What if you went to "the ballroom of the ladies with bonnets"?

No? You don't do tango... or waltz... or Zumba... or folk dances! No worries, where I'm taking you, you'll only need your eyes and your sense of wonder to contemplate "the hooded maidens of Théus".

Local legend says that long ago, the young girls of Théus, renowned for their beauty, adorned in their prettiest petticoats and large hats, were allowed to go dancing in the Vallauria valley. But, farandole after farandole, laughter after laughter, time passed and they forgot their promise… to be back before midnight… When the last stroke of midnight sounded from the village bell tower, a diabolical howl froze them, and, petrified, they were condemned to an eternal dance!

From the viewpoint at Théus, a perched village clinging to the slopes of Mont Colombis (1734m) at an altitude of approximately 900 meters, nestled between two jagged ravines, you can see a strange natural site: in the Vallauria valley (between Serre-Ponçon and Remollon), the "Ballroom of the Hoodoos." This unusual and mysterious place, composed of about a hundred columns emerging from a lunar landscape, forms an incredible collection of mineral sculptures. The "hoodoos," more commonly known in geology as "fairy chimneys," are large natural columns of soft rock capped with a more resistant rock.

"Fairy chimneys" are the result of rain and torrential runoff, and therefore erosion, on rocks of varying densities over thousands of years. Here in Théus, there are about a hundred of them, of fluvioglacial origin, and the oldest columns are said to be 18,000 years old!

The Ancients, faced with this strange phenomenon, saw magic in it and their imagination gave them names such as "the lady in the beret", "the mother and daughter". Some, defeated by a rather rapid and permanent erosion, accelerated by deforestation and overgrazing, have collapsed as shown in old photos from 1898 (thus disappeared "the Bottle" and "the Hen") while we see emerging, here and there, among the slopes, the beginnings of new columns, young "coiffed ladies" being born and growing.

Go there by car! There's an easy road to get there.

Even better... you're curious, and you want to see the intriguing "coiffed ladies" up close?

So, pack your hiking boots and water bottle, and set off to discover them by hiking along the Vallauria stream, in the welcome shade of magnificent forests. Take the time to read the information panels, those about geology: the rocks and the formation of the phenomenon, and those about botany: each plant specific to the region. Everything is explained… You'll come back a little wiser! So, let's go!

Starting from the ONF parking lot (last turn on the D 53 before the village of Théus) you have the choice between a short circuit or a long circuit.

The blue route, the shortest, is the easiest, approximately 4km, 2h30 walking time, with a positive elevation gain of 324m. It will allow you to get close to the "Coiffed Ladies" and to discover, if you wish, the beautiful village of Théus.

The red route is the longest: approximately 6,5km, 4 hours of walking, 520m elevation gain. It will take you to the ballroom in the company of the "coiffed ladies".

Warning! Be careful! Do not venture onto these trails in rainy weather. (Landslides and soil instability due to heavy runoff.)

This "coiffed ladies" circuit will also allow you to discover the gigantic works carried out from 1860 to 1880 to tame the tumultuous Vallauria torrent on the slopes of which stand the fairy chimneys which made it possible to fight against the runoff amplified by deforestation and overgrazing.

So, are you convinced?