November 10, 2014

Hike to the Alpine Lake Trail in Chamonix: Lacs des Chéserys, Lac Blanc, Lac Cornu & Lacs Noirs

The visit to Lac Blanc (White Lake) is a classic summer hike of Chamonix: It is possible to get there and back using the Flégère ropeway and a bit of walk. An alternative path to reach that lake (and others in the area) by foot is to follow the Alpine Lake Trail (Sentier des Lacs Alpins): Starting at Col des Montets, it goes through the Réserve Naturelle des Aiguilles Rouges on the north side of the valley and passes by the Lacs des Chéserys, Lac Blanc, Lac Cornu and Lacs Noirs (a slight detour for that one). The other highlight of this hike is the constant view of the Mont Blanc (photo above) and the surrounding mountains. At the end of the trail, the Planpraz ropeway can be used to get down to Chamonix. Probably the best hike I did this summer!

November 9, 2014

Hike to Lanfonnet & Pointe de Talamarche

The Lanfonnet is a mountain in the Bornes Massif, located near Lake Annecy between the Dents de Lanfon and La Tournette. It offers a great view on the lake and those mountains. The Pointe de Talamarche is another summit nearby, with a good view on the Dents de Lanfon. This page describes a path to get to the Lanfonnet and back in a loop, starting from Vérel in Talloires. I didn’t actually do the loop: Instead of going down to Col des Nantets, I basically took the same path on the way back but made a detour to the Pointe de Talamarche on the way.

November 5, 2014

Hike to Mont Trélod & Dent des Portes

At 2,181m, Mont Trélod is the 4th highest peak of the Bauges Massif. The trail I followed is a mix of this one (from Montgellaz to Chalet du Golet) and this one (from the chalet to the summit of Mont Trélod).

November 4, 2014

Hike to Circuit de l'Ancienne Mine & Oratoire

The Circuit de l’Ancienne Mine (Old Mine Loop) is a hiking trail in the village of Lathuile, near Lake Annecy.

November 3, 2014

Hike to La Tournette

At 2,351m, La Tournette is the highest of the mountains surrounding Lake Annecy, in Haute-Savoie. It is part of the Bornes Massif.

The trail is well marked and steep but not that hard except towards the end. It starts at the Chalet de l’Aulp, in the village of Montmin. However, there is no public transportation to get there. So after poring over maps and looking on the internet, I settled for taking the same path I used when I went to Pointe de la Rochette: I first rode my bike to Verthier, at the southern end of the lake, then took the forest trail up to Col de la Forclaz and, finally, walked past Pointe de la Rochette to reach the Chalet. An alternative would have been to start in Talloires and go through Col des Nantets on the way to the Chalet.

Update 2017: There is now a summer shuttle from Talloires to Col de la Forclaz and the center of Montmin. It doesn’t arrive exactly at the Chalet but gets you closer.

Update 2021: The bus lines mentioned above to Col de la Forclaz and Montmin are now operated by SIBRA, the operator of the Annecy bus network: SIBRA lines F1 and F2. They now operate on the week-ends of June and September, as well as every day in July and August. They remain free.

October 31, 2014

Hike to Cascade d'Angon & Ermitage de Saint-Germain

After the Roc de Chère, I continued on my loop around Lake Annecy: My next stop was the center of the village of Talloires. The short path to the so called Cascade d’Angon (Waterfall of Angon) starts there. The waterfall is at the end of a slippery trail carved in the rock. I then kept going up, in the direction of the Ermitage de Saint-Germain. Saint Germain was a monk who founded the abbey of Talloires, on the shore of Lake Annecy, in the 11th century. The ermitage is a church built on the location where he used to come for retreat. There is also a great view on the lake from there. I then went back down to Talloires.

October 31, 2014

Walk in Roc de Chère

The Roc de Chère is a national nature reserve in the village of Talloires, on the eastern bank of Lake Annecy. I went there by bike from Annecy, while doing a loop around the lake. There are many trails in the forest and a few viewpoints on the lake.

October 30, 2014

Hike to Pointe de Banc Plat

Pointe de Banc Plat is a peak located at the south-west of Lake Annecy in the Bauges Massif. The area around it is known as Montagne du Charbon. The summit has a great view on the Bauges and the mountains around the lake. This page has the itinerary that I tried to follow: After the summit, instead of taking the ridge to Dent des Portes, I actually went back on the same path as the one I took on the way up.

October 29, 2014

Hike to Tête du Parmelan & Grotte de l'Enfer

The Parmelan is a mountain in the Bornes Massif and one of the most popular hikes in the Annecy area. The mountain can be seen in the background of the photo above, taken from Parc Charles Bosson. This page describes partially the itinerary that I followed (I made a detour through Grotte de l’Enfer instead of going back directly).

October 27, 2014

Hike to Taillefer & Montagne d'Entrevernes

The Taillefer (in the foreground on the photo above, taken from the Ermitage de Saint-Germain) and the Montagne d’Entrevernes (background) are mountains in the Bauges Massif, on the western shore of Lac d’Annecy. This page details an itinerary similar to the one that I followed (except that, at Col de la Cochette, I stayed on the ridge instead of going down on the other side).