Hiking in Courmayeur

The main areas for hiking in Courmayeur

What determines the extraordinary quantity and variety of trips and hiking trails in Courmayeur is above all the conformation of the territory. Courmayeur is located in the final stretch of the Aosta Valley, the Valdigne. Here the valley is barred by the Mont Blanc chain. But instead of ending, it forks into Val Veny on the left and Val Ferret on the right. Furthermore, it gives rise to a series of minor valleys: Val Sapin, Val di Youla. This system multiplies the variety of terrain and possibilities, creating optimal conditions for hiking. In general, four main areas can be defined, geographically and morphologically distinct. The two main ones are Val Veny and Val Ferret. The third district extends above Courmayeur, in Val Sapin and on the left orographic side of the main valley, in the direction of Morgex and La Salle. The fourth corresponds to the orographic right of the valley from Courmayeur to Pré-Saint-Didier and affects the set of valleys and plateaus overlooking the hamlet of Dolonne (Plan Checrouit, Val d’Arp). Despite a certain similarity, Val Veny and Val Ferret are characterized by a different morphology. The first is simpler and rectilinear, conditioned by the looming presence of Mont Blanc and cut in half by the tongue of the Miage glacier. The second is more open and flat, with a series of side valleys that branch off on the opposite side of the Mont Blanc range. This difference is the basis of the variety of hiking itineraries, capable of satisfying all tastes. From a short walk along the valley floor to a walk up to refuges or mountain pastures. From a half-day hike for the whole family to a long climb to a pass. From the little excursion to see a nice glacial lake, to the equipped trail (or a real via ferrata) to a high altitude bivouac in Mont Blanc. The pride of the entire Courmayeur area is the famous Tour du Mont Blanc, a great trekking lasting several days, which develops around the entire Mont Blanc group. One of the main and most exciting sectors is the one that passes along the slopes in the Veny and Ferret valleys, opposite of Mont Blanc.

The most important hikes in Courmayeur

To give a summary picture of the hiking itineraries of Courmayeur and its surroundings, a good starting point are pleasant trips to the valley floor of Val Veny and Val Ferret. Popular destinations are the lakes of Miage and Combal (in Val Veny) and the villages of Lavachey and Arnouva (in Val Ferret). Appreciated for the superb views they can offer are the easy crossings at high altitude in Val Veny and Val Ferret, also known as “balconate” (balconies). Longer and more demanding trips lead to Lake Lyconi and the passes (“col” or “colle”) that connect with other valleys or even with France and Switzerland. The best known are Col de la Seigne, Col Chavannes, Col Sapin, Col de Malatra, Colle Battaglione Aosta and Col du Grand Ferret. As for the refuges and bivouacs, you are spoiled for choice. The most comfortable are along the route of the Mont Blanc Tour: the Elisabetta Soldini and Maison Vieille huts in Val Veny, the Bertone hut in Val Sapin, the Bonatti and Elena huts in Val Ferret. A second group includes various refuges and bivouacs located on the slopes of Mont Blanc, and therefore reachable with medium-length routes, which in some cases require the overcoming of aided sections. Accessible from Val Veny are the Monzino and Gonella refuges and the Borelli, Hess and Rainetto bivouacs. In Val Ferret, on the other hand, there are the Boccalatte and Dalmazzi refuges and the Fiorio, Gervasutti and Comino bivouacs. Decisamente alpinistici sono, invece, i bivacchi Alberico e Borgna, della Brenva, Canzio, Craveri, Crippa, Jachia, Lampugnani e il rifugio incustodito Quintino Sella.