Loop from Argentière to Le Tour

After the sources of the Arve, the second loop of the Arve starts from Argentière and takes you on a balcony to the village of Le Tour. The return journey is via Tré-le-Champs, with beautiful panoramic views of the Mont Blanc Massif.

Details

3997092
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.82 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 10 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 479 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 471 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,594 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,242 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Take the D1506 to Argentière. At the entrance to the village, after the railroad bridge, turn right towards the railway station car park.

(S/E) With your back to the station, take the footpath on the right to reach the right bank of the Arve.

(1) Go left up to the bridge over the river. Walk past the church to reach a crossroads.

(2) Continue straight ahead, passing several cul-de-sacs on the left and right, and the Protestant church, to reach the bridge under the railroad.

(3) Continue over a small bridge up to the next junction. Go straight on, turn left into Chemin du Planet and begin a fine ramp. At the crossroads, bear left and emerge next to a paravalanche in a meadow offering a wide open view of the valley and Mont Blanc. Continue on to the Hôtel du Planet overlooking Argentière.

(4) Turn right at the end of the car park, signposted Le Tour. Take a carriage road which becomes a footpath. At the Le Tour signpost, turn left down to the river and join a wide path.

(5) Continue right on this path, which crosses a footbridge over the Bisme and leads to a crossroads of paths.

(6) Continue straight ahead, crossing the Ruisseau du Picheu and reaching the top of the ski run through a meadow dotted with coppice and rocks.

(7) Turn left onto the front moraine, along a well-marked path. Cross between the ski lift pylons to reach the entrance to the meadow and the Charamillon gondola lift.

(8) Turn left, then after the bridge over the river, stay on the right-hand side of the parking lot to reach the trail junction at the "Aiguillette des Posettes et Montroc" marker.

(9) Continue left towards Tré-le-Champ. Begin a long traverse through the forest on a good balcony path. Turn left before Montroc below, passing the isolated Chenavier chalet above the village to reach Tré-le-Champs.

(10) Continue as far as the stream running down from the Col des Montets. Turn left onto the small road, which you then leave on the left to follow a wide track over the stream onto the main road.

Follow the road to the left, then fork left onto the small road leading down to Pont Boveray on the Arve. Cross the bridge and turn right onto the Route d'Argentière along the Arve. Pass the cemetery and rejoin the crossroads you passed on the outward journey.

(2) Turn right and follow the same route as the outward journey to return to the SNCF station car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,243 m - Car park - Gare d'Argentière (Hte-Savoie)
  2. 1 : km 0.19 - alt. 1,242 m - Arve (rivière) - Affluent de l'Arve
  3. 2 : km 0.52 - alt. 1,259 m - Carrefour de la boucle - Église Saint-Pierre (L'Argentière)
  4. 3 : km 0.82 - alt. 1,258 m - Railway bridge
  5. 4 : km 2.12 - alt. 1,385 m - Planet Village
  6. 5 : km 3.02 - alt. 1,379 m - Road junction
  7. 6 : km 4.02 - alt. 1,472 m - Crossroads of paths
  8. 7 : km 4.9 - alt. 1,593 m - Front Moraine of the Glacier
  9. 8 : km 5.59 - alt. 1,492 m - Chamarillon cable car station
  10. 9 : km 5.98 - alt. 1,493 m - Carrefour sentiers
  11. 10 : km 7.64 - alt. 1,400 m - Tré-le-Champs
  12. S/E : km 9.82 - alt. 1,243 m - Car park - Gare d'Argentière (Hte-Savoie)

Notes

Start & Parking: Take the D1506 to Argentière. At the entrance to the village, after the railroad bridge, turn right towards the railway station car park.

⚠️ Terrain: These routes in the Upper Arve Valley are not to be recommended in case of snow, as they cross avalanche-prone areas and uneven sections, even near precipices and steep slopes, making them unsuitable for snowshoeing and hiking in general, as well as after rainy spells...
Sincerely
Jacthy.

Worth a visit

(7) High point of the ski run: panoramic view of the Aiguilles Rouges and the Tour glacier from the front moraine.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.7 / 5
Pierre V
Pierre V

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

In reality, we shortened the route from Montroc Station towards Argentière le Planet and the loop via Tour. Most of the hike is in the woods. No major difficulties, may be suitable for children. View of the Glacier du Tour.

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Camibo
Camibo

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike through forests, small hamlets, green mountain pastures, snow-capped peaks and views of Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi. A real treat!

Very few people at the start of the season, easy GPX track to follow. I took it in the opposite direction and, on the way back, just before reaching Argentière, I followed the sign to the (pretty) Pierre à Bosson viewpoint (count 350-400D+ one way).

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smashdc
smashdc
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 15, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Magnificent views of Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi!

I cut short my hike to the Aiguille d'Argentière at the Tré le Champ car park because there was too much snow, so I set off on this loop (from Montroc).
Magnificent views of Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi.
Some nice short climbs and descents.
At the crossroads where there is no sign (point 5), you have to go straight on as the path is not very visible at first. On the right, there is a footbridge and on the left, you can see quite clearly that you are going the wrong way.
The Moai are interesting to see ;-)
A must-do if you want to discover all these magnificent viewpoints!

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jpmscba
jpmscba

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Good evening,
We completed this magnificent tour (27 July 2022) in superb weather.
Everything is beautiful in this region!
We only had a little trouble finding the little path at point 6.
I recommend this route and thank you to Visorando.

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denisjean
denisjean

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 28, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

In my opinion, the distance and gradient are overestimated: 9 km max and 350 m max gradient.

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FGN
FGN

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice route. Most of it is in undergrowth, particularly the return section, which I found magnificent.
Two points about the description: at point 6, you actually have to climb straight ahead. There are no signs and the path is barely visible as it is drowned in the grass. After a hundred metres or so it becomes clearer. At point 10, turn left BEFORE you reach the main road. I walked along the left-hand side of the main road and didn't find the Pont Boveray until I'd gone all the way down the road!

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PatGilles34
PatGilles34

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 17, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very nice walk. At the start, we crossed Argentiere to see some beautiful chalets and then continued through the woods. We picnicked at point 7, a magnificent landscape with a view of the glacier, even if at this time of year you can only see the top, and the Aiguilles Rouges. There were no particular difficulties, except between points 6 and 7. We didn't see the path and continued through the meadow. We reached Point 7 thanks to the route. The return through the woods was pleasant and we enjoyed the path that runs alongside the river. There were also views of Mont Blanc and the Aiguille du Midi on the way back. Magnificent! Thanks to the author

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grandin
grandin ★

jacthy

can you put this warning directly in the description of your tours? thank you

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jacthy
jacthy
• Edited:

Hello,
These routes in the Haute Vallée de l'Arve are not recommended in snowy conditions, as they cross avalanche-prone areas and uneven sections, even near precipices and steep slopes, making them unsuitable for snowshoeing and hiking in general,
as after rainy spells.
Sincerely
The author of these hikes.

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Amanite.bf
Amanite.bf

Hello,
My wife and I tried this hike but quickly backed out due to too much snow on Friday 26 February, knowing that we didn't have any snowshoes. Try again later in the season.
Best regards

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