Lavancher to Chapeau
Our Rating
9
Exceptional
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Length
2.89km
Elevation + / -
303m / 303m
Altitude Range
1246m / 1543m
When to go
End Apr - Mid Oct
Hike duration
45 - 75 Mins
Run duration
25 - 45 Mins
Technical level
Very Easy
Natural beauty
Very Nice
Families
4+ Years old
Dogs
Dogs Allowed
Provision Sources
1 Snack Bar
Trail type
Out and Back
This is one of our most recommended family friendly short hikes which will take you through some beautiful forest trails with openings and view points that showcase the Rochers des Mottets and the Aguille Verte. You will be crossing the Torrent du Chapeau which has a nice waterfall right before reaching the Le Chapeau buvette. This snack bar has a nice large wooden terrace with nice views into the Chamonix valley. There is an option to take a short trail to a view point that will enable you to look into the Mer de Glace. This short little trail has a lot to offer and is a great option for families with younger kids.
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 has well marked and easy to follow trails with the end point of Le Chapeau clearly indicated on multiple trail markers. The area before crossing the little Torrent du Chapeau river has some rockfall and there will be a sign warning you to not stay there for a long time and move on. The Buvette du Chapeau sits at an altitude of 1576m and should be snow clear from the end of April to the middle of October.
Children
4+ Years old
Dogs
We recommend to keep your dog on a leash
Trail Starting Point
There is a large carpark at the top of Le Lavancher and more parking if you continue driving upwards. If you are using the train then the nearest train station is Les Tines from where you will have to walk up to the hamlet of Le Lavancher. This does add a considerable amount of vertical to the trail. Another option is the bus which stops along the main road between Chamonix and Argentiere. From there it is still a bit of walk up to the Le Lavancher but definitely shorter than the trail from the Les Tines train station. The Petite Balcon Nord runs through Le Lavancher so you can also reach it by foot from either the Argentiere or Chamonix side of this trail.
Trail Directions
From Le Lavancher simply follow the first trail marker that will have Le Chapeau on it. From there on out you cannot miss the trail as there are trail markers all along the way. Once at Le Chapeau you have the option to take a trail to the right side that will take you to a view point. This extra trail takes about 15 minutes.
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.
