How to get there:
Locate Hwy. D-17, north of the mountain.
This road head into the valley. Continue into the valley
on D-417. Do not drive up to the ski area called SuperDevoluy.
D-417 sort of ends when crossing a small bridge, turn right after this bridge
and continue on D-147, it will still head into the valley, but on its right
hand side. You will arrive at a road fork with parking space for 5-10 cars.
This is location 44.65751, 5.93506, elevation about 1550 meter. This is a reasonable
trailhead.
The right hand road heads uphill. A 4WD should have no problem with driving to the end
of the road somewhat above 1700 meter. There is space for parking there, close to
a mast that is part of the gondola that runs all the way up to the main crest of this
mountain. (Actually serving some space observatory.)
Note:
There are other trailheads for this peak. One may start from the southwest side. Most likely,
there is also some route from SuperDevoluy.
Route description:
Hike up to the end of the road. Just as it turns left (before ending), a trail continues straight.
Follow this trail as it enters a basin, then climbs to a second basin (on the left side). You will
see the route traversing right more uphill in front of you. Your trail will connect with this traversing
trail. Continue up what looks like the only feasible way. This trail ends with a few zig-zags as it reaches
th main crest of the mountain. Quite surprisingly, there are 12 15 meter radio antennas up here. This is NOEMA,
Northern Extended Millimeter Array, one of the most powerful interferometry observatories. The antennas can move
along a 1.7 kilometer straight line concrete "road", and work together to produce a very high sensitivity radio
telescope.
Once you reach this concrete "telescope-road", turn left and walk almost to the end, where a trail will continue
down into a shallow saddle then up the final slope to the summit of Pic Bure.
Pic Bure has a pile of rocks serving as its cairn. There is a large fallen summit cross, then a view-finder
that indicates various peaks that may be seen from this summit.
If one turns right at the observatory, one may easily climb the peak at the other end
of this mountain crest, Tête de la Cluse at 1683m, only 26 meter lower than
Pic Bure.
Comments:
I started walking at 0845 and made the main crest with the observatory dishes, in 2 hours.
After a brief rest, I continued to the summit, another 30 minutes. I spent about 15
minutes on the summit. Great views, Barre des Ecrins, in particular. The summit had a
view-finder so easy to identify several familiar peaks.
I descended and walked back to the observatory. After answering several questions related
to out-door activity, a young fellow was there collecting information, I proceeded to
climb the obvious peak at the opposite
end of this long ridge, Tete de la Cluse.
Returning from Tete de la Cluse, the time was now
about 1315, I next descended the same way as I had ascended. Easy going all the way and
back at my car by 1435.
