The Ecrins National Park - A Walker's Guide

70 full- and half-day walks in France’s largest national park. The Massif des Écrins is one of the most spectacular regions in all the Alps. Most of the area is a national park, with summits over 3000m high. Well-marked trails and a network of alpine huts make it accessible to walkers.

1:  General Tourist Guides

There are numerous general tourist guides to France which include brief items related to the Écrins region, but the following are more specifically mountain oriented.

Michelin Tourist Guide: French Alps Published in 1998 as part of the well-known Michelin Green Guide Series, this title covers the whole of the Alpine range in France from Lake Geneva to the Alpes Maritime. Useful items relating to the Écrins National Park region are included.

The Outdoor Traveler’s Guide: The Alps by Marcia R. Lieberman (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, New York, 1991) Lavishly illustrated with colour photographs by Tim Thompson, this makes a good Alpine primer, with short essays on many regions of the Alps. Coverage includes the Écrins.

2:  Mountains and Mountaineering

Ecrins Massif by John Brailsford (Alpine Club, London, 1987) A climbing guidebook to selected routes by a professional guide now based in the Écrins region.

Ecrins Park by Robin G. Collomb (West Col, Goring, 1986) Another mainly climbing guide devoted to the same area, but with a selection of outline walking routes included.

The Mountains of Europe by Kev Reynolds (Oxford Illustrated Press, Oxford, 1990) Includes a chapter by John Brailsford devoted to Dauphiné, with good background material on the Écrins.

Scrambles Amongst the Alps by Edward Whymper (John Murray, first published 1871, various editions) Although best known for the story of Whymper’s attempts and final success on the Matterhorn, Scrambles also describes his 1861 ascent of Mont Pelvoux and his subsequent crossing of the Brêche de la Meije, first ascent of the Barre des Écrins and traverse of the Col de la Pilatte in 1864.

The Alps in 1864 by A.W. Moore (latest edition pb Blackwell, 1939) Moore was in the Écrins with Whymper and Horace Walker in the summer of 1864, and his book includes his account of the expeditions outlined above.

3:  Walking

Walking the Alpine Parks of France & Northwest Italy by Marcia R. Lieberman (The Mountaineers, Seattle/Cordee, Leicester, 1994) Includes a selection of day walks within the Écrins National Park.

Walking in the Alps by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe, 2nd edition 2005) Covering the whole range from the Alpes Maritime to the Julian Alps, a section is devoted to the Écrins.

Tour of the Oisans: GR54 by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe, 2008) A walking guide to this challenging circuit.

Classic Walks in Europe by Walt Unsworth (Oxford Illustrated Press, Oxford, 1987) An inspiring book for the adventurous walker; a chapter by Andrew Harper is devoted to the Tour de l’Oisans.

Walking & Climbing in the Alps by Stefano Ardito (Swan Hill Press, Shrewsbury, 1994) This glossy hardback is a translation from the original Italian. Describing a number of multi-day tours in the Alps, it includes an eight-day walk from St-Véran in the Queyras to La Grave at the foot of La Meije.

Alpine Points of View by Kev Reynolds (Cicerone Press, Milnthorpe, 2004) A collection of 101 full-page colour photographs, plus text, illustrating the rich diversity of Europe’s premier mountain range from the walker’s viewpoint. The Écrins region is well represented.