Tour des Fiz
9
Overall rating
Exceptional
Length
31.5km
Elevation + / -
2076m / 2076m
Trail type
Loop
When to go
Mid Jun - Start Oct
Hike duration
9.0 - 14.0 Hours
Altitude Range
1248m / 2353m
Technical level
Moderate (3/5)
Natural beauty
Incredible (5/5)
Run duration
5.0 - 7.0 Hours
Families
15+ Years old
Dogs
No Dogs
Provision Sources
4 Refuges, 2 Restaurants
Contributors:
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.
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
15+ Years old
Dogs
Natural Reserve. No dogs allowed.
When to Go
Mid Jun - Start Oct
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.
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 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.
