Where We Be
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| Chamonix: Premier Hikes in the Area |
A seemingly endless number of hikes are avail-
able to you in the Mont Blanc area, so you're
faced with an embarrassment of riches when
you come here for just one week. Here are the
hikes we chose to do -- all involving lifts to get
started, and all on the easy to moderate side:
Grand Balcon Nord fits in perfectly with a visit
to the Aiguille du Midi and/or the Mer de Glace.
We've described this hike on an earlier page.
Grand Balcon Sud is on the other side of the
valley from Mont Blanc, which means you get
stellar views of the massif the entire time you're
hiking. We chose to do this hike heading away
from Mont Blanc to minimize the steep uphills.
This was one of our favorite hikes of the trip.
We took the Brevent lift to the very top for a
quick look around before returning to the
"Plan Praz" midstation and beginning our hike.
Lac Blanc is perhaps the most popular hike in
the entire area. Like the Grand Balcon Sud, it's
on the far side of the valley from Mont Blanc
and is famous for its reflections of the Mont
Blanc massif on a clear day (which we didn't get,
unfortunately). Both this hike and the Grand
Balcon Sud are part of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
One of our goals was to hike as many parts of
the TMB as we could manage without actually
doing the TMB, so we explored all up and down
the valley and its surrounding mountains, using
lifts whenever possible to avoid the hardest
parts. Col de Balme let us explore the northern
end of the valley (near Le Tour), with views into
Switzerland and a fun mountain refuge to boot.
Col de Voza let us explore the southern end of
the valley (near Les Houches), which is where
the TMB begins for most thru-hikers.
We loved our easy approach to hiking in the
Chamonix area. Most hikes were reasonably
challenging without being killer, and overall we
would have to say our Multipass got a harder
workout than we did.
able to you in the Mont Blanc area, so you're
faced with an embarrassment of riches when
you come here for just one week. Here are the
hikes we chose to do -- all involving lifts to get
started, and all on the easy to moderate side:
- Grand Balcon Nord
- Grand Balcon Sud
- Lac Blanc
- Col de Balme
- Col de Voza
Grand Balcon Nord fits in perfectly with a visit
to the Aiguille du Midi and/or the Mer de Glace.
We've described this hike on an earlier page.
Grand Balcon Sud is on the other side of the
valley from Mont Blanc, which means you get
stellar views of the massif the entire time you're
hiking. We chose to do this hike heading away
from Mont Blanc to minimize the steep uphills.
This was one of our favorite hikes of the trip.
We took the Brevent lift to the very top for a
quick look around before returning to the
"Plan Praz" midstation and beginning our hike.
Lac Blanc is perhaps the most popular hike in
the entire area. Like the Grand Balcon Sud, it's
on the far side of the valley from Mont Blanc
and is famous for its reflections of the Mont
Blanc massif on a clear day (which we didn't get,
unfortunately). Both this hike and the Grand
Balcon Sud are part of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
One of our goals was to hike as many parts of
the TMB as we could manage without actually
doing the TMB, so we explored all up and down
the valley and its surrounding mountains, using
lifts whenever possible to avoid the hardest
parts. Col de Balme let us explore the northern
end of the valley (near Le Tour), with views into
Switzerland and a fun mountain refuge to boot.
Col de Voza let us explore the southern end of
the valley (near Les Houches), which is where
the TMB begins for most thru-hikers.
We loved our easy approach to hiking in the
Chamonix area. Most hikes were reasonably
challenging without being killer, and overall we
would have to say our Multipass got a harder
workout than we did.
| The fun of the Multipass is that it lets you "pop up" for a look around at dramatic scenery like this, at the top of the Brevent Gondola |
| There are bakeries and cheese shops and general stores where you can pick up last-minute supplies |
| This map shows hikes in the area. We took the Bellevue gondola up, hiked to Col de Voza and the Prarion gondola, then returned to town |
| This outing was as much an excuse to see the "official" starting point of the Tour du Mont Blanc (shown above) as it was to go on a true hike |
| Here we joined a bunch of mostly younger folk who were hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc. We got a little taste of their world as they ate breakfast before setting off for their day. |
| We sipped expensive coffee at one of the picnic benches. Our lack of packs made it evident we were day hikers! |
| Head towards the saddle. At the top of the saddle is Col de Balme Refuge, which sits right on the international line separating France and Switzerland. |
| "Col" means "mountain pass" in French, and this pass offers tremendous views in all directions – back to the Chamonix valley but also forward into Switzerland |
| Unfortunately the mountains were mostly hidden behind fog and drifting clouds during our time there. We never got the “killer view” of Mont Blanc reflected in the upper lake that makes this hike so popular. |
| Just beyond the refuge is Lac Blanc itself -- which is much larger and a striking emerald-green in color |
| Eventually we reached Refuge du Lac Blanc, which overlooks a small lake. Many hikers on the Tour du Mont Blanc spend a night here. |
| The hike to Lac Blanc is considered the most popular in Chamonix |
| Tandem paragliding is understandably popular here. Far above, the Brevent gondola makes another crossing. |
| You know you're in for a great hike when this is the view from the start! |
| Down we go! |
| We explored the Brevent summit to our hearts' content before taking the gondola back down to the midstation |
| The views in the other direction weren't too shabby either |
| We arrived early before this Brevent restaurant opened -- but what amazing views of Mont Blanc across the valley! |
| Brevent + Grand Balcon Sud |
| The Plan Praz and Brevent lifts work in tandem to whisk you to the top for some awesome scenery |
| Near the Plan Praz midstation, we got to watch paragliders taking off |
| We followed signs for Le Flegere, the lift at the far end of the hike that would take us back down to Chamonix |
| This was a terrific hike, not too hard, with beautiful views the whole way |
| We made periodic stops for wild blueberries growing trailside |
| This was the view looking forward, with Mont Blanc to the right and behind |
| Lac Blanc |
| We began and ended at the L'Index chairlift -- the higher of the two chairlifts. The other option is to start at Le Flegere midstation and hike up to the lake rather than down-and-across as we did. |
| Of course, as soon as we left, the clouds parted and Mont Blanc came into view! |
| The scenery in all directions was excellent along the way |
| Col de Balme (Le Tour) |
| Col de Voza (Les Houches) |
| This was really more of a stroll than a hike -- we're talking 15 minutes each way over mostly level terrain. This is the starting point at the top of the Autannes chairlift. |
| Taking a peek inside the refuge, we saw a Swiss flag proudly displayed in the dining area, along with a cute painting of the refuge itself |
| Getting There |
Take the #2 bus from Chamonix Sud bus station to Le
Tour to the north (half an hour). Disembark and board
the Charamillon gondola. Ride it to the top, then board
the Autannes Chairlift and ride it to the top to reach the
beginning of the short hike to Col de Balme.
Tour to the north (half an hour). Disembark and board
the Charamillon gondola. Ride it to the top, then board
the Autannes Chairlift and ride it to the top to reach the
beginning of the short hike to Col de Balme.
| The Mont Blanc Tramway (e.g., to the Eagle's Nest) passes right through the area, with stops at Col de Voza and Bellevue |
| While this hike was okay, we wouldn't especially recommend it. A better one in the area might be Mont Lachat (see map above). |
| Les Houches is a cute little town in its own right. Many TMB hikers stay here instead of Chamonix. |
| Getting There |
| Take the #1 bus from Chamonix Sud bus station to Les Houches to the south (half an hour). Board the Bellevue gondola and ride it to the top. At the end of the hike, take the Prarion gondola back down to Les Houches and take the #1 bus back to Chamonix.. |
| Col de Voza is a saddle between the Prarion and Mont Lachat summits. A holiday resort is situated right at the pass itself |
