Bellevue to Les Contamines via Tricot
Our Rating
9
Exceptional
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Length
10.99km
Elevation + / -
651m / 1278m
Altitude Range
1158m / 2120m
When to go
Mid Jun - Mid Sep
Hike duration
2.5 - 4.0 Hours
Run duration
2.0 - 3.0 Hours
Technical level
Moderate
Natural beauty
Incredible
Families
7+ Years old
Dogs
Dogs Allowed
Provision Sources
2 Restaurants
Trail type
With Lift
This route has so much to offer and has a such a great variety of scenery and views. It starts off at the top of the Bellevue lift near Les Houches. From there you walk down a nice forest path towards the valley of the Glacier de Bionnassay. There is a pretty spectacular rope suspension bridge that you will cross with nice views towards the glacier and down towards the valley where the hamlet of Bionnassay is located. After crossing the bridge you will make your way up to the Col de Tricot. On the left hand side you will have wonderful views of the high peaks next to the glacier. The view from the Col de Tricot into the valley of Miage is great. You can already see the Chalets de Miage, a popular refuge and restaurant which will be your next destination. The climb down to the chalets is steep and rocky and it is quite a long way down. The Chalets de Miage are a fantastic place to enjoy a meal or a snack and you will have a nice view over the valley going up to the Glacier de Miage. Next up you will do a short climb up Mont Truc and reach the Chalets du Truc snack bar. From there you will have nice views over the Montjoie valley. After that it is a descend through forest before reaching your final destination, the town of Les Contamines-Montjoie.
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 route reaches an altitude of 2120 meters at the Col de Tricot and could have snow cover till mid June. Check ahead of time. The route itself is easy to follow with clear signs along the way. Just keep track of your current position and look for signs for your next waypoint. The major way points are: Col de Tricot, Miage, Mont Truc and Les Contamines. The trail is not too difficult. The descend from Col de Tricot to Miage is quite steep and rocky and you may have to guide your kids here.
Children
7+ Years old
Dogs
We recommend to keep your dog on a leash
Trail Starting Point
The trails starts at the top of the Bellevue lift station near Les Houches. You can park your car at the lift station or take the bus which stops at the lift station too. You can also take the train but the Les Houches train station is not located in the town center and it would add a bit of a walk to get from the train station to the lift stations.
Another option is to take the Tramway du Mont Blanc from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains and exit the train at the the Bellevue stop.
Trail Directions
Take the Bellevue cable car to the top of Bellevue. Pass the little snack bar on the right side and make your way down to the Bellevue train station of the Tramway du Mont Blanc. You will cross the train track there and see trail markers leading to Tricot. The trail is easy to follow and will lead you to an opening from where you can see the big mountains and glacier of Bionnassay ahead of you. From here follow the signs for Col de Tricot. You will pass a suspension bridge which will signify you are on the right route. Keep following Col de Tricot till you reach the summit. The way down to the Chalets cannot be missed. Just do not take the path to the left side going to Plan de Glacier unless you are set on taking this detour. We got a detailed trail description for the route that takes you from Chalets de Miage to the Plan de Glacier in a loop. You can add this detour but as you will see from the detailed trail description, it is quite a strenuous trail and the descend from Plan du Glacier to the Chalets de Miage is long and steep. From the Chalets de Miage you will find signs for Chalet de Truc. Follow this till you reach this snack bar. Afterwards just follow the signs for Les Contamines
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.
