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Loriaz to Mont Buet via Cheval Blanc

10

Overall rating

The Best

Trail Length

Length

23.31km

Trail Elevation

Elevation + / -

2048m / 2048m

Trail Type

Trail type

Loop

When to go on this trail

When to go

Mid Jul - End Sep

Hiking duration for this trail

Hike duration

8.0 - 13.7 Hours

Altitude range for this trail

Altitude Range

1342m / 3096m

Technical difficulty level for this trail

Technical level

Very Difficult (5/5)

Natural beauty rating for this trail

Natural beauty

Incredible (5/5)

Run duration for this trail

Run duration

5.0 - 8.0 Hours

Kids age requirement for this trail

Families

15+ Years old

Are dogs allowed on this trail

Dogs

No Dogs

Are there provision sources on this trail

Provision Sources

2 Refuges

Contributors:

This route makes for a spectacular day hike or long run. It is a challenging route both in length, elevation and terrain but it is more than worth the effort as you summit Mont Buet at an altitude of 3096 meters (10,157 feet). On the way you will pass the Montagne de Loriaz and the Refuge the Loriaz. This is a beautiful place with wide alpine pastures and great views of the Aiguilette des Posettes. The climb up to the Col de la Terrasse is steep and the terrain gets increasingly barren and rocky. The climb up to the summit of Le Buet via the Cheval Blanc has some difficult parts with permanent ropes installed to help you keep your footing. The summit of Le Buet is absolutely spectacular and often compared to the surface of the moon. You will have 360 degrees views including a fantastic view of Mont Blanc. The descend towards the Col de Salenton has wonderful views into the valley towards les Chalets de Villy. The descend towards the Refuge de la Pierre a Berard is steep and with big rocks. The walk from the Refuge de Berard back to the start of the trail is wonderful and easy. The Refuge de Loriaz and the Refuge de Berard provide excellent options for a rest and some food and drink. A celebratory beer at the Buvette du Cascade de Berard at the very end of your trail is mandatory.


We have an alternative route to this approach of Mont Buet which follows the Tre-les-Eaux valley and connects with this trail at the Col des Corbeux. The rest of the trail remains the same. Both trails are equally spectacular and both the climb up to Loriaz as the climb up through the Tre-les-Eaux are equally beautiful in our opinion. The added benefit of this version are the views from Col de la Terrasse and the visit to Lac Vert. We did this trail too late in the 2022 season and there was considerable snow cover. In 2023 we did the Mont Buet northern approach loop via Tre-les-Eaux in perfect conditions. 


Video of this Trail

We have made a video presentation for this trail. Please visit our channel on  YouTube and like the video and subscribe to our channel. Putting together these videos is quite a bit of work.

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

Age requirement for kids on this trail

Children

15+ Years old

Dog rules on this trail

Dogs

Natural Reserve. Dogs not allowed

Best time to go on this trail

When to Go

Mid Jul - End Sep

Risk considerations for this trail

Risk Considerations & Difficulty Assessment

This route reaches an altitude of 3096 meters and the best time to go is roughly from the middle of July to the end of September. This route should not be undertaken with snow cover and you definitely need to check the conditions ahead of time. The trail is not hard to navigate but you do need to check your position frequently and I would not undertake this one without GPS. 


The trail itself is pretty technical in between the Cheval Blanc and Mont Buet with some very steep parts where fixed ropes are installed to help you keep your footing. There are also big drops and if you are afraid of heights then you will not enjoy these sections. The descend to Refuge de Berard is steep and with big rocks in certain locations.

Starting point for this trail

Trail Starting Point

Your first destination is the Refuge de Loriaz and there are a number of trails that will take you there from the bottom of the Vallorcine Valley. Our suggestion is to park at the Le Buet parking or use the train or bus and exit at the Le Buet train station parking. 

Step by step trail directions

Trail Directions

From the Le Buet parking or train station follow the main road towards Vallorcine and cross the bridge. Take the first left upto Le Couteray and Le Lay. From there the paved road will end and the trails up to Loriaz will start. From the Refuge de Loriaz there is a trail marker and you will want to follow the trail towards the Col de la Terrasse. From the Col you can see your next destination Le Cheval Blanc and you will see the crest that you will be following to lead you to the summit of Mont Buet. From the Cheval Blanc you will be following the crest until you reach the summit of Mont Buet. The way down to Col de Salenton is well marked. You will not need to go to the actual Col. There will be a trail marked indicating the Refuge de Berard and that will be your next destination. The walk from Refuge de Berard to the Le Buet train station starting point is easy to follow and well marked.

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:

Buvette de Berard

9

Our Rating

Exceptional

Snack Bar

Great snack bar perched above the Cascade de Berard waterfall

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

1429m

View on Map
Cheval Blanc Summit

9

Our Rating

Exceptional

Summit

Large flat summit rising high above Lac Vieux Emosson and Tre-les-Eaux

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

2830m

View on Map
Col de la Terrasse

7

Our Rating

Good

Mountain Pass

Rocky mountain pass near Lac Vert between Loriaz and Cheval Blanc

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

2645m

View on Map
Grotte a Farinet

8

Our Rating

Very Good

Rock Cave

Nice little cave near the Cascade and Buvette de Berard

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

1454m

View on Map
Le Buet

7

Our Rating

Good

Hamlet

Small Hamlet at the end of the Berard Valley near Vallorcine

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

1344m

View on Map
Refuge de Loriaz

8

Our Rating

Very Good

Refuge

Beautifully situation Refuge in the Montagne de Loriaz above Vallorcine

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

2020m

View on Map
Cascade du Berard

9

Our Rating

Exceptional

Waterfall

Beautiful waterfall with little snack bar at the start of the Berard Valley.

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

1429m

View on Map
Col de Salenton

9

Our Rating

Exceptional

Mountain Pass

Mountain Pass between the Berard and Aiguilles Rouges natural reserves

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

2526m

View on Map
Col des Corbeux

8

Our Rating

Very Good

Mountain Pass

Rocky mountain pass between Cheval Blanc and Col de la Terrasse

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

2612m

View on Map
Lac Vert Corbeaux

6

Our Rating

Above Average

Lake

Small lake near the Col des Corbeaux and the Col de la Terrasse above Vallorcine

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

2606m

View on Map
Mont Buet Summit

10

Our Rating

The Best

Summit

The highest summit outside of the Mont Blanc Massif at 3096m with great views all around

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

3096m

View on Map
Refuge de la Pierre a Berard

8

Our Rating

Very Good

Refuge

Refuge located at the end of the valley in the Vallon de Berard nature reserve

Nearest town for this point of interest

Nearest Town

Vallorcine

Altitude of this point of interest

Altitude

1925m

View on Map

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.

Open this trail in Strava

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.

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