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It should be obvious then, that a clear head and sure-footedness are prerequisites of all who set out on the Tour of the Oisans.

Plotted in 1963 and waymarked by 1966, the trek is scenically uplifting, for the tour has been routed around one of the highest and most dramatic massifs in the Alps. On almost every stage you gaze upon wild and rugged mountains, look down into deep valleys, stride across pastures, contemplate lakes, streams or waterfalls, and enter regions of apparent remoteness. There are villages and tiny hamlets along the way, but no real ‘resorts’ worthy of the name. Almost every stage enters one such village or hamlet where accommodation can usually be found in a simple but welcoming gîte d'étape or small hotel. But there are also mountain refuges in out-of-the-way locations that offer a dormitory bed for the night, and provide a more authentic high-mountain experience for the trekker eager to sample such delights as watching the alpenglow burnish the nearby peaks with evening gold, or wake in the morning to find the refuge inhabits a pristine world above a sea of cloud filling the lower valleys. Such experiences will count among the highlights of a tour around the Écrins mountains.