On leaving Monêtier, the trail rises up along the side of the slopes of the Serre-Chevalier ski slopes, against the backdrop of the Montagne des Agneaux (3,664m), which prefigures the Ecrins summits. Leaving the ski lifts behind and following the Tour de l’Oisans (GR® 54) route, the trail climbs up to the Eychauda pass (2,425m) dominated by the white, triangular summit of the Cucumelle (2,698m) and the Rocher de l’Yvret (2,830m). The pass is the formerly highly frequented passageway between the Guisane and Vallouise valleys. The descent through the Vallouise valley is a pleasant one along the grassy, undulating slopes of the sedimentary Roche Gauthier ridge, with the contrasting sharp relief of the crystalline Clouzis massif on the other side of the Chambran valley. Close to the typical hamlet of Chambran (old, restored mountain chalets), the land is still used for pasture, although the cows have been replaced by sheep. The arrival at the community of Pelvoux calls to mind the imposing presence of the peak by the same name (3,943m) nearby. The old hamlets there (Le Poët, Le Sarret, Le Fangeas, St Antoine, Les Claux) are all characteristic of the Vallouise valley: traditional vaulted houses, a chapel, community oven, fountains and sundials. If you leave in the direction of Ailefroide, it is also possible to reach the Pré-de-Mme Carle meadow, a popular starting point for the highest mountaineering races in the Ecrins area with guides from the valley. Vallouise valley — the name of which derives from “Vallis Loysia” in honour of Louis XI, who in the XVth century tried to limit the persecution by the Catholic church of the Vaudois people (considered to be heretics) inhabiting the valley, which was then called “Valpute” (“bad valley”) — therefore boasts a remarkable historical heritage thanks to its architecture, sundials, etc.; but it is also home to an interesting population of the rare Isabelle de France butterfly. Vallouise village itself was built within the vast glacial valley scattered with erratic blocks bearing witness to this past activity, at the confluence of the Gyr and the Onde rivers, which join to form the Gyronde.
(Nicolas Aubertin, Gilles Chappaz, Grande Traversée des Alpes)