The Alpine Tour du Mont Blanc TMB, the Pyrénées Trek, the Pilgrimage Route to Santiago in Spain, the Corsican GR20 Europe's Hardest Hiking Route, the Reunion UTWT, the Route de la Bretagne... all of these epic hikes that will make your heart skip a beat have to be labelled as GRs.
Having lived in the Alps for many years, Snowball is here to talk about what GR is and how it will benefit us on our future treks in Europe.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
What's GR?
Spécial grande randonnée specialises in long-distance large-scale hikes, and the GR is a long-distance hiking route, sometimes called the National Hiking Route of France. With this GR, we can measure France with our feet!
The GR routes encompass more than 300 long-distance hiking trails, totaling a distance of over 180,000 kilometers. All these segments are marked by the French National Hiking Association, subsequently becoming beacons for global enthusiasts who adore hiking in France. As long as you see such markings on the road, you know you haven't lost your way, and you can confidently walk on the “highway” of hikers.
Think of the GR5 (from Geneva's Lake Le Mans all the way to Nice's Côte d'Azur), the TMB Tour de Mont Blanc, the GR20 Corsica Europe's Hardest Trail, the Stevenson Trail, the Pilgrimage Route to Santiago, the Great Alpine Crossing... Which of these exciting routes will be the start of your next trek?
The Pilgrim's Progress, the French section, 800 kilometres long.
First of all the word GR is a source of pride for the French, and those little roads from the unknown to the long-established ancient roads stretching from the inland lands of the French Pentagon all the way to the overseas French islands have to be considered a great project.
As a European trekking guide, almost every well-known route is marked with the GR logo. If you come to trek the Tour du Mont Blanc, we will personally show you how to recognise the GR on the map and in the field.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
Who invented the term GR route?
This story begins with a man, Jean Loiseau, who, despite having his own main profession, is constantly passionate about hiking. He led to the narrative of Jean-François Ruaudel (whom we also call the father of French hiking).
Back in 1936, he had a passion for outdoor hiking and enjoyed sharing it; whenever there was a holiday, he would devote himself to hiking trips. Later, he met with the French Camping Club, and they hit it off immediately, inventing a unique way to mark those hiking routes worth sharing. This method consisted of two lines, a red line above and a white line below.
In 1978, the precursor to the French Hiking Association was born, originally named the French Hiking Trails Association. Subsequently, the GR1, the first route, was established, circling Paris for hiking. (The image below is the new version, Paris Perimeter GR2024, prepared for the Olympics, which differs from the first GR route.)
GR3 from the Loire Valley to the Orleans region. Then, in 1951, the great Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB), one of the world's top ten hiking routes, was born (here at Snowball, we are deeply grateful to him; without him, our outdoor company would not exist).
To this day, markers have been set up along a total of 180,000 kilometers of hiking trails, which undeniably marks a great milestone.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
What is GR ? What is GRP ? What is PR ?
Here, we touch upon the concept of hiking classification.
The definition of a GR is a route that requires several days or even weeks to complete. Geographically speaking, it will cross several provinces or regions, and even countries (for example, the Tour du Mont Blanc, the Camino de Santiago in Spain, etc.).
The definition of a GRP is a circular route within a single province that typically takes several days to complete. There are no particularly internationally renowned routes yet, and among them, Snowball is only aware of the Tour du Cotentin.
The definition of a PR (Petite Randonnée) is a shorter and easier hiking route, often also referred to as a walking trail. These can typically be completed in a few hours or a single day. For families with children or older adults, we would recommend the most beautiful local PR routes, which offer fantastic scenery without being too strenuous.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
If you are an experienced hiker, which GR route could you consider exploring?
Here, I will recommend several routes with breathtaking scenery yet moderate difficulty.
The Stevenson Trail, a not-to-be-missed route for mountain hiking enthusiasts (GR70 from the Central Massif in France to the Cévennes region), is also one of the safest, top-choice long trails in the Alps. The entire route is 273 kilometers long, and Snowball will specifically write a guide post to introduce it to everyone.
Another one is the Tour du Queyras (130 kilometers with an elevation change of 8,000 meters). Every summer, we organize enthusiasts from around the world to experience this route, which ranks in the top ten of Alpine trails.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the Tour du Mont Blanc (TMB) hike, covering a total distance of 170 kilometers with an elevation change of 10,000 meters. The characteristic of this trail is its adjustable difficulty level, and together with our French guides, we offer an in-depth exploration of the Mont Blanc massif, including visits to secret bunkers, the Roman road, and encounters with various wildlife.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
What are the most difficult GRs?
I believe you have heard of it, this is Napoleon's hometown Corsica, GR20, the whole 167 kilometres, 11,000 metres of altitude rise and fall, known as Europe's most difficult hiking route. Because of the need to challenge not only its length, there is a very strong test of physical strength, there are several levels as if in the crags on the clouds step on the moon, afraid of heights of donkeys will be afraid of a little dizzy again. In fact, the snowball child a few years ago, the challenge of the scorching sun, but also non-stop climbing and descending, dangerous places to grasp the chain, the memory is still fresh!
The mountains of Corsica have to be said to be truly Europe's toughest challenge!
A similar new route, GR738, if you have already done GR20, you can try this new route. (belledonne, 130km, 10,000m elevation gain/loss)
Of course, there's also the GR R2 in Reunion, if you're a trail runner, I'm sure you're aware of this well known international race, a superb trail running trip without trekking poles, with volcanoes, ice buckets, and all sorts of stunning landscapes paired with specially abused routes; it's a very acidic experience.
GR5, this god-like route, in fact, the origin is from the Dutch generation, until the Mediterranean blue coast of Nice.
One of the most famous and most organised routes is the one that starts from Lake Le Mans in Geneva, Switzerland to the Mediterranean Sea, which lasts 45 days. I remember that a guest asked me before if we can start walking as soon as we get off the plane from Geneva airport. I said yes, we can walk all the way to the Mediterranean.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
How do I organise a GR walking route for myself?
In fact the GR routes are a very well established system where all the routes within the system, are not barren, each day's hike has intermediate stops (alpine huts, B&B's, campsites, etc.), and it's not mandatory to hike with a tent on your back for weeks at a time.
Routes can also be realised according to their own outdoor experience with the map of self-guided tours, or by a professional outdoor adventure company la equipped with local guides, for you to customize accommodation in advance, equipped with luggage transport, safe and effective to take you to experience the mountain hiking. Whether you are an outdoor expert or a hiking novice, you can come to France to experience the depth of the local outdoor culture.
Spécial Grande Randonnée
Can we hike the GR route on our own?
It is also possible to go hiking alone in France with a tent or a bag. Travelling with a camping site means that you have plenty of time to experience nature, and it is the most environmentally friendly and economical way to travel. It is also the most eco-friendly and economical way of travelling. However, it is important to be aware of this and to do your homework in preparation for your trip.
For example, there are some areas in France that are, hunting areas, where great care needs to be taken to be safe and avoid camping in this area. There are also national parks where, according to local laws and regulations, you may not have the right to camp, which could result in fines and eviction by the local garden authorities. So make sure you are well prepared before you come and start your safe and environmentally friendly trekking trip.
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