Index to Lac Blanc with Lifts
Our Rating
8
Very Good
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Length
6.21km
Elevation + / -
178m / 667m
Altitude Range
1873m / 2407m
When to go
Mid Jun - Mid Sep
Hike duration
2.0 - 3.0 Hours
Run duration
1.0 - 2.0 Hours
Technical level
Easy
Natural beauty
Very Nice
Families
7+ Years old
Dogs
No Dogs
Provision Sources
1 Refuge
Trail type
With Lift
Lac Blanc is one the most popular destinations near Chamonix and many people visit it for its amazing location and the amazing reflection of the Mont Blanc mountain range in its crystal clear waters. Right on the shores of the lake you will find the Refuge de Lac Blanc which offers both accommodation to guests and snacks and light meals to visitors. The lake sits at 2352 meters of altitude and as such it is not easy to reach from the valley floor. If you want to get there with your family then the easiest way to get there is by taking the Flegere lift at Les Praz and then take the Index chair lift. Doing so will put you at a considerable altitude making the walk to Lac Blanc a traverse as opposed to a steep climb. After visiting the lake you can walk down to Flegere and grab the Flegere Gondola back down to the valley floor.
Video of this Trail
We have made a video presentation for this trail. The video will provide full 3D fly over of the route and then give a great overview of the experience you can expect when you take on this trail. It is a great way to quickly understand if this is the perfect trail for you. Please visit our channel on YouTube and like the video and subscribe to our channel. Putting together these videos is a lot of work!
Photos of this Trail
Below are all the photos we have in our Chamonix Photos collection for this point of interest. All our photos are tagged with the GPS coordinates and linked to the trails that you can take to find the location where the photo was taken. So if you want to see the full details for a specific photo then just click on it.
Trail Directions & Safety Considerations
Risk Considerations & Difficulty Assessment
This is a high altitude route reaching the Lac Blanc at 2352 meters. This route assumes you will use the Flegere and Index lifts and these will be open from roughly mid June to mid September. The route and the lake should be snow free and accessible at those dates but you should always check ahead of time. The route itself is rocky but not overly technical. The descent to Flegere is steep at times. Children should not have a problem reaching the lake as long as you supervise them well. The trail is well marked and hard to miss.
Children
7+ Years old
Dogs
Natural Reserve. No dogs allowed.
Trail Starting Point
We start at the Flegere lift station near Les Praz. There is a large car park at the lift station with more nearby parking available across from the Le Castel hotel and restaurant. There is also a bus stop at the Flegere lift station. If you want to come by train then exit the train at the Les Praz station and then it is a short walk to the Flegere lift station.
Trail Directions
You will start off by taking the Flegere lift near Les Praz. Once you arrive at the mid station turn left and you will find the Index chair lift. Take this lift up to the starting point of the trail towards Lac Blanc. Lac Blanc is well marked and you should have no problem traversing the mountain in a north east direction until you reach Lac Blanc. Once at Lac Blanc you can relax at the Refuge Lac Blanc and explore the lake a bit. There is a trail going around the lake and on the far side you can take a picture with a reflection of the mountains on the Mont Blanc side. Once you are ready to head back simply go back the same way you came up to the Lake. Look for a trail marker that says Flegere. The path down can be steep at times so take care if you have children with you. You will see the Flegere lift station soon enough and navigating towards it will be easy.
Points of Interest
Our hiking and trail running trails around Chamonix are chosen for their natural beauty and variety. We also always try to combine as many sights, attractions and points of interests as possible in our trails. Below you will find a list of the points of interests linked to this trail.
