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The Cirque de la Solitude, and why the GR20 avoids it today
For decades the Cirque de la Solitude was the GR20's most feared passage. After a deadly rockfall in June 2015 the trail was permanently rerouted, and today's walkers no longer pass through it at all.
What the cirque was
The Cirque de la Solitude (I Cascittoni) is a deep amphitheatre of rock in the Monte Cinto massif, on the stage between Ascu Stagnu (Haut-Asco) and the Tighjettu refuge. The old GR20 dropped steeply from the Bocca Tumasginesca — the "Col Perdu" — some 200 m down into the cirque on fixed chains, cables and steel ladders, then clawed its way back up the far wall. It was the emblematic "am I really hiking?" passage of the whole trail: thrilling for some, frightening for many, and slow whenever a queue formed on the chains.
The 2015 disaster
On 10 June 2015, during a violent storm, a massive landslide sent an estimated 80,000 tonnes of rock down into the cirque as a group was climbing the Cascittoni side. Seven hikers were killed — one of the worst mountain accidents Corsica has known. In the aftermath the passage was judged too unstable to keep on a waymarked long-distance path.
The route today: past the Pointe des Éboulis
Since then the official GR20 follows a higher variant that skirts the cirque entirely. From Ascu Stagnu the trail climbs towards the Pointe des Éboulis (around 2,600 m, on the shoulder of Monte Cinto) before descending to Tighjettu. It is longer and gains more height than the old line, but it is closer to hard hiking than to the near-alpinism of the chains. If you walk the northern GR20 now, you will not pass through the Cirque de la Solitude — you go over the mountain, not through the gash.
What it means for your walk
Either way, this is one of the toughest and highest days on the trail, and the weather up here decides everything — the 2015 tragedy struck during a storm. Start early, watch the forecast, and keep the day flexible. One upside of the higher line: it puts you within reach of Corsica's great summits, including a side-ascent of Monte Cinto, the island's highest peak. For how this fits into your overall schedule, see how many days you need.
Sources: France 3 Corse — le drame d'I Cascittoni · FFRandonnée — 10 ans après le drame
Plan the northern GR20 around real refuges
The free RandoNav planner splits the hardest northern stages into days that match your fitness, with Ascu Stagnu, Tighjettu and every refuge as overnight stops.
Open the GR20 plannerFrequently asked questions
Can you still hike through the Cirque de la Solitude?
No. Since the 2015 rockfall the cirque has been abandoned as the GR20 route and is considered unstable and dangerous. The waymarked trail no longer goes there, and hiking into it is strongly discouraged.
Is the new route easier than the old cirque?
It is less technical — you avoid the old chains and ladders — but it is not easy. The reroute climbs higher, past the Pointe des Éboulis on the shoulder of Monte Cinto, so it is a longer, more sustained ascent. This is still one of the hardest days on the northern GR20.
Where exactly was the Cirque de la Solitude?
On the stage between Ascu Stagnu (Haut-Asco) and the Tighjettu refuge, in the heart of the Monte Cinto massif. Walkers dropped from the Bocca Tumasginesca (Col Perdu) steeply into the cirque and climbed back out via fixed chains and ladders.
Does the GR20 still have chained passages?
Yes, elsewhere — the Spasimata slabs early in the north and sections around Bavella still use cables or chains. But the notorious sustained chain descent into the cirque is no longer part of the route.