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Charousse to Prarion and Col de Voza

Our Rating

8

Very Good

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Watch the Full Video on YouTube
Trail Length

Length

13.88km

Trail Elevation

Elevation + / -

1065m / 1065m

Trail Altitude Range

Altitude Range

1013m / 1969m

When to go on this trail

When to go

Mid Jun - Mid Oct

Trail Hiking Time

Hike duration

4.0 - 6.0 Hours

Trail Running Time

Run duration

2.5 - 3.5 Hours

Trail Technical Difficulty Level

Technical level

Moderate

Natural Beauty of this Trail

Natural beauty

Very Nice

Family Friendliness of this Trail

Families

12+ Years old

Dogs Allowed on this Trail

Dogs

Dogs Allowed

Provision Sources on this Trail

Provision Sources

4 Restaurants

Trail Type

Trail type

Loop

This route hits most of the view points and points of interest on the southern end of the Chamonix Valley aboves Les Houches. We start with the pastures and beautiful classic chalets at Charousse. With Mont Blanc touring high above, it really is a fantastic little place straight out of a movie set. Afterwards we tackle the climb up to the ridge crest and Le Prarion summit. The views on the way up and from the summit are fantastic and go deep into the Chamonix Valley with great views of the many peaks on both sides. We then descend towards Col de Voza with its grasslands and pastures. The Tramway du Mont Blanc has one of its main train stations here. We then descend back to Les Houches passing by the mountain restaurants La Fre'mi and Les Vieille Luges. 

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!

Watch Video on YouTube

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 for this Trail

Risk Considerations & Difficulty Assessment

This route reaches an altitude of 1969 at the Le Prarion summit. The trails should be snow free from roughly the middle of June to the middle of October. Make sure to check our trail condition resources to make sure what the conditions are on the day of your planned outing. The trails are of moderate technical difficulty with the most technical part being the ascend along the crest towards Le Prarion. The rest is fairly easy including a lot of wide 4x4 tracks and some paved roads. Dogs are allowed on this trail.

Family Friendliness of this Trail

Children

12+ Years old

Are dogs allowed on this trail

Dogs

We recommend to keep your dog on a leash

Trail Starting Point

Trail Starting Point

The trail starts at the Prarion gondola ground station in Les Houches.There is a large carpark there and a bus stop. The Les Houches train station is quite a distance away so we would generally recommend the bus or your own transportation. An alternative starting point would be the Maison Neuve carpark which would then enable you to skip the lower part of the route which is not particularly interesting.

Trail Directions

Trail Directions

The trail starts at the Prarion cable car station near Lac des Chavants in Les Houches. Proceed to the small carpark on the side of the ticket office and take the trail heading in a western direction uphill. You will soon reach a larger carpark with a dirt track on its northern side which you will follow up hill till it crosses the Chemin du Tremble. Continue west and up till you reach the next paved road the Route des Aillouds. On this crossing there is a small carpark and a road sign for Charousse. Follow this paved road until you reach the junction with the Chemin des Creuses. Follow this path until you reach a trail marker indicating Charousse. Follow this trail until you reach the pastures and chalets at Charousse. Follow the trail passing by the chalets and the trail will enter the forest. You will see a trail marker at a small bridge over a small stream indicating Col de la Forclaz and Le Prarion. Take this trail which continues in a north-western direction. Keep following the trail markers for Prarion until you reach the Col de la Forclaz. The Col de la Forclaz is a junction where multiple trails and larger roads come together. Look for the trail marker indicating Le Prarion which will take you in an easterly direction as you start your climb up the crest towards the Prarion summit. At Le Prarion you will see an orientation table with nice views on both sides of the crest. Start your descend on the southern side of Le Prarion and you will reach a trail marker. Follow the trail heading towards Hotel du Prarion and Telecabine des Houches - Le Prarion. The Hotel Le Prarion cannot be missed. From there continue heading south towards the Col de Voza. This is a wide 4x4 track. Follow the track as it takes a sharp turn passing by the Col de Voza and the Tramway du Mont Blanc train station. Stay on the 4x4 track as it heads north towards two restaurants: Le Horse Pistes and Le Fre'mi. From there continue in an easterly direction and stay on the left side of the ski piste. The trail will enter the forest and end up at the lovely Vieuilles Luges restaurants perched on a little hill. Head south from there and follow the 4x4 track as it curves to the east and downhill towards Maison Neuve. You will find yourself on paved roads with little trails providing short cuts between the hairpin bends. Continue on until you reach the Route des Aillouds and then follow the road in a north-western direction until you hit meet the trail veering off to the east and downhill to Le Fouilly. The last segment will be a wood staircase until you reach the main road Route de Bellevue. Turn left and head in a north-western direction until you come back to the Prarion cable car station.

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.

Chapelle de Fouilly

Chapel

5

Average

Chapel along in the main road between Les Houches and Les Chavants

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1037m

Col de Voza

Mountain Pass

7

Good

Popular mountain pass connecting the Chamonix and tBionnassay Valleys

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1650m

Col de la Forclaz

Mountain Pass

5

Average

Mountain Pass below the Prarion ridge north from Les Houches

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1533m

La Fre mi

Restaurant

8

Very Good

Restaurant with nice views over the Chamonix Valley below the Col de Voza

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1561m

Lac des Chavants

Lake

5

Average

Small lake near the Prarion lift with a small restaurant, playground and rock climbing area

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1013m

Le Prarion

Mountain Ridge

7

Good

Crest Summit above Les Houches near the lift station that bears the same name

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1969m

Les Vieilles Luges

Restaurant

9

Exceptional

Very nice and atmospheric restaurant between Les Houches and Col de Voza

Full Description

Nearest Town

Les Houches

Altitude

1370m

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