Nestled in the heart of the French Alps, between Tarentaise and Maurienne, ideal for hiking, Vanoise forms one of the most emblematic massifs of Savoie. It is a mountain of altitude, lakes and hanging valleys. The mountain pastures follow the glaciers among the largest in France, and where the villages still retain an authentic face. Here, the atmosphere is more mineral than elsewhere, but also wilder, more vast. We walk there for a long time, often in silence, in unspoiled nature.
The Vanoise region is also a deeply mountainous region. Local specialties speak to this connection with the land: Termignon blue, Savoy volume, gratin crozet, farce, polenta, smoked meats…After the effort, the refuge tables or valley inns remind you that the mountain, here, is also experienced through the plate.
But what makes Vanoise unique is its National Park, created in 1963 — the very first in France. It forms, with the Italian park of Grand Paradis, a huge protected area of over 1,250 km². This park is home to exceptional alpine wildlife: ibexes, chamois, golden eagles, bearded vultures, marmots. And an equally rich flora, gentians to edelweiss, of the larches to high altitude lichensThe regulations are strict, but they allow nature to exist without noise, without overcrowding, in a fragile and remarkable balance.
In this article, I take you to 5 of my favorite hikes in Vanoise. Routes chosen for the beauty of the landscapes, the diversity of the atmospheres and the emotion they provide: Plan du Lac, Avérole Valley, Bramanette valley, Évettes Circus, Mount Froid.Places that are sometimes well-known, sometimes secret, but always memorable.
The Évettes Circus
If you only have one hike in the Vanoise region, head straight to the Cirque des Évettes. It's a superb glacial cirque that can be reached by hiking from the village of L'Écot, a 30-minute drive from Lanslebourg. You'll even have the opportunity to extend your hike with a trip to the Grand Méan glacial lake. As a side note, this lake didn't exist twenty years ago because a glacier once stretched out on this spot!
The day hike I am proposing is not technically difficult but quite long, with an elevation gain of around 900m. The path to the glacial lake (optional) is partly off-trail, so be careful and take a GPS with you. For a full description of the route, see my page dedicated to Évettes Circus.
The Valley of Avérole
Another beautiful and very isolated place in the Vanoise is the Avérole Valley near Bessans. You park your car at the entrance to the valley. A superb path opens up before you, through a valley full of marmots, vultures, and ibexes, bordering high glaciers. Plus, you can stop at the Avérole refuge on the way back; it makes very good pies.
The route I'm proposing is technically easy. You can walk as far as you want in this valley (so deep that it's very difficult to reach the end), then simply retrace your steps. To consult the complete topo with GPX, you can go to my page hiking in the Avérole valley.
Plan du Lac: a winter hike in Vanoise
Plan du Lac is a huge classic among hikes in Vanoise. Probably one of the most famous and most popular hikes in the area. It's easy to see why: the mountain pasture is easy to access, not very steep, and offers breathtaking views of the great nearby peaks like the Grande Casse (a photo with its reflection in the lake is mandatory) or the Dent Parrachée.
You can go and discover this place in summer (I passed by it during my long hike of Guillestre to Mont Blanc in a tent). But in this guide I suggest you explore this area when it is in its superb winter coat. Access is of course less easy than in summer since the access road can be closed quite low down depending on the snow conditions, but it's worth the effort! You will of course need to wear snowshoes to be able to walk in winter when the snow conditions are good (I recommend these snowshoes, these are the ones I use). The Plan du Lac area has the advantage of not being at risk for avalanches.
Plan du Lac in winter will reward you with breathtaking scenery, worthy of the Himalayas, and without the crowds that flock there in summer. It is possible to sleep at the winter refuge, which is open when the main refuge closes, and is very comfortable. To find the complete description of my route with GPX, you can visit my page hiking in Plan du Lac in winter.
The Bramanette valley
Starting from the village of Bramans, you can take a lovely walk that takes you through all the layers of alpine vegetation: deep forest on the north face, mountain pastures, then scree and snowfields. The Bramanette refuge has a really nice atmosphere; you immediately feel at home there.
The hike I propose is a long loop that covers the entire Bramanette valley, with superb panoramas of the surrounding peaks. However, it is also possible to shorten it and simply climb up to the refuge and back. In any case, the route does not present any technical difficulty. To discover the corresponding topo, go to my page hiking in Bramanette.
Mount Froid
The Mont Cenis Pass is an excellent starting point for all kinds of hikes. I suggest a route that takes in Mont Froid (2,822 m) and its fortifications, built at the beginning of the 20th century. The panorama from the summit is exceptional on a clear day.
The route does not present any particular difficulty. It passes through an astonishing landscape consisting mainly of gypsum dissolution funnels on the Petit Mont Cenis pass. To find the topo with the complete description, you can go to the websiteAltituderando.
Conclusion: Enjoy five hikes in Vanoise
These five hikes are among those that have left the greatest impression on me in Vanoise — by their landscapes, their light, their silence, or sometimes just a moment experienced along the way. The Vanoise sometimes has nothing spectacular about it in the tourist sense of the term. It is more subtle. More raw. It is discovered slowly, by walking, by listening, by taking the time.
If these itineraries inspire you, I invite you to explore the rest of my hiking suggestions, available on the site. And if you want to extend the emotion of these landscapes at home, you can also discover my mountain photography gallery, taken largely in the French and Italian Alps. Some of these images are available in art prints or in posters in limited edition.
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