Sources du Var (verrou glaciaire d'Estenc)

Entraunes (hameau d'Estenc)

The Var has its official source on the ‘verrou glaciaire d'Estenc’, near the hamlet of Estenc, the highest in the valley, in the commune of Entraunes. Provence7 gives 1,790 m. But the actual sources are spread up to 6 km upstream, in the glacial cirque de Sanguinière: one in the vallon of the col de la Roche-Trouée, at 2,600 m, below the pointe de la Côte de l'Âne (2,916 m), on the Saint-Dalmas-le-Selvage side; the other in the vallon of the col de la Boucharde, at 2,543 m, near the col de la Cayolle. There is therefore a gap between the administrative source and the rivulets that feed the river. Estenc is the last green area before the col de la Cayolle (2,327 m), in a setting described as desolate, with the lacs de l'Estrop and de Lausson nearby. The hamlet was a former parish, with the chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Grâces, and serves as a starting point for excursions. The regional website says it is situated ‘at the source of the Var’ and makes it a cross-country skiing area (altitude given as 1,250 m, to be checked). The pages consulted report no legend linked to the source.

Getting there: Coordinates of the hamlet of Estenc (OpenStreetMap/Nominatim), not of a source point: the ‘official’ source is on the glacial threshold near the hamlet, the actual sources are higher up in the cirque de Sanguinière. The regional website gives 1,250 m for Estenc, which contradicts Provence7 (1,790 m): to be checked. Route des Grandes Alpes towards the col de la Cayolle, closed in winter (to be checked).

Opening times and access details are given as a guide only: check before you set out.

Ambient sound