From the Mer de Glace to Chamonix through the forest

Return from the Mer de Glace glacier through the Montenvers forest along the eponymous railroad.

Details

1001748
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.57 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 218 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 924 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,917 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,041 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Start: Take the Montenvers train up from Chamonix station and then the cable car down to visit the Sea of Ice.

(S/E) Take the stairs down to the Mer de Glace cave.

(1) Retrace your steps to the cable car arrival station.

(S) Continue along the path to the first intersection, then take a sharp left. Wind your way up to the Crystal Museum (on the left), with a view of the glacier opposite. Pass the Montenvers railway station and reach the hotel of the same name.

(2) At the hotel, turn left, then less than 100m further on, turn completely right. Then turn left, keeping parallel to the railway line.

(3) At the crossroads, take the path to the right for a few metres, where you'll find a fine view of the railway viaduct.

(4) Retrace your steps and continue along the railroad line on your right. Wind down to the railroad line.

(5) Cross the track. Look out in both directions for incoming trains! Also, watch out for the rack in the middle of the track. Continue along the track opposite, down a few more hairpin bends, then turn left.

(6) At the Caillet snack bar, continue straight ahead. Alternate switchbacks and mountainside crossings for about 1.5km. Cross the railroad again (same safety instructions) and continue on the opposite track to the hamlet.

(7) At the intersection with the ski slope, continue straight on, skirting a chalet. Rejoin the ski slope and continue along it to the entrance to the leisure park. On leaving the park, turn right along the railroad track to the bottom station (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 1,756 m - Cable car arrival station
  2. 1 : km 0.26 - alt. 1,708 m - Sea of Ice
  3. 2 : km 1.44 - alt. 1,909 m - Hôtel du Montenvers
  4. 3 : km 1.99 - alt. 1,818 m - Carrefour
  5. 4 : km 2.03 - alt. 1,812 m - Railway viaduct
  6. 5 : km 2.85 - alt. 1,697 m - Railway/road crossing
  7. 6 : km 3.54 - alt. 1,587 m - Caillet refreshment bar
  8. 7 : km 5.36 - alt. 1,221 m - Les planards
  9. E : km 6.57 - alt. 1,041 m - Bottom station of the Montenvers train

Notes

Start & Transport: Take the Montenvers train up from Chamonix station and then the cable car down to visit the Sea of Ice.

Alternative: This route can also be done in the opposite direction, from Chamonix to the Mer de Glace.
In this case, the positive difference in altitude of over 900m over such a short distance makes the hike very difficult, with few "flat" passages.

Worth a visit

- Sea of ice
- Crystal Museum

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
orlane
orlane

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 22, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Super hike with magnificent scenery all the way, a little disappointed at the finish at the mer de glace (sea of ice) as it was far too touristy... (the climb was a bit difficult)

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ChristL67
ChristL67

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

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Ricou31
Ricou31

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Some say it's doable with children. Be careful, you have to lengthen your stride and then tread on slippery stones and mud for most of the way. The time noted is good

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Melshj
Melshj

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk with breathtaking views

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PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

MAGNIFICENT !!!!! and easy.

PP and MM

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Thomas H5.
Thomas H5.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 18, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Nice, not difficult (downhill), refreshment bar halfway down, ....

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Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Lovely balcony walk!

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FGN
FGN
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 14, 2021
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This circuit is closed from 12 September to 22 October. The diversion is to take the RW8 trail, which is the way to the finish of the Sea of Ice, a gently sloping trail but longer than the circuit described above and of little interest. Not very popular, but that's due to the time of year.

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benoitja
benoitja

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very nice walk! Quite muddy and snowy (at first) at this time of year, but we were alone and that's apparently something exceptional!

We set off from the snow-covered Signal Forbes to add a stage of climbing and the whole thing took us through an incredible and magnificent array of scenery!
One small regret was that we did it under very cloudy skies, but the view of the sea of ice was magical nonetheless!

The descent was fairly gentle overall, and easy to do despite a few brittle sections! We made the descent from the Signal summit (2204m) to Chamonix in 1 hour 50 minutes!

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Brigitte-c-moi
Brigitte-c-moi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Doing this walk in the upward direction takes about 3? hours, but it's better to walk up and come back down on the train. Knees and thighs will suffer much less.

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janb
janb

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 07, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We really enjoyed this walk with our children.

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Marie 871923
Marie 871923

Why not specify that the tour is not recommended except in the summer months, and that the staff who sell tickets for the little train agree with this? So we were swayed by their recommendation and once we got to the top we discovered that lots of people were coming down on foot......
We were there on 1 June with an outside temperature this year of 29C!

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lauryM
lauryM

A beautiful descent through the forest. The path runs along the side of the mountain, giving views of the massif opposite and the valley.
Once you reach the ski slope, stay there instead of going to the right of the hut as the path at this point is no longer visible all the way to the end.

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Ph.Guilpain
Ph.Guilpain

An alternative is to walk up the Vallée Blanche exit from Chamonix, which is less steep, and go to the Mottets crag. Then head up towards Montenvers, which is steeper. Many other variations are possible, depending on your level of fitness, the weather etc.
In any case, I recommend a beautiful sunny autumn day with fewer people and red larch trees.

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