Chalet du Trousset via the Sentier des Renards

In Cusy, park in the small car park next to the church.

No signposts

(S/E) Go to the front of the church (war memorial) and follow the road downhill to the right. Stay on this road until you reach the stop sign at the large crossroads. Go straight ahead to rejoin the Lescheraines road, cross and follow the pavement on the right. Pass the notary's office and the bakery (busy road, not the most pleasant part of the walk).

(1) Turn right onto Route des Chavonnes. After Les Massettes, follow Chemin des Perrières on the left and ignore Route des Plattets on the left. In the hamlet of Les Perrières, follow the path straight ahead, which quickly becomes paved again.

(2) At the end of the tarmac, follow the path furthest to the right. At the next intersection, continue on the path to the left, then pass a sign for Forêt Communale de Cusy, followed by markers 42 and 43.

(3) At the intersection just after, go straight ahead following the signs for Sentier des Renards. On this steep climb, there is only one intersection. Ignore the path that branches off to the right and continue straight ahead, following the steepest slope. You will finally arrive at the intersection with the^GRP®® du Massif des Bauges.

Yellow and red markings

(4) Turn right and further on, at the intersection, ignore the trail on the left. When you reach the Le Trousset Dessous marker, follow the signs for Chalet du Trousset and you will soon reach the chalet (open to all).

(5) At the Chalet du Trousset signpost, for a slightly wider view, climb straight up the slope to the east, across the meadow. Join a path (^GRP®®) at the edge and follow it to the right to descend back to the chalet, making a small loop (always follow the^GRP®® arrows to the right at each intersection).

There are no signposts, but a few directions are given in the description

(5) Back at the Chalet du Trousset signpost, leave the^GRP®® markings and follow the signs for Saint-Offenge Dessous. Further on, the path winds around to join a track.
Follow it to the left. After a little over a kilometre, ignore a more or less marked path that goes straight ahead.

(6) Just after this, look out for a path that branches off to the right, just behind a large rock. At the next intersection, turn left and join a track.

(7) Follow it to the left and pass through an open gate before reaching a junction with several paths. Follow the path that immediately appears on the right and, about 300 m further on, look out for a narrow path that branches off to the right at the start of a left-hand bend in the path.

(8) Turn onto this path, turn right at the next intersection, then ignore a path on the right leading to a meadow. Return to the tarmac at Les Suavets and continue straight ahead until you reach the intersection.

(9) Turn right.

Yellow signpost

(10) At the next intersection, follow the sign for Saint-Offenge Dessous and turn right onto Chemin de Campolette. Further on, leave the houses on your right and turn left onto the path. Ignore the vague paths on the left.
At the end of a right-hand bend, leave this stony path and take a dirt track on the left. Pass to the right of a sheepfold.

There are no signposts, but a few unofficial tracks mentioned in the description

(11). About 100 metres further on, leave the yellow markings and turn left (old blue cross indicating not to continue straight ahead). The path goes around the sheepfold enclosure. Ignore a path on the right, then ignore a path on the left (blue cross). At a large rock, turn right (old yellow sign on a tree before the intersection).

(12) At this new intersection of paths, also marked by a large rock, there is a fluorescent pink mark. Continue to the right (ignoring the direction indicated by the pink arrow, which is just a landmark; these marks are present for a few hundred metres). You will arrive at a recent clearing with numerous trails left by forestry vehicles (these trails are not marked on the map). Follow the description and the GPX track carefully.

At the first intersection, turn right, at the next one, turn right again and at the fork, keep left. Pass a tree marked with the number 42 and rejoin a more obvious trail. Further on, pass markers 14, 15 and then 16.

(13) At the intersection with marker 18, go straight ahead. Ignore a path on the right and you will arrive in the meadows (with a view of the cliff behind you).

Yellow and mountain bike markings 7

(14) Opposite a house in the hamlet of Les Chavonnes, turn left onto the path and then, at the intersection a few metres further on, keep right.

No markings

At a ruin on the left of the path, leave the markings and descend on a path on the right. Ignore a path on the left and immediately join a road in the hamlet of Chez les Bogey.

(15) Follow the road to the right.

Yellow and mountain bike signs 7

At the right-hand bend in the road, go straight ahead on a path that runs alongside a house on your right. Join a road, cross it and take the path opposite, slightly to the right.

When you reach the Les Mièges signpost, cross the road and continue straight ahead towards Cusy (church). Turn right onto Route de l'Église to return to the car park after a final short climb (S/E).

A maze of unmarked trails, GPS or the Visorando app are essential!

Difficulty: Moderate to difficult due to the very steep slope on the Sentier des Renards. Equipment for mountain hiking, with at least one walking stick.

Discover more hikes in this area with descriptions or the Visorando app here and here

Photo album here

Ultimately, there are few views from the heights as the route is through forest. From the Chalet du Trousset, there is an opening towards Aix and Lac du Bourget. There are more views from the valley.