Chalet de Balme from Mont-Piton

de fr

A hike offering beautiful views of the Pointe de Sous-Dine and the Roche Parnal, the access route to the Col de Spée and the Glières Massif. The view also extends to the Jura, the Salève and Lake Geneva.

Details

n°8653
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.66 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,913 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,913 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,039 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,409 ft
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Photos

2-hour snowshoe hike
Break
View of the Col de Freu
Arrival

Description of the walk

Access by car from Thorens-Glières via the D2 to the Mont-Piton chairlift car park.

(S/E) Take the unmarked path that climbs between the houses and a field to avoid the road. When you reach the road, turn left uphill to go round a building.

(1) Take the marked path on the right (a sign indicates the direction to follow). Do not take the path on the left which leads to Orange. Continue along the path until you reach a Fork in the road with two roundabouts.

(2) Take the track on the left which goes downhill. Continue along a path on the left just before the Torrent du Flan.

(3) Cross the bridge (reported missing 27 May 2026) to head back up towards the car park above Orange.

(4) Before the car park, at the junction, turn right and follow the path to a Fork in the road. The direction to the chalet is signposted on the left.
(5) Turn right downhill. Signposted “Chalet de Balme”. Cross the Flan again. The path levels out and, at a slight incline, crosses the path you will need to take on the return journey to descend to Mont-Piton.

(6) Continue without difficulty to the Balme restaurant.

(7) Continue to the chalet that serves, or served, as a refuge, taking a barely marked path heading due east.

(8) Head back down to the restaurant and turn right onto the path leading down to the Fork in the road you passed on the way up. Depending on the weather, it might be better to go up this path and do the circuit in the opposite direction.

(5) Turn left until you reach the slight incline.

(6) Turn right. Be careful: the descent is steep and slippery in wet weather. After passing a few fallen trees blocking the path, wade across the Ruisseau du Pouarch and turn right. You will reach the Ruisseau des Charbonnières

(9) Cross the stream, turn left to follow a wide path which soon turns right at a 90° angle and continue for about 300 m.

(10) Take the path leading down to the right until you come to a patch of neatly aligned fir trees. Continue straight on to reach the road.

(1) Turn left onto the path you took at the start, which leads back to the car park for the Mont-Piton chairlift (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,409 ft - Mont-Piton chairlift car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.18 - alt. 3,540 ft - Mont Piton (junction of the circular route)
  3. 2 : mi 0.74 - alt. 3,763 ft - Fork in the road with two roundabouts.
  4. 3 : mi 1.19 - alt. 3,694 ft - Flan (cours d'eau) - Affluent de la Fillière
  5. 4 : mi 1.5 - alt. 3,842 ft - Crossroads
  6. 5 : mi 2.15 - alt. 4,268 ft - Fork in the road
  7. 6 : mi 2.4 - alt. 4,373 ft - Slight incline.
  8. 7 : mi 3.31 - alt. 4,875 ft - Balme Restaurant.
  9. 8 : mi 3.54 - alt. 5,039 ft - Chalet de Balme
  10. 9 : mi 5.45 - alt. 3,967 ft - Charbonnières stream.
  11. 10 : mi 5.67 - alt. 4,134 ft - Junction
  12. S/E : mi 6.66 - alt. 3,409 ft - Mont-Piton chairlift car park

Notes

Restaurant de Balme.
Friendly welcome but does not allow picnics.
Walking poles and shoes, especially for the descent from Mont-Piton.

Reviews and comments

3.3 / 5
Based on 5 reviews
Reliability of the description
3 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.4 / 5
Route interest
3.6 / 5
User 21320152

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

In May, I walked the section between point 1 and just past point 6. It’s true that the route is very poorly signposted and lacks clear directions, particularly between points 2 and 4. At point 3, the bridge is no longer there, which is a major problem outside the summer months.

Nevertheless, this walk remains an attractive option for those who want to stay in the shade as much as possible. It also has less elevation gain than other nearby routes, and features some very technical sections (though certain spots are slippery and/or steep). It often follows very wide forest tracks.

Points 1 and 2: no signposts.

100 metres before point 3, take a small path on the left, at the bend in the wide forest track. This spot deserves a proper waypoint, as it’s easy to miss the path.

A little further on, there is a small Fork in the road; be sure to take the left-hand path. The path then widens. It descends steeply and this descent is slippery.
You then reach the river; there is no longer a bridge, contrary to the description. In winter, the crossing must be difficult...
Be careful, the stones in the river are very slippery.

Then, on the climb back up, the path is much narrower and tends to disappear. I missed the path, so I used my GPS to find my way back up to the track, which you take on the left

Point 5: at the fork in the road, turn right, following the sign for "Chalet de Balme"; the track descends.

(If an admin is reading this, I can provide a track, but it doesn’t add much to my instructions; the original track is correct)

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vsaintives
vsaintives

Unfortunately, no, there’s no recording of the route. If we do it again, I’d be happy to share it.

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COMAN
COMAN

Hello
Sorry that this hike didn’t live up to your expectations
This route, originally created by bjr suisse, dates from 2012 and has not been modified, or only slightly, by a moderator since 2016
Did you record your route? If so, it would be great if you could share it with us.
Since 2016, the paths may have changed, as may the signposts
It’s good for everyone to contribute their experiences in a positive way and report any changes
Thank you for letting us know that this route is no longer reliable and needs to be updated

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vsaintives
vsaintives

Overall rating : 1.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

The route description is incorrect in several places. We never found the paths mentioned. The instructions are difficult to follow, if not incomprehensible. There are almost no signposts on the ground. We covered 16 km in 4½ hours, with 570 m of elevation gain.
I think it’s better to study the route on a map rather than relying on this post.

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brenue
brenue

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 17, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average

Most of the walk follows a forest route.

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CALVES
CALVES

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

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Pit74
Pit74

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We set off from the car park on the right after the turn-off for Orange

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