Adventure Plans
GR58 Tour of the Queyras Loop
Six days on the GR58 gave us a full circuit of the Queyras, with big climbs, repeated crossings into Italy, swims, camps, and a very welcome pizza at the end. Across the trip we covered 155.60 km with 9113.2 m of ascent.
Quick Summary
We started after the sleeper train to the Alps and spent six days walking the Tour of the Queyras, finishing on 11 July. The route kept a steady pattern of long climbs, high traverses, and simple camp life, broken up by hut stops, lake swims, and a few timely comforts.
Day 1
The first day felt like a gentle way into the loop after the journey out. We settled into the trail, found our rhythm, and had one of those opening days where everything still feels new and slightly unreal.
Light rain arrived in the evening, so dinner happened in the tent. It was a small thing, but it set the tone well for the week ahead: straightforward days outside, a bit of weather to work around, and camp life becoming the centre of everything.
These first images capture that early-trip feeling well: fresh legs, the first big views, and the shift into camp mode by evening.
Day 2
Day two was one of the bigger mountain days of the trip. We crossed four cols and took a variant that kept us in Italy for much of the route, which gave the day a different feel from the standard line.
Mont Viso kept appearing in the views and became one of the defining sights of the week. The finish was hard to beat too, with a swim at the source of the Guil after a long day in the hills.
Photos - Day 2
The photos from this stretch bring back the higher ground, the border crossings, and the contrast between hard climbing and a cold swim at the end.
Day 3
This was probably the standout day. We crossed into Italy again, went over two more cols, and stopped for cake at a hut, which felt perfectly timed rather than indulgent.
By the end of the day we found an amazing camp spot in a meadow. It had that rare feeling of everything lining up at once: good weather, strong legs, and a place to stop that was even better than we had hoped for.
Photos - Day 3
A lot of my favourite images come from this part of the loop: more high passes, the hut stop, and that meadow camp that ended up being the best overnight spot of the trip.
Day 4
Day four started with frost, which was a surprise after the heat that came later. That swing in conditions summed the week up quite well. We had our first on-trail pastry of the trip, then stopped at Lacs du Malrif for a swim, some laundry, and a proper wash.
From there we dropped into Aiguilles in much hotter conditions. It was one of those days that managed to feel both practical and memorable, with the small jobs of a multi-day walk folded into a really good mountain day.
Photos - Day 4
These photos tie together the colder start, the lake stop, and the hotter descent into town.
Day 5
On day five we cut out a small part of the standard route so we could push on and camp next to a refuge. It felt like a sensible adjustment rather than a compromise.
That decision gave us our first shower since leaving home, and that alone made it worthwhile. We also dropped into town for supplies, which helped reset things for the final stretch.
Photos - Day 5
The images from day five feel more like the middle of a long trip: practical stops, resupply, and the kind of comfort that matters more and more as the days stack up.
Day 6
The last day was shorter, but it still felt like a proper finish rather than just a roll back to the end. There was still enough trail left to make us work for it, which suited the trip.
After that, heading to Guillestre for pizza and a bit of rest felt exactly right. It had that familiar end-of-trip mix of satisfaction and not quite wanting it to be over.
Photos - Day 6
The final set rounds out the loop with the last views, the closing miles, and that sense of the trip drawing to a close.
Matching Photos
A lot of the trip comes back through the photos as one continuous story: settling into the GR58, climbing over pass after pass, seeing Mont Viso again and again, crossing into Italy, stopping at lakes to swim and wash, and finishing with tired legs and a proper meal.
Highlights and Learnings
A few things stand out most clearly now:
- The repeated crossings into Italy made the loop feel bigger and more varied.
- Mont Viso became a constant reference point through the trip.
- The swim at the source of the Guil and the stop at Lacs du Malrif broke up the harder days brilliantly.
- The meadow camp on day three was the best overnight spot of the week.
- Finishing with pizza in Guillestre was the right ending.
The main lesson was that a long route like this is built out of small decisions more than one dramatic moment. Keeping moving over the cols, adjusting the plan when it made sense, and making the most of simple comforts all mattered. Cutting a little of the standard route on day five to reach a better camp and a shower was a good reminder that the best version of a route is not always the most literal one.