Le Tour and Montroc Short Loop
8
Overall rating
Very Good
Length
4.56km
Elevation + / -
226m / 226m
Trail type
Loop
When to go
End Apr - End Oct
Hike duration
1.5 - 2.0 Hours
Altitude Range
1358m / 1536m
Technical level
Easy (2/5)
Natural beauty
Nice (3/5)
Run duration
45 - 75 Mins
Families
4+ Years old
Dogs
Dogs Allowed
Provision Sources
Restaurants at Le Tour
Contributors:
This is one of our favorite family walks with the perfect length, elevation gain and a nice variety in scenery. This walk never gets too strenuous or monotonous and kids should have a great time here. The trail starts at the northern of the Chamonix valley at the hamlet of Le Tour. The Chapelle du Tour is a nice little chapel which is typically open from spring to autumn. There are water fountains and in summer and winter the restaurants near the Charamillon lift station will be open. From Le Tour, we head north and cross a field and head into the forest. Along this path you will have some nice views into the Chamonix valley. We then pass by a nice area with a wooden cross and chalet at Le Chenavier. Shortly after you will start descending towards Tre-le-Champ and reach a place with a nicely situated wooden chalet perched on a hill with a collection of wooden totem carvings nearby. If you are looking for a place to eat then you head further down into Tre-le-Champ and visit the Auberge la Boerne. After Tre-le-Champ, we proceed down back to the valley floor at the hamlet of Montroc. There are some nice old buildings here and also two water fountains. We then cross a bridge and make our way back to Le Tour with some views of the Glacier du Tour on the way.
This trail is easy to adjust to suit your needs. You can start it in Montroc if you are coming by train. You could also easily combine this with the other trails we have in the area. If you want to add a little bit more then we would suggest making your way to Le Planet from the Montroc-Le Planet train station and using the Petite Balcon Nord to head back to Le Tour.
Photos of this Trail
We have a large library of pictures from in and around the Chamonix Valley. All pictures are categorized and geo location tagged. These are the pictures we have for this trail. Click on any picture to view it's details and location.
Trail Directions & Safety Considerations
Children
4+ Years old
Dogs
We recommend to keep your dog on a leash
When to Go
End Apr - End Oct
Risk Considerations & Difficulty Assessment
This route reaches an altitude of 1536 meters and should be snow free from the end of April to the end of October. Even with a certain level of snow cover this trail should be faily doable. The trails themselves are well marked and it will be easy to navigate and orient yourself as you are basically just making a loop around the two sides of the same valley.
Trail Starting Point
You can start the trail at the hamlet of Le Tour. There is a large car park in front of the Charamillon lift station. If you are coming by bus then take the Le Tour bus stop. If you are coming by train then take the train to Montroc-Le Planet and start the trail from there.
Trail Directions
At Le Tour make your way to the trail marker at the southern end of the big Le Tour ski area parking lot. Head up this bank and turn left and go westwards at the junction. Make your way Le Chenavier. At Le Chenavier the trail will split but they will merge again so either path is fine. At the next junction follow the trail for Tre-le-Champs and head down the hill. You will come out of the forest and see a chalet perched on a hill side. On your right, in front of the chalet, are some wooden totem carvings. Head south-east and then turn right and pass by the chalet on the hill keeping the chalet on your right. At the next junction head down the hill to Les Frasserands. You will meet the main road and head east to the Montroc-Le Planet train station. Pass the train station and turn left on the main road. Take the first right and head into the Chamin Paul a Ya. There will be two water fountains along this old street. Turn right at the Chemin du Gragni and take the trail that leads down to the river and bridge. Cross the river and the trail will bend southwards. At the junction above the river bank turn left and head north towards Le Tour. You will cross another bridge. Keep heading north and turn left, westwards towards Le Tour and the start of the trail.
Points of Interest for this Trail
We have a large database of all of the points of interests in and around Chamonix. These are the points of interest you will find along this trail:
3D Map & GPS
Trail Route Map & GPS
You can download the GPX file and load this route into your own GPS enabled device or application. If you are on Strava, then you can open this route in Strava and save it to your account.
3D Map of this Trail
FATMAP in an incredible website and mobile application that you can use to view the trail in full 3D, do a fly over of the route and get a detailed vertical profile. You can view the FATMAP of this trail below and use the 'View larger map' link to visit the trail on the FATMAP website.
