Haute-Savoie walks

Short, easy route to discover the beautiful village of La Clusaz from different perspectives.
Follow the signs for the “Tour du Village".

A very popular out and back walk into the nature reserve above Sixt Fer A Cheval. Excellent scenery but best enjoyed out of the main summer season when it is very busy.

A short circular walk from the top station of the Telecabin du Grande Massif Express. A short variant is also described to take in the two lakes. Magnificent views from the Tête du Pré des Saix.

Apart from the first hill at the start this is a mainly flat and low level walk from Samoens to Sixt Fer a Cheval and back taking in the Gorges des Tines. It is a pleasant walk with a lot to see and do.

A lovely walk, made accessible by the cable car. Varied and interesting walking with a lake, a quiet path through trees and two great view points.

This is a short tour which is useful to fill a couple of hours; perhaps when you want to stretch your legs on a short and steep ascent, or if you have spent most of the day hurtling downhill on a mountain bike and you want to do something different.
The Pointe de Cheserey can be easily ascended and descended using the same path as an out and return.

Third stage of the Tour des Aiguilles Rouges.
This stage is on the GRP® Tour du Pays du Mont Blanc itinerary. Descend through the Vallon de Bérard nature reserve with its waterfall to the Col des Montets, then climb back up to the Refuge de la Flègère to take in the panoramic view of the Mont Blanc mountain range and its glaciers.

First stage of the Aiguilles Rouges tour.

This stage begins with a forest climb with views of Mont Blanc and the Bossons glacier. Continuing with a panoramic hike over the Passy reserve, we pass Lac de Pormenaz and arrive at Refuge de Moëde Anterne which overlooks the Mont Blanc mountain range.

Hiking on the Aiguilles Rouges massif through a wild landscape, discovering magnificent mountain lakes.
You'll pass the Col du Lac Cornu, overlooking the eponymous lake, before arriving at the Lacs Noirs, where the mountain fauna is particularly present.
Despite some technical sections, I strongly recommend descending to the second lake, where few people venture. You'll be able to spot a few mountain animals - chamois, ibex, marmots - and, weather permitting, take a dip in a mountain lake with an exceptional panorama of Mont Blanc.

Fourth stage of the Tour des Aiguilles Rouges.
This stage is on the Mont Blanc GRP® route, with the Mont Blanc massif and its glaciers as a panorama. Balcony hike to Planpraz. The panorama on arrival at Brévent is exceptional.

Fifth and final stage of the Tour des Aiguilles Rouges.
This stage offers panoramic views of the Mont Blanc massif and its glaciers, the Contamines valley and Les Fiz. The descent is through forest.

A short summer hike with exceptional panoramic views over the Chamonix valley and its massifs. There are several ways to approach it from Le Tour: the one shown is from the East, using the Charamillon cable car and the Autannes chairlift. The return journey is via the Charamillon cable car.

Many of you are familiar with the Mer de Glace and its trusty red cogwheel train. This time, however, you won't be using the train - you'll be climbing Mer de Glace on foot. Don't worry, you'll be able to admire the little red train as you make your way up. The hike continues as far as the ladders leading down to the Mer de Glace. From here on, the ride becomes mountaineering, and it's time to turn back.

Outward journey from Argentière via Aiguillette d'Argentière and Lac Blanc, then down via Flégère to Les Praz de Chamonix.
Return to Argentière by train from Les Praz station. Otherwise two cars are required for arrival and departure.

An exceptional hike, with no great technical difficulty, but with a substantial vertical drop that will take you to one of the most beautiful accessible glaciers in the French Alps, along with the Tour glacier.

The scenery is breathtaking, with the Aiguille Verte (4100 m), the Aiguille d'Argentière (3900 m) and the Aiguille du Chardonnet, among the most famous. The glacier is accessible, but be careful not to venture onto this glacier without suitable equipment, as numerous crevasses are visible.

This modest hike takes us to the Péclerey mountain overlooking the village of Le Tour, at the northern end of the Chamonix valley. This small, unassuming mountain offers superb views of the surrounding peaks (Aiguilles Rouges, Mont-Blanc), the Chamonix valley and the Tour glacier.

With a group of senior hikers from the Arve Valley, we set off down the Arve River from its source at La Jonction, Geneva, to its confluence with the Rhône.
A short one-day circuit, ascending via the balconies and descending as close as possible to the river, the SM3A path.

Magnificent hike, facing the Mont Blanc Massif all the way! While the whole route is quite busy, Lac de la Remuaz is off the trail and therefore isolated: a little forgotten gem.

9th stage of the Tour du Mont Blanc, from the Refuge du Lac Blanc to Chamonix.

Circular close to the Franco-Swiss border with a variety of exposures in a Nature Reserve (forest to the East, long ridge, alpine pasture, forest to the west), with a beautiful 360° panoramic view and a belvedere ideal for picnics.

3rd° loop of the Arve descent, from Les Tines, up through Le Lavancher and Petit Balcon Nord, superb scenery and a very pleasant forest crossing, and a descent as close as possible to the river.

A must-do hike through the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve in the Chamonix Valley.
Lac Blanc culminates at 2352 m, offering an unforgettable panorama of the Mont Blanc range.
The route described here is much more bucolic and wild than the variant via La Flégère, which has become far too touristy.

After the sources of the Arve, the second loop of the Arve starts from Argentière and takes you on a balcony to the village of Le Tour. The return journey is via Tré-le-Champs, with beautiful panoramic views of the Mont Blanc Massif.

Beautiful walk facing the Mont Blanc massif, with a permanent view of the massif and glaciers.

A beautiful hike downhill from the restaurant near the Plan de l'Aiguille cable car to the Montenvers station and back to Chamonix station by train.

Return from the Mer de Glace glacier through the Montenvers forest along the eponymous railroad.

The Montagne de la Côte is a steep ridge separating the final tongues of the Bossons and Taconnaz Glaciers tumbling down from Mont Blanc and Le Goûter.
Historically, the route taken by Balmat and Paccard on their first ascent of Mont Blanc, this climb starts out pleasantly winding through the forest, then onto grassy slopes, and finally into a more mineral setting, ending in a very high-mountain glacial atmosphere.

Located above the Tour glacier, on its right bank, it is the only refuge managed by the Chamonix CAF that can be reached without crossing a glacier in summer. Its location is ideal, with views over a wide range of peaks: Aiguille du Tour, Chardonnet, Aiguille d'Argentière, la Verte and les Drus, les Aiguilles Rouges. It was named after Albert 1st, King of the Belgians. Considered the only high-mountain refuge accessible to families.

A long loop taking in the various lakes in the eastern part of the Aiguilles Rouges Massif, with magnificent views of the Mont Blanc Massif just opposite, reflected in the waters of the lakes.
⚠️ The itinerary includes two tricky sections equipped with ladders and metal ramps.

Lovely loop at the end of the Grand Balcon Nord, Chamonix valley.

Hiking facing the Mont Blanc massif and the Chamonix peaks.

A hike for those who want to enjoy the high mountains without too much elevation gain. It's ideal for children aged 8-10, to help them appreciate the mountains.
You'll enjoy a panoramic view of the Mont Blanc range from the Chamonix side.

A high-level and stimulating walk along the Grand Balcon Nord overlooking the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc Valley. The route starts from the Montenvers train station (the Little Red Train) and passes the Refuge du Montenvers (worth an overnight stop). The Grand Balcon Nord terminates at Plan de l'Aiguille but the route drops down to Les Houche on the river L'Arve to reach the Chalet Les Méandres (ex Tupilak).

This 10th stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) normally runs along the high ground above the L'Arve valley to La Flègere but here's the description of the variant to Lac Blanc. A shorter stage but full of excitement and challenges. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

This 2nd stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) follows the river Le Bonnant upstream to climb over the Col du Bonhomme at 2,329m. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

This 1st stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) is possibly the toughest but the adrenaline is pumping and short-cuts are not on the agenda. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

The Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France. These 11 stages are one way of doing it but you can make your own version of the TMB. The classic route begins and ends in Les Houches and takes an anticlockwise direction around Mont Blanc and the adjacent peaks. There is a total of 164 km (102 miles) walking these 11 routes and a positive height gain of over 10,000m. Certainly a challenging adventure but well worth the effort. Let's do it!

This 11th stage of the Tour Mont Blanc (TMB) is practically all downhill (with obvious exceptions at La Flégère, up to the Col du Brévent and Le Brévent and the Tête de Bellachat). The Refuge Lac Blanc is at 2,352m and the Chalet Les Méandres is at 1,100m. Let's do it!
The TMB is a classic long-distance footpath that goes around Mont Blanc, passing from France into Italy and through Switzerland before returning to France.

Starting in the abandoned ski resort of Drouzin le Mont in Col du Corbier, this is a moderate mountain climb winding through a forest section & alpine meadows before concluding with a short but challenging craggy rock face. The summit is sheltered by large rocks offering 360 stunning views of Lac Leman to the North and Mont Blanc to the South. It is not for the faint hearted, solo inexperienced or novice if a vertical rock scramble is not your thing, but the rest of hike is far more moderate.

A there and back hike up to Roc de Taveneuse with views across to Abondance. This hike offers a challenging initial forest climb (hard relentless cardio but no rock climbs or cables/supports) but then opens up to mountain pastures with full panoramic shot of Mont Blanc (on a clear day). A further climb brings you to Roc de Tavaneuse with 360 views.

A circular route encompassing a stunning ridge hike with views down to the glacial valley of Samoens and Sixt Fer a Cheval whilst overlooked by Mont Blanc.

A very beautiful hike on snowshoes which takes you through completely wild areas covered in pure white snow.

Nice looped hiking trail mostly in the undergrowth where you can see pretty views like Val du Fier's canyon, the river Rhône downstream Seyssel or the lovely ruined Saint André's chapel overlooking Albanais' plains.

An atypical route through bushes and over the lake.

Snowshoe circuit on the vast Glières Plateau.
Besides the historical aspect, the Glières Plateau is interesting to visit because the mountains that surround it are strong points of reference.

A short and easy walk around the informative trail about the formation of marshland and the different fauna and flora found there, followed by a visit to the monument erected to the resistance fighters who were based at the Plateau des Glieres in the latter part of WWII. The way back follows part of the historic trail and passes the place where equipment drops were housed and the site of the infirmary.

An out and return walk to Lac du Mont Charvin. Passing through woodland, then pasture before entering the higher and more rocky terrain. Great views Mont Blanc from the ridge above the lake.

A circular walk, at first uphill through woodland where the shade can be a relief, then over open mountain pastures to Le Planet before returning downhill to the start.

A lovely walk through great scenery which changes at different points of the walks. Good views and very quiet.

Note this is not marked with the usual yellow signposts so you will need to refer to your IGN map. There are some hand-painted signs and arrows to help guide you. This walk also passes through the upland pasture with grazing sheep and the livestock is protected by dogs. Make sure you have read the information and know-how to pass flocks in a safe manner. A photo re info is attached,

A short uphill walk from the Col de la Colombiere to the lake and back. Nice scenery but can be popular.