The Pointe de la Grande Journée via the ridges, starting from the Belachat mountain pasture

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A beautiful circular hike that starts at the Bellachat mountain pastures with Beaufort cheese making, passing by the Croix de la Dormiaz and a path along the summit ridge with breathtaking views of the Albertville basin. Then head to the Pointe de la Grande Journée for stunning 360° views.

Details

n°3457514
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.35 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,303 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,283 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 8,061 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5,846 ft
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Photos

The highlight of the day
Tarentaise cows
Fork in the path
The bottomless lake or Lavouet

Description of the walk

Access: to reach the start, pass through the village of La Bâthie on the D990, near the N90 junction, south of the village of Tours-en-Savoie. Take the D65 and head up to the hamlet of Le Daru, passing through the hamlets of Fugier, Montesseaux, Lachat and Le Mondon. At Le Daru, continue towards La Ravoire and Bellachat. At the end of the tarmac road, take the long, motorable track on the left to reach the Bellachat car park after about 20 minutes.

(S/E) Follow the track until you very quickly reach a Y-junction.

(1) Take the path on the left to reach the Chalets de Bellachat. Continue, then turn right, heading due north, at the junction to reach the Croix de Dormiaz, which is visible from the chalets.

(2) Carry on to reach the summit ridge. Follow it through a series of ascents and descents to reach the Col des Lacs pass.

(3) Ignore the paths to the right and left here; continue along the ridge to reach, after a final steep climb, the summit of the Grande Journée.

(4) Take the ridge to the right and descend, then veer right to reach Lac sans Fond.

(5) Follow the bed of the stream, which is dry in summer, and reach the junction with the GRP® du Tour du Beaufortain near Lac de Lavouet.

(6) Climb 20 m along the GRP®, then turn left at the cairn onto the faintly marked path. Follow the cairns, passing close to the Lavouet waterfall before reaching the track suitable for vehicles.

(7) Turn right onto this track, continue straight on and return to the junction you passed on the way out.

(1) Follow the route back in the opposite direction to return to the Bellachat car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 5,846 ft - Bellachat car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.14 - alt. 5,925 ft - Crossroads at the end of the circular loop
  3. 2 : mi 1.04 - alt. 6,575 ft - Croix de la Dormiaz
  4. 3 : mi 2.4 - alt. 7,402 ft - Col des Lacs
  5. 4 : mi 2.82 - alt. 8,061 ft - Pointe de la Grande Journée 2460m
  6. 5 : mi 3.35 - alt. 7,316 ft - Lac Sans Fond
  7. 6 : mi 3.7 - alt. 6,969 ft - GRP junction
  8. 7 : mi 4.7 - alt. 5,932 ft - Vehicle track
  9. S/E : mi 5.34 - alt. 5,846 ft - Bellachat car park

Notes

No markings along the entire route.

Worth a visit

After (1): visit the Bellachat chalet to see how Beaufort cheese is made in the morning.

Reviews and comments

4.3 / 5
Based on 9 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.3 / 5
M.Pompon
M.Pompon

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful route along the ridges, not recommended for those who suffer from vertigo. We stopped at the Col des Lacs. Very varied and magnificent views from the start to the return via La Ravoire.

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KANTDAVIS
KANTDAVIS
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The outing took place on the hottest day ever recorded, the day after the French rugby team beat the All Blacks!
I didn't see anyone on the way.
A beautiful, fairly short hike. The last climb deserves attention, but it's nothing too technical. The hike could almost be labelled "very difficult" or difficult +.
But the atmosphere is magnificent....

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Poulet Hubert
Poulet Hubert

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, but a bit difficult if you have worn-out knees.

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champet67
champet67

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Please note that the final climb is quite steep and should be undertaken with caution.

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muse_88_
muse_88_

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Great hike, despite the fog, the ridges, peaks and lakes are superb. You go from very green meadows to arid rock, snowfields and crystal clear water... this hike is fantastic.
Be careful on the climb up to the peak, as the rock is very crumbly and loose. If you walk too close to each other, you could get hit on the head by falling rocks...
Don't be afraid to follow your instincts, as there are few markings. Let's be honest, we took two wrong turns on the way back. To get back down from the peak, we missed the path, so we went off-trail and at point 6, we set off on the Tour du Beaufortain. It made the hike a bit longer, but the scenery was superb, so it didn't matter.
I can't wait to do this hike again in the sunshine!
Thank you for suggesting this hike.

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Visophi
Visophi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
Starting from La Ravoire seems like a good idea! It's better to walk for an extra hour than to be shaken around like a rag doll for the same amount of time. At this point, and for a change of scenery, it would be interesting to descend via the east. At the 2,376 m point, the start is clearly marked by cairns. The path is well marked, at least at the start. And on the IGN map, there is a dotted line showing a path that leads to the Col de la Bâthie.
Best regards

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gérard bruet
gérard bruet

Hello
Thank you for your comment. For your information, I set up the cairn at point 6 of the GRP three weeks ago, and I had not made any changes or corrections.
For your information, the same route is currently being validated. It will avoid having to climb the carriage road to the mountain pasture. The departure point will be La Ravoire, with an additional hour's walk.

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Visophi
Visophi
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We met a total of five people, including two hikers.
It was a beautiful hike, but the route description is not easy, so well done for the description you provided. From a distance, we often wondered where the trail could be! But don't worry, the trail is very reliable.
One comment about the point (6). At the GRP junction, the tendency before crossing is to head towards a large cairn. In this case, you have to climb back up about 20 metres to find the trail, which is indeed not very well marked.
We arrived at the car park quite late. Why? It took us 30 minutes to drive the 12 km of single track road from La Bâthie to just beyond Daru. It also took us 30 minutes to drive the next 4 km of road. It is indeed passable, but slowly...

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yoha2b
yoha2b

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, especially the view when you reach the summit.
The only downside is that the signposting leaves a little to be desired in some places between Croix de Dormiaz and Lac de Lavouet, forcing you to find your own way or follow your GPS...
But it's a hike to do without any worries, just don't start too late, as it's often in full sun, so set off early enough!

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kakou74
kakou74

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike along a fairly easy ridge, with a suitable schedule and lovely little lakes, especially the bottomless lake. Everything was great except for the sun, which was hidden for most of the day and prevented us from seeing the view described in the itinerary.

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