Pointe de Beauregard and Croix de Colomban

A walk that offers a variety of mountain scenery. The ascent is gradual through alpine pastures. The descent is mainly through woodland. There are some beautiful views to be had, particularly of the Aravis range, Mont Blanc and La Tournette.

(Warning) Access to the La Vargne mountain pasture is blocked. Do not undertake this hike until further notice.

Details

13112119
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.92 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,365 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,358 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 5,564 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4,793 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

Start at the Col de la Croix Fry. Park in one of the three car parks, either, when coming from Manigod: along the small road that branches off to the left just before the pass; to the right of the D16, at the junction with this small road; at the pass itself.

Signposts are present at major intersections.

(S/E) Head north and take the small road towards Pointe de Beauregard and Sur les Frêtes. At the fork that appears immediately (hiking map), turn left.

(1) Then turn right with the road, ignore a turn-off on the left and continue on a stony track. Ignore another turn-off on the left, rejoin the tarmac and climb steeply.

(2) At the "Les Adrais" signpost, continue straight ahead on a flat track towards Pointe de Beauregard. Descend slightly and walk between the mountain pastures.

(3) At a fork, continue straight ahead towards Pointe de Beauregard and enter a spruce forest. Stay on the main track and ignore all turnings on the right. Leave the forest and climb northwards. Follow a few hairpin bends, pass under a ski lift twice and reach a junction directly below Pointe de Beauregard.

(4) Turn right and quickly reach the summit (panoramic view).

(5) Retrace your steps.

(4) Turn right and quickly reach a crossroads.

(6) Take the third path on the right (wide) and go around a building on the right. Further on, pass a shelter on the right and reach a T-junction.

(7) Turn left towards La Vargne and walk along the shaded path. Pass the La Vargne chalet on your right. At the next intersection, pass the entrance to the Poutassets chalet on your right. Continue until you reach a signpost at another intersection.

(9) Continue straight ahead (south). At the next junction, continue straight ahead and reach the signpost marked "Les Poutassets Est".

(10) Continue straight ahead towards the Croix de Colomban. Cross a stream and climb up to the Lachat chalet. At the flat section, continue along a grassy path which soon gives way to a steep, stony track. Stay on the track, ignore two paths on the right and you will reach the Colomban chalet (beautiful view).

(11) Turn right towards the cross and walk along the chalet on your right. Alternate between short climbs and short descents, open passages and wooded passages. At a fork, turn right to reach the clearly visible cross.

(12) Retrace your steps back to the Chalet de Colomban.

(11) Then turn right towards Sur les Frêtes and continue on relatively flat ground. After about 250 m, at a fork, take the path on the right.

(13) At the end of the left-hand bend, turn right and descend.

(14) At a fork, turn left. Walk along the mountainside.

(15) At another fork, descend to the right. Ignore all the paths on the left and continue to an intersection.

(16) Then turn left at an acute angle. Ignore the turn-offs on the right. Cross a stream and you will immediately reach an intersection.

(17) Turn right and descend. Continue straight ahead until you reach the hairpin bend of the road you took at the start of the hike.

(1) Follow the road to the right, turn right with it and return to the starting pass (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,793 ft - Col de la Croix Fry (1467m)
  2. 1 : mi 0.08 - alt. 4,829 ft - Junction of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 0.42 - alt. 5,020 ft - Les Adrais
  4. 3 : mi 0.73 - alt. 4,964 ft - Junction
  5. 4 : mi 1.49 - alt. 5,318 ft - Junction
  6. 5 : mi 1.56 - alt. 5,361 ft - Pointe de Beauregard
  7. 6 : mi 1.77 - alt. 5,285 ft - Path junctions
  8. 7 : mi 2.31 - alt. 5,098 ft - T-junction
  9. 8 : mi 2.57 - alt. 4,974 ft - Junction
  10. 9 : mi 3.33 - alt. 5,151 ft - Junction
  11. 10 : mi 3.54 - alt. 5,217 ft - The Eastern Poutassets
  12. 11 : mi 4.26 - alt. 5,541 ft - Colomban
  13. 12 : mi 4.53 - alt. 5,545 ft - Croix de Colomban
  14. 13 : mi 4.97 - alt. 5,522 ft - Junction
  15. 14 : mi 5.2 - alt. 5,374 ft - Fork in the road
  16. 15 : mi 5.92 - alt. 5,348 ft - Fork in the road
  17. 16 : mi 6.26 - alt. 5,128 ft - Junction
  18. 17 : mi 6.6 - alt. 4,974 ft - Junction
  19. S/E : mi 6.92 - alt. 4,793 ft - Col de la Croix Fry (1467m)

Notes

In dry weather, good sports shoes may be sufficient. In wet weather, hiking boots are recommended.

No water sources identified along the route. Picnic table below the Croix de Colomban. Bar-restaurant at the Col de la Croix Fry.

Detailed map recommended (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed by the author on 12 August 2021.

Worth a visit

- Pleasant walk through the mountain pastures between (2) and (11), with beautiful views of the Aravis mountains.
- Pleasant walk along the ridge between (13) and (17), with beautiful views of the Rochers des Traversiers.
- Superb panorama from the Chalet de Colomban: Aravis, Mont-Blanc, Tournette, etc.
- Bird's eye view of Thônes and its valley from the Croix de Colomban.
- Cheese dairies in Manigod

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 24 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.3 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Netra
Netra ★

Hello, thank you for your feedback.

The access issues are still ongoing. I’ll post a warning until a solution can be found.

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello, thank you for your feedback.

The access issues are still ongoing. I’m going to set this walk to ‘private’ until a solution can be found.

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User 13725252

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

"A lovely first part of the walk to Pointe de Beauregard, but unfortunately, just before reaching ‘La Vargne’, the path was blocked: signs warning of private property, dogs and CCTV, ‘enter at your own risk’..."
So we turned back and retraced the same section of the walk… a shame.

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Tila
Tila
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk, but there was a problem getting to the Croix de Colomband: after the woods, there’s a power line that stops us from getting through, so we had to leave the dog and the camera behind.

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ramonrod
ramonrod

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

numerous obstacles on the path through the wooded section before La Vergne (four fallen trees)
The walk to and from the Croix de Colomban was uninteresting

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User 25702763

Overall rating : 3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We climbed up to Pointe de Beauregard via the Fry Cross, but then had great difficulty finding our way. There were no signposts for the circular route, and the Chemin de la Vargne (around the 6 km mark, if I recall correctly) led, after a long walk through a forest full of obstacles (large fallen trees to climb over), to a private track in the pastures, where we had to crawl under an electric fence and face a sheepdog. Needless to say, we turned back. The same thing happened when we tried to take a shortcut via Les Vaunessins – they’re private roads. The result: 14km, 3½ hours’ walk, and we didn’t even make it to the Croix de Colomban.
Perhaps doing the circular route the other way round, starting from the Croix Fry and heading left towards the Croix de Colomban, is more feasible and offers some alternatives?

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Saint alban
Saint alban

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 23, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike through magnificent snow-covered landscapes

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Ced.rando
Ced.rando

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 15, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant walk on 15 August 2025 with sunny weather and lots of people. We decided to do the circuit in reverse, which I think is better as you climb the steepest part at the start through the pine roots and then descend along the track, which offers a direct view of the Col des Aravis (otherwise you have it behind you on the way up).
Just a quick note between points 8 and 9: the trail passes through private property at the Vargne chalet. It might be a good idea to change the route to avoid any issues with the farmer.

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Dubonpied
Dubonpied
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The route went smoothly, starting from the Col de la Croix Fry, passing through Pointe de Beauregard and Les Vaunessins, then Croix de Colomban (picnic and view of Parmelan). Return in the early afternoon via the Maisons du Bois. No difficulties encountered (at this time of year). An easy and very pleasant route in beautiful autumn weather. (The 4 hours 20 minutes indicated for the walk seems a little long to me. More like 3½ to 4 hours).

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Sysy17
Sysy17

Perfect, thank you, because I think the problem is unsolvable, so it's better to take the detour

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Netra
Netra ★

Hello Sysy17, thank you for your feedback.

As the author of the hike, I have already heard about the private road issues encountered on the ground. I have modified the route accordingly but have not yet updated the description (this is planned for within the next week).

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Sysy17
Sysy17

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The only problem we encountered was that you have to pass in front of a farm. The path to take is marked "Private" and passing in front of the farm was complicated. We had to negotiate because, if I understood correctly, they have a dispute with the municipality of La Clusaz and no longer want hikers to pass in front of their property. I recommend not taking the private road but going around it instead. Very nice hike.

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Michelange73
Michelange73
• Edited:

Hike on 15/08/2024

Please note that access to point 2 is now private and blocked, so you are not allowed to pass! At point 2, continue the hike along the track that climbs up to the Beauregard plateau and then follow "Croix de Colombant" to rejoin the circuit at point 3
(an additional 2 km)

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MARAS
MARAS

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Easy hike, but we strayed from the trail several times (by mistake and on purpose). Beautiful view from Colomban

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Céline 5014
Céline 5014

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very pleasant hike without any significant difficulty. Magnificent view from the cross.

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