Walks & Rambles

2424 Traverse Montenvers-Plan de l’Aiguille :

one of Chamonix’s classic rambles not to be missed, in either direction. The trail, perched above the valley at the foot of the Aiguille de Chamonix, offers unrivalled views of the Chamonix valley. 2 hours 15 mins to 3 hours via the “Signal”

27 Lac Bleu :

this easy ramble takes you to a little lake, nestled in a bowl surrounded by rock boulders at the base of the Aiguilles de Chamonix. 30mn round trip.

28 Chamonix par Blaitière :

the itinerary follows the same route as the Montenvers path before taking a left down towards the Blaitière alpine meadows which have recently been rehabilitated and are now exploited again. The trail, with no particular difficulty, is however long and pretty steep. 2h55.

29 Chamonix via the Pré du Rocher :

at first, the path descends between large boulders, then runs down through the forest to Chamonix, passing under the cable car lines towards the arrival point. 2 hrs

30 Chamonix par Grand Bois :

this downhill path offers wonderful views of the glaciers, the Mont Blanc and of the Aiguilles de Chamonix. 2 hrs.

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21.a A trail on the theme “Make a date at Montenvers” :

an easy trail starting at the Grand Hotel du Montenvers with five themes. 1 hr return.

21.b A trail on the theme “Meet the railway” :

setting out from the Grand Hotel du Montenvers, the path winds through the larch forest to reach the foot of the viaduct. 1h return.

22 Le Signal Forbes :

trek up to a magnificent view point over the Chamonix Valley, with views over the Mer de Glace on the way, and multiple cairns and rock slabs under the Aiguille de la République (1h40 round trip).

23 Access path to the glacier :

starting from the Panoramique bar, the path leads on to the Mer de Glace viewpoint and to the ice cave. 30 min. Return is possible with the telecabin (5 min).

2424 Traversée Montenvers-Plan de l’Aiguille :

See above

25 Descent to Chamonix via les Mottets :

this trail passes by the Mottets refreshment bar (buvette) before continuing through the forest to reach Chamonix via Les Planards. 1h40.

26 Descent to Chamonix via Caillet :

for a while the path runs alongside the railway before running through the forest to the chalet de Caillet (refreshments) and returns to Chamonix via Les Planards. 1h40.

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1 Planpraz-Flégère traverse :

with the departure from Planpraz or from the top of the Flégère gondola, the classic route follows for the most part the “Grand Balcon Sud” and can be undertaken in either direction. 2 hrs.

6 Petit balcon sud :

ce sentier panoramique évolue à 1250 m d’altitude environ, la plupart du temps en sous-bois, et relie Servoz à Argentière. De nombreux accès, faciles et rapides, sont possibles tout au long de la vallée.

4 Lacs Noirs via the Cornu pass and the Glière pass :

from Planpraz, you reach two rocky basins with peat covered bottoms (hence the name “black lake”). The Mont Blanc and the Mont Blanc du Tacul are reflected in their shallow waters. 4 hrs return. . Or round trip from the Index 2h10

7 Lac Blanc :

from the summit of the Index chairlift, this ramble at the foot of the Aiguilles Rouges leads to the only glacial lake in the range. 2h30 return.

11 Lac Blanc :

from the top of the Flégère cable car this ramble at the foot of the Aiguilles Rouges leads to the only glacial lake in the range. 3h30 return.

8 Lacs des Chéserys :

Au départ de la gare de la Flégère, cet itinéraire emprunte l’une des dernières parties du grand balcon sud pour mener à cinq lacs de montagne au pied des Aiguilles Rouges. Vue superbe sur la Mer de Glace, les Drus, l’Aiguille Verte et le glacier d’Argentière. 3h AR.

9 Balade à la Floria :

Walk to the Floria: Departure from the summit Of the Flégère cable car, for a desente to the Floria. roundtrip or return to the Praz de Chamonix by foot. 1h15.

10 Sentier Flégère - Index :

ascent 1h30 / descent 1h

2 Lac du Brévent :

from the summit cable car station, a circuit linking the Brévent, the Brévent lake and the Bel-Lachat mountain hut close to the Carlaveyron nature reserve. 3h00 return

3 Lac Cornu via the Cornu pass :

leaving from Planpraz with its sunny mountain meadows, this ramble offers an extraordinary panorama of the reverse side of the Aiguilles Rouges range, the Fiz chain and the Aravis range. The return trip overlooks Mont Blanc with a variation via the Index, 2396 m, and return to La Flégère. 3h00 return

5 Descent from Le Brévent to Planpraz :

this itinerary, via “La Brèche” or “Breach”, follows the first ski slope to be developed in Chamonix. Follow the footsteps of history! 1h10.

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16 Le Point de vue :

the path leads to the banks of the Argentière glacier from where the view of the ice-fall is very impressive. On your return, take a short detour via the Chaletrefuge. 4h00 round trip.

17 Le Lavancher via Les Ecuries de la Pendant :

an easy and pleasant descent under the mountain larches, through alpine meadows to the little hamlet of Lavancher, untouched by the attacks of time. The trip is also possible on mountain bikes. 3h15.

18 Descente sur Argentière par la Trapette :

descent path through the forest - in the welcome shade during the afternoons - with a possibility to link the “Petit Balcon Nord” trail. 2h30 round trip.

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10 Col des Posettes :

this ramble wanders through the alpine meadows and offers the chance to come across the grazing herds. Return to Charamillon. 1 hour for the loop

11 Aiguillette des Posettes :

this elevated itinerary offers incomparable views of the entire Mont-Blanc range as well as the Argentière and the Le Tour glaciers.On the other side, the views range from Vallorcine to the Bérard small valley. Return via Trélechamps (1417 m), from where a footpath leads back to the Tour car park. 3h10.

12 Lac de Catogne (difficult trail) :

wild site in Swiss territory from where the views are out onto the Swiss Valais and the Emosson hydro-electric dam. The itinerary goes from the Col de Balme (2186 m) via the Croix de Fer (2343 m) before dropping down to the lake. Return to Charamillon. 3h10.

13 Refuge Albert 1er :

technical trek in the heart of the Tour glacier (access conditions depending on the snow cover. Please check before departure). The Albert 1er refuge is the departure point for various routes on the Tour and Chardonnet needles. 2 h

14 Aiguillette des Posettes :

return to Vallorcine via the Montets pass. 2h20.

15 TTête de Balme via Charamillon gondola and Les Autannes chairlift :

return to Vallorcine on foot or by the gondola. 1hour 30 mins for the loop

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35 Les Crêtes Bellevue > Voza > Prarion :

An ideal and esay hike to discover an exceptional panoramic view. From the top of the Bellevue gondola follow the dirt road direction Col de Voza which is parallel to the trail tracks. Once at Col de Voza walk up the facing summit of Prarion. After the farm follow the trail through the pasture towards Prarion. 2 hr.

34 Mont-Lachat :

Climbing the foothills of the Mont Blanc, admire the views overlooking the pastures and the valley. A view of the exceptional Bionassay glacier. 2.5 hr

36 Hiking trail to l’Alpage de la Charme :

Take the Prarion gondola, follow the signs direction Alpage de la Charme. A gentle walk to discover a local pasture ground where once at the farm you can discover their different cheeses. 1 hr.

39 The Are high mountain pastures :

An easy little hike, ideal for families. Go along a little trail that leads you into the Are high mountain pastures, guaranteeing coolness and tranquillity at the foot of the Bionnassay glacier. You will spot Bernard’s “black cows”! They are the Hérens breed of cattle, native to this region. 1hr round trip

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32 The banks of the Bionnassay glacier :

leaving the Nid d’Aigle, under the north face of the Aiguille de Bionnassay, an easy ramble with perfect views of the glacier. 1 hr 30 return.

33 Col du Tricot :

From Bellevue follow a downhill path in the forest before reaching a clearing and then over a Himalayan style bridge over the torrent from the melting Bionassay glacier onwards to the Col du Tricot. Be careful on the way up. Duration: 4 hr return trip.

36 Tête de Charme :

leaving from the Voza pass, this easy ramble offers excellent views of the Dômes de Miage and the Bionnassay glacier. 2 hrs 30 return.

39 Bionnassay glacier trail :

from the Nid d’Aigle, the path runs down on a gentle slope alongside the glacier and its moraines Views out over the ice-falls and crevasses in the foreground and the Col du Tricot in the background. The path then returns to Bellevue (1794 m) along the mountain side. 2h00 return.

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1 Chalet buvette du Glacier 1425m :

5 minutes from the arrival of the chairlift, a grandiose spectacle on the terminal tongue of the glacier.

2 Les Pyramides 1895m :

Sloped since the arrival of the chairlift: 475m - 1hr30 of ascent and 1hr of descent. This chalet, hung on the wall, offers from its panoramic terrace a splendid view over the fall of the Bossons glacier.

3 Le Gîte à Balmat 2530m^* :

3hr30 of ascent and 3hr of descent. This enormous rock was named after the bivouac of Jacques Balmat and Dr. Paccard during the conquest of Mont-Blanc on the night of August 7 to 8, 1786.

4 La Jonction 2590m^* :

Sloped since the arrival of the chairlift: 1170m - 4hrs of ascent and 3hrs of descent. A majestic hike through the Chamonix valley, offering a magical view at the gates of mountaineering