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1 WALKS

Mont Blanc as backdrop while walking near the Refuge Bel Lachat (Hut Walks, Route 4)

Classic Walks

What makes a Classic Walk? It goes without saying that the views should be stunning and if possible in all directions; the terrain should be varied and interesting, hopefully with some forest but also lots of walking above the treeline; a clear objective, such as a summit; and maybe even a cafe en route or at the end for a cold beer or an ice cream while you sit back and soak up the scenery.

There are so many walks in the Chamonix region that it’s difficult to choose. Ten of the best – or perhaps the best 10! – are included here.

Family Walks

Family Walks are intended to be walks that anyone and everyone can do, including small children, reluctant adolescents and people who don’t want to walk very far.

Some are longer than others, but all offer lovely scenery and most are feasible in summertime, regardless of the weather. Routes 2 and 10 are harder than the others and should be reserved for the day when all the family are feeling super fit and the weather is perfect.

For dog lovers, I have noted whether your beloved furry friend can go along too. Where dogs are not allowed this is usually because the area is a designated reserve of some kind. Sometimes dogs are allowed but must be kept on a lead – usually because of the presence of farm animals.

Hiking in the Alps for all the family

Hut Walks

A hut makes a good objective for a walk, either to stay the night so as to climb to a high point the next day, or as a destination in itself as a good and interesting day out, usually with the added incentive of lunch and a stunning view once you reach your goal. It’s usually a bonus if you can stay the night as the evening and morning light, in good weather, give by far the best photos and ambience. Moreover, many huts are really busy in the day with the lunchtime trade, but when those people leave around mid-afternoon a wonderful calm and tranquillity settle on the high pastures and mountainsides. Of course, if you happen to hit the night when several families with screaming kids stay at the hut, you might regret your overnight reservation!

In and around the Chamonix valley the choice of huts is vast, many of them situated in the non-glaciated moyenne montagne, with an approach walk of 1–3hr – perfect for a pre and post-lunch walk, with the added incentive that usually the return will be largely downhill.

Choose your hut carefully and you’ll be able to take dog, child and granny, but be careful – several huts described here are in reserves where dogs are not welcome, even on a leash. It’s not usually a good idea to take your dog on an overnight stay in a hut – not only might there be a resident hut dog, or indeed hut cat, but also other people staying might not be quite so keen to share with your canine friend.

In the summer season (early July to late August) any hut described here will be open, but outside that time it’s worth phoning ahead to check or asking at the Office de la Montagne. It would be rather disappointing to hike all the way up there and arrive gasping for a beer and tartiflette to find the little fermé sign on the firmly barred door. I have tried to give up-to-date details on facilities at the huts, but bear in mind that sometimes showers might be cold, or temporarily unavailable, rooms might be full, or the hut may have been recently refurbished and what I describe as ‘basic’ may be transformed into a luxury mountain lodge!

Almost all the hut walks described here are there-and-back routes, the return following the outward route.

Adventure Walks

All walks can be adventurous on different levels – it’s always exciting to discover a new route, and an unexpected view – but the walks described here also all involve some use of cables or chains along the way. These ‘equipped’ sections do not require technical gear, but they will almost certainly induce the odd frisson, even in experienced hikers, and it goes without saying that if you don’t like walking near drop-offs, or if exciting steps and airy ridges make your stomach churn, then this is probably a section you want to skip. It equally goes without saying (almost) that if children accompany you on these walks, they shouldn’t be very young and they should be steady on their feet and protected where necessary. As for dogs – forget it!

These walks are generally long and strenuous and none of them should be attempted early in the summer season as remaining snow (névé) can make certain slopes extremely dicey.