The Chalets de l’Eau Froide are huts in the Bauges mountains. They are rumoured to have one of the best views on the Lac d’Annecy from the southern direction. However, there was a thick fog when I arrived there so I could not verify it… I basically followed these directions, with the map here (except at the end, where I continued a bit further).
The Dent du Chat (Cat’s Tooth) is a peak on the south-west side of Lac du Bourget, near Chambéry (Savoie). It has a great view on the lake. I mostly followed those instructions but, after the Dent, I continued to Molard Noir and the Relais TV du Mont du Chat before looping back to Bourdeau.
The Aravis is a mountain range located west of the Mont Blanc in Haute-Savoie. The area near La Clusaz has 5 Combes (Grande Forclaz, Tardevant, Paccaly, Grand-Crêt, Bella Cha) that can be traversed in one go, although the path is long and not always obvious when crossing between them, as I found out… I went there in July, with the intention of hiking 2 of them: The Combe de Tardevant and the Combe de Paccaly. On the way, I also passed the Lac de Tardevant and went up the Pointe de Tardevant.
The Semnoz is a mountain in the Bauges Massif that dominates the north-west side of Lake Annecy. It is also a popular ski resort during winter and the summit, Crêt de Chatillon, is easily accessible by road. In good weather, it offers great view on the Albanais, the other mountains in the Bauges Massif and even the Mont Blanc. Here is a description of the trail (Sentier des Gardes) that I followed.
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!
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.
The Circuit de l’Ancienne Mine (Old Mine Loop) is a hiking trail in the village of Lathuile, near Lake Annecy.
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.
The Lac d’Annecy (Lake Annecy) is located in Haute-Savoie and is the third largest lake in France. In spring, I took my bike on a loop around the lake. The loop is about 42km and should take about 3 hours to complete in one go. Starting in Annecy-le-Vieux, I first followed the road southwards on the eastern shore of the lake and stopped at Roc de Chère, Cascade d’Angon and Réserve Naturelle du Bout du Lac. It started raining heavily at that point so I rushed to go back to Annecy. However, the western shore of the lake is actually the nicest for cyclists, with a flat and fully separate bike lane (Voie Verte), which goes all the way from Annecy to Albertville. I used photos from other times I was on that path instead.
