The Oisans area includes Bourg D’Oisans, the ski resorts of Alpe D’Huez & Les Deux
Alpes, along with a number of other villages and the six Oisans valleys. It is located
where the Northern and Southern Alps meet, and on the main route between Grenoble
and Briancon.
The Ecrins Park, which is literally on the doorstep of Bourg D’Oisans is the largest
National park in France. As well as the great cycling roads that make their way
into it, there is a vast area to explore by foot, with 700km of trails and over 150
mountains above 3000m. The highest is the Barre D’Ecrins at 4102m, which you can
get a direct view of during the ride up to La Berarde. One very scenic walk which
can be easily accessed from Bourg D’Oisans is up to Lac Lauvitel. The walk starts
from the little hamlet of La Danchere, 12km from Bourg D’Oisans.
The pictures above (roll over to enlarge) were taken in mid april, whilst most of
the lake was still frozen. It takes around 1 1/2hrs to reach the lake, and the grassy
plain next to the water is a great place for a picnic, and to give you time to soak
up the Alpine scenery.
The Oisans tourist information web site (see our links page) contains plenty more
information on the area, and is written in English as well as French.
