

la-grave-alpesphotographies.com-64-1-1-scaled Alpes Photographies
jewelry boxes-HD-ariane-fornia-itinera-magica-9041-scaled © Itinera Magica

Villard'Arène and its hamlets

Traditions montagnardes et nature préservée

Situated at an altitude of 1650m, Villar d'Arène and its hamlets, Pied du Col and Les Cours, have preserved a distinctive heritage of traditional houses, chapels and fountains.

The Romans called this last village before the Col du Lautaret Arènes Supérieures, as opposed to Arènes Inférieures, the name given to La Grave. Having bought back a number of freedoms from the Dauphiné, the inhabitants called themselves the "affranchis", a name that evolved into "Faranchins" over time.

The Saint-Antoine Chapel offers magnificent views, while the "fountain trail" and the eco-museum mill are must-see heritage sites for visitors. The village, faithful to its roots, remains a preserved mountain treasure, at the gateway to the Écrins National Park on the GR54 hiking trail.

In winter, you can discover these forgotten corners thanks to Domaine Nordique which takes us through the byways.

More about Villar d'Arène

 

To go further Further

Hiking in the Ecrins National Park

Ecrins National Park

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Col-du-Lautaret-Winter-2022©M.Molinari

Lautaret & Galibier passes

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Plateau-demparis-bivouac-starry-night-©T.Blais-35-1-1

Our must-haves

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Villar d'Arène

Le patrimoine du Pays de la Meije

Heritage

La Grave and Villar d'Arène, mountaineering village of the ecrins

Pic-de-La-Grave-Alpine-summer-©T.Blais-13-scaled © T. Blais
Les Villages d'Alpinisme des Écrins are historic departure points for major mountaineering routes to iconic peaks. The group of seven are : La Grave, Villar d'Arène, Monêtier-les-Bains, Vallouise-Pelvoux, La Chapelle-en-Valgaudemar, Saint-Christophe-en-Oisans and Valjouffrey.

In 2021, seven villages in the Écrins massif launched a joint initiative: to create a Mountaineering Villages club and establish a charter of shared values. The Villages d'Alpinisme des Écrins were inspired by the "Bergsteigerdörfer," a label created in Austria in 2008 and subsequently adopted in Germany, Italy, Slovenia, and Switzerland.

Coming to a mountaineering village means disconnecting from society and reconnecting with nature in the mountains.

 

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