Tour des Fiz
Our Rating
9
Exceptional
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Length
31.5km
Elevation + / -
2076m / 2076m
Altitude Range
1248m / 2353m
When to go
Mid Jun - Start Oct
Hike duration
9.0 - 14.0 Hours
Run duration
5.0 - 7.0 Hours
Technical level
Moderate
Natural beauty
Incredible
Families
15+ Years old
Dogs
No Dogs
Provision Sources
4 Refuges, 2 Restaurants
Trail type
Loop
A well-known classic route for exploring the Fiz mountain range above Servoz and Plateau d'Assy with 4 popular refuges along the way: Refuge Moede Anterne, Refuge Alfred Wills, Refuge de Sales and the Refuge de Plate. The trail offers a nice variation in scenery with great views of the Mont Blanc and multiple valleys and well-known peaks. You will be seeing a lot and passing a number of cols giving access to new valleys and new view points. You will be going through large parts of the Six-Passy natural reserve and as such it will all be very natural with no paved roads or chalets except for the occassional refuge. The trail is quite popular though, so you are unlikely to be going at it alone.
This route is also perfect as a long run with easy access to water and fueling stations thanks to the refuges which are perfectly spread out over the trail. It can be done as a very long day hike or in 2 stages by staying in one of the refuges. The refuges are popular and will require advance booking. The trails are all very well marked, easy to follow and of moderate difficulty with a few steep and rocky parts. Family friendly if broken up in multiple stages. You will be going through a natural reserve and as such dogs will not be allowed.
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 2353m and the Col d'Anterne and the Col de la Portette will be very hard to navigate if covered in snow. I tried the route very late in the season one time, only to find myself at the top of the Col d'Anterne looking out over a sea of white. This route is best used from mid June to early October and you need to check snow conditions ahead of time. This is a very popular route with 4 very popular refuges along the way. As such there are plenty of trail markers. After passing the Refuge de Sales you just need to pay attention that you do not take the path to the Passage du Derochoir. We got a detailed trail description for a variation on the Tour des Fiz that uses the Passage du Derochoir. You need the path going right to the Refuge de Plate. The trails itself are not technically difficult. The descent from Refuge de Plate back to Plaine Joux is very steep at the beginning with lose rocks and quite a bit of overhanging rock.
Children
15+ Years old
Dogs
Natural Reserve. No dogs allowed.
Trail Starting Point
The best place to start the trail is at Plaine Joux. There is a very large carpark here. There is also a bus stop for busses coming from Passy and Servoz
Trail Directions
From Plaine Joux, head east and take the gravel path on the left side of the paved road to head towards Barmus. Follow the signs for the first of the 5 refuges: Refuge Moede Anterne. The trail is wide and easy to follow. Once you see Moede Anterne you can take the path to the right to visit the refuge and after your visit you can double back and take the path up to de Col d'Anterne. Reaching the Col you will have a nice view into the next valley. Descend into the valley following the signs for Lac d'Anterne and the 2nd refuge: Alfred Wills. From the refuge take the left path towards the Cascade de la Pleureuse (waterfall) and the 3rd refuge: Refuge de Sales. After the refuge take the path west towards de Col de la Portette and the 4th refuge: Refuge de Plate. From the refuge take the steep path down and follow the signs back to Plaine Joux.
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.
