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.

Technical sheet

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

  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: No
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 218 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 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

Practical information

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.

In the nearby area

- Sea of ice
- Crystal Museum

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 11 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
orlane
orlane

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 21, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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)

Automatically translated

ChristL67
ChristL67

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 12, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : Yes

Automatically translated

Ricou31
Ricou31

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Busy trail : 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

Automatically translated

Melshj
Melshj

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Sep 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

A very pleasant walk with breathtaking views

Automatically translated

PIERRE MONNIER
PIERRE MONNIER

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

MAGNIFICENT !!!!! and easy.

PP and MM

Automatically translated

Thomas H5.
Thomas H5.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

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

Automatically translated

Tenzig11250
Tenzig11250

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Lovely balcony walk!

Automatically translated

FGN
FGN
• Last modified:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 13, 2021
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : N/A
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : 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.

Automatically translated

benoitja
benoitja

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Oct 15, 2020
Reliability of the description : N/A
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : 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!

Automatically translated

Brigitte-c-moi
Brigitte-c-moi

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 13, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ 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.

Automatically translated

janb
janb

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 06, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

We really enjoyed this walk with our children.

Automatically translated

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!

Automatically translated

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.

Automatically translated

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.

Automatically translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of the author. Do not copy them without permission.