Grand Balcon Sud - Flegere to Planpraz
Our Rating
9
Exceptional
Watch the Full Video on
Length
5.64km
Elevation + / -
314m / 191m
Altitude Range
1816m / 2078m
When to go
Mid Jun - Start Oct
Hike duration
1.5 - 2.0 Hours
Run duration
45 - 75 Mins
Technical level
Moderate
Natural beauty
Incredible
Families
7+ Years old
Dogs
Dogs Allowed
Provision Sources
2 Restaurants
Trail type
With Lift
The traverse between the Flegere and Planpraz lift stations is one of the most popular trails in Chamonix. It is family friendly trail with only a relatively small amount of elevation gain and loss as you traverse the plateau on the Aiguilles Rouges massif. This trail is part of the Grand Balcon Sud and right across the valley is the Mont Blanc Massif with the even more popular Grand Balcon Nord between Montenvers and Plan de l'Aiguille. The views on this trail are stunning and will be some of the best views you can get from Mont Blanc. The terrain is quite rocky which is what you can generally expect from the trails around Chamonix that are around 2000 meters in altitude. Its nothing too crazy though and kids should not have too much trouble here.
You can do the trail in either direction but we prefer to take it from Flegere to Planpraz so that you are always facing Mont Blanc and the Glacier des Bossons. Doing the trail in the other direction does reduce the vertical gain a bit. The trail can be easily combined with a visit to the Brevent Summit using the Brevent Cable Car which departs from Planpraz.
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
The trail reaches an altitude of 2078 meters and should be generally snow free from mid June to early October. The Flegere and Planpraz gondolas run from mid June to mid September so that would be excellent time to go. After about two-thirds of the way, you will pass below the Sources chairlift and you can choose to take the higher path which is what our GPX file and trail map are based on, or if it looks like there is too much snow, then you can opt to stay on the 4x4 track and move down before climbing up to Planpraz. If there is snow, it will usually be on the higher sections of the GR Tour du Mont Blanc trail closer to Planpraz and the lower, straight route to Planpraz over the ski slopes will have a lot more sun exposure and be snow free.
The trails themselves are rocky in many sections and there is a small steep section with metal handrails and supports. Its nothing too crazy though and kids should be fine as long as you supervise them. There are also some sections with steep drops on the valley side and you will want to supervise your kids there too.
Navigating the trail is easy. From the Flegere gondola walk towards the Index chair lift and you will already come across the first trail marker for Planpraz. Its an easy traverse and on every junction there will be trail markers for Planpraz.
Children
7+ Years old
Dogs
We recommend to keep your dog on a leash
Trail Directions
Exit the Flegere Gondola mountain station and turn to your left towards the Index Chair Lift. You will see a trail marker indicating Planpraz which will take you passed the lift station and onto a 4x4 track. From there you will soon take a right onto the foot trail that starts the traverse towards Planpraz. There aren't many junctions and you will generally just traverse in a south-western direction.
After about two-thirds of the way you will pass below the Sources chairlift. You can either stay on the 4x4 track and go straight down and up to Planpraz or you can stay on the GR Tour du Mont Blanc and take the upper trail which will pass by the Altitude 2000 mountain restaurant before looping back to Planpraz.
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.
