The Best Family Friendly Trails around Chamonix

If your kids are old enough and can handle an outing of 4+ hours then this is probably the best that Chamonix has to offer. You can do the trail in either direction but we would recommend taking the train to Montenvers first and doing the Grotte de Glace ice cave first. It might be harder to convince your kids to do this after the hike so best to get this done at the start. Montenvers furthermore has a snack bar and a restaurant at the Refuge de Montenvers so this is a good place to fuel up before heading out.  The Glaciorium glacier information center is on the trail and could be a nice quick add-on. The traverse to Plan de l'Aiguille is very beautiful with some amazing views on both sides of the valley. The visit to Refuge Plan de l'Aiguille and Lac Bleu are optional and if the kids are too tired then you could skip these. If you have the stamina for it then you could still add a visit to the spectacular Aiguille du Midi to your day. All in all, this is one of the most popular and highly recommended trails we have. The only downside would be the crowds that you are likely to encounter and this is a big day out so most likley unsuitable for younger kids.

This small loop visits the very beautiful Cascade de Berard waterfall. In our opinion, the nicest waterfall in the direct vicinity of Chamonix. The walk is short and does not have a lot of elevation gain making it suitable for younger children. The waterfall is very impressive, especially the suspended viewing deck. If your kids are very young, then either skip this part or make sure to monitor your kids very well on this part. The handrails are such that a child could fall through. Right above the waterfall is the Buvette de Berard, a nice little restaurant where you can enjoy a snack or a meal with the kids. The Grotte de Farinet cave is located right behind the restaurant. Lastly, there are a number of wooden totems on the trail to the waterfall and back to Le Buet. So overall, a ton of things packed into a short, easy walk for your family.

This trail makes the best use of the lift stations in Chamonix to instantly provide amazing views. The traverse between the Flegere and Planpraz lift stations on the Grand Balcon Sud has a minimal amount of vertical gain and loss and children with a reasonable amount of stamina will be able to tackle this one. There are a few steeper sections and some sections with a drop on one side of the trail. So some child supervision will be required there. The view over the Mont Blanc Massif and the Mont Blanc itself are fantastic. The trail itself also passes through a wonderful variety of forest trails and rocky paths and always with great views all around. This trail can furthermore easily be combined with the Brevent cable car to visit the Brevent Summit and the Panoramic restaurant. Lastly, this trail is super accessible as both lift stations are easily reached by public transport.

The Gorges de la Diosaz is one of our favorite destinations for a short but spectacular walk with the kids. The entrance to the gorge is located on the eastern end of Servoz. The beautiful Diosaz river runs through a steep ravine with beautiful cliff sides. On those cliff sides they have built wooden foot bridges that enable you to travel deep into the ravine. These wood bridges are absolutely amazing, often overhanging the ravine and giving great views into the river and waterfalls below. The trail ends at the Cascade du Voire waterfall. That is where the trail ends and then you will take the same trail back. There are sign posts all along the way providing historical context and stories about the sights you will see along the way. There is a snack bar at the entrance of the gorges where you can buy pancakes and other snacks.

This short out and back trail starts at the hamlet of Le Lavancher and then a beautiful forest trail takes you to a really great view point over the Rochers de Mottets. From there you continue on and pass the lovely Cascade du Chapeau waterfall. You then climb up to the Buvette du Chapeau, a wonderfull little restaurant with a fantastic wooden deck with gorgeous view over the valley and the Mont Blanc Massif. From the restaurants a short optional trail takes you to a viewing point for the Mer de Glace glacier. We have done this many times with the kids and it has always been a great success. So much to see and do in a such a short little trail.

The Lac Blanc is the most visited high altitude lake above Chamonix and for good reason. It's location is absolutely spectacular at an altitude of 2352 meters. It has amazing views of the Mont Blanc Massif which are reflected in its crystal clear waters. Normally a destination like this would be impossible with children but from mid June to mid September, the Flegere Gondola and the Index chair lift provide much easier access to the Lac Blanc. The terrain is still going to be rocky and the downhill still requires quite a bit of work but it is really worth it. The good news is that there is barely any uphill climbing. We did it with our kids a few times with the youngest being 6 years old and it was not an issue. The Refuge Lac Blanc has both a sit down restaurant for its main terrace and also a little take-out snack bar in the adjacent building The food will be simple but the location definitely makes up for it. The only down-side is the immense popularity of Lac Blanc so if you are looking for a nice quiet moment in beautiful nature then this will not be like that. With kids you weren't going to be having that quiet moment anyway!

This lovely trail stays at a relatively low altitude and will be a great option if you are visiting Chamonix outside of the peak summer months. Lac des Chavants is a recreation area which includes a lake, a climbing wall, a large playground and a nice little restaurant on the lake.  From there you will be entering a nice ondulating forest path with nice little streams on all sides. You will see that other kids have been building little forts and lean-tos in the forest. From there you will make your way to one our favorite and most pictoresque hamlets in the area: Vaudagne. The old school building and the Chapellle de Vaudagne are very nice.  We climb through Vaudagne and make our way to the pastures at the Chalets de Charousse. Easily our favorite pasture in the valley with the amazing Mont Blanc back drop and the farm houses are equally stunning. All in all, a nice little loop with a great mixture of scenery.