Cascade du Dard
6
Overall rating
Above Average
Length
3.38km
Elevation + / -
284m / 284m
Trail type
Out and Back
When to go
Mid Apr - End Oct
Hike duration
1.0 - 1.5 Hours
Altitude Range
1038m / 1233m
Technical level
Easy (2/5)
Natural beauty
Nice (3/5)
Run duration
30 - 45 Mins
Families
4+ Years old
Dogs
Dogs Allowed
Provision Sources
1 Snack Bar
Contributors:
This route starts near Chamonix Center at the Grepon Parking lot. From there its a pleasant 1.2 kilometer walk to the Cascade du Dard. The trail to the waterfall is not too steep and should be easy to achieve with children. Dogs are welcome too. The waterfall itself has a very nice setting with a viewing bridge right in front of it. The pool at the bottom of the waterfall can be reached from a little path on the right side of the bridge but there is a sign warning against flash flooding. On the side of the waterfall is the Buvette de la Cascade du Dard, a snack bar serving salads, pancakes, omelets and cheese fondue. All in all this little route is a fantastic little outing from Chamonix and fun for the whole family.
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
Mid Apr - End Oct
Risk Considerations & Difficulty Assessment
This route reaches an altitude of 1233m at the Cascade du Dard. The trail should be accessible from mid April to the end of October depending on how early and late the snow starts and ends. Navigation is easy with clear signs from the starting point to the waterfall and back. It's also a very short walk so turning back should not be a problem. Lastly, the trails are typical for the forest trails going up the first few hundreds of meters into the mountains on either side of the valley. There will be some rocks and some tree roots but nothing too crazy.
Trail Starting Point
You can start the trail at the Grepon Parking near Chamonix Sud. There are many ways to connect with the trail going up to the cascade including paths from Chamonix Sud and Les Pelerins.
Trail Directions
From the Grepon Parking look for the signs next to the round about in front of the parking. There you will see the sign for Cascade Dard. The route the trail marker is suggesting will take you along the highway before you turn left into the forest. This is probably the fastest way and requires the least vertical gain. The route we are suggesting takes you up the new path that runs uphill parallel to the highway. This will add a bit of an extra climb as you will go up a bit and then down a bit before connecting with the path to Cascade du Dard. The adventage is that you will not be walking next to the highway. On the way back you will pass by the waterfall and cross the bridge and take the path on your left hand side which will then quickly meet up with the trail you used on the way up.
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.
