Chateau de Nardent, 1217m

Hello there.

Snow is coming slowly to the summits, not enough to skis or snowshoes, but enough to make us prefer the forest paths. We'll have time to go up! :) Therefore, our last excursion was not high, but quite beautiful. We climb up the chateau de Nardent (1217 m), in the Chartreuse mountain range, not far from St. Ismier (15 Km from Grenoble), in the slopes of the Gresivaudan valley.

The excursion starts at about 400 m, therefore it is more than 700 meters high difference. The beginning of the path goes along a river in a gentle slope. Then it reaches a forest hut and starts to climb quite steep in a dense forest. At this time of the year all the leaves were yellow and brown, and at some places they covered the ground forming a thick layer.

The path leads to the mountain pas col de Baure, with lovely vues over the Gresivaudan valley and the great Dent de Crolles, an impressive mountain with the shape or a tooth. The summit is reached after a nice 2 1/2 hours climb. Once there the view over the Belledonne moutain range is breathtaking. At this point we had lunch with great views and a bit of sun for a nice siesta. There are rocks in the summit, some trees and a vertical drop to the valley, but no castle... whatever it was, the name chateau didn't come from it...

As usual, you'll find more pictures in our Picasa site.

Cheers,
-Manu & Nina-