The Mandallaz peak loop from La Balme-de-Sillingy

de fr

On the north-western edge of the Annecy conurbation and a stone's throw from the Épagny shopping area, this well-marked forest trail offers a refreshing change of scenery. From the summit, you can enjoy a magnificent view of the lake, the mountains and the Fier valley as it winds its way through the countryside.

Details

n°282399
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Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.62 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 20 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 400 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 400 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 895 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 495 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐ District: La Balme-de-Sillingy (74330)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 45.960272° / E 6.043473°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3330OT, 3331OT, 3430OT, 3431OT, 3431OTR
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Photos

View
The priest's cave
Annecy and its lake
The rock and the maquis cave

Description of the walk

Park in the car park at the Balme-de-Sillingy cemetery.

(S/E) Walk back 50 metres towards the church. The trail markers begin at the north-west corner of the cemetery wall. Turn right and follow the path to the Grotte du Curé.

(1) Just after the priest's cave, after a hairpin bend, the path climbs up to the right towards the south.

(2) When you reach the fork with the return path, leave it on your left. Continue right towards the head of the Mandallaz. As you climb, leave a path on your right that leads to a viewpoint, then finish the climb along the ridges.

(3) Tête de la Mandallaz, the highest point of the walk, from where you can't see anything due to the tree cover, but continue along the path, turning right towards the "viewpoint" (signposted 150m).

(4) View of Annecy, the lake and the mountains. Descend to rejoin the path, which you take to the right towards the south-east.

(5) At the fork, turn left towards "Sur les Fartoz". Ignore the paths on either side and you will see the Grotte du Maquis on your right, near the rock of the same name, which served as a shelter for resistance fighters in 1944. Turn left to rejoin the path you took on the way up.

(2) Turn right downhill along the same route and return to the cemetery and its car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 495 m - Cemetery car park
  2. 1 : km 1.33 - alt. 635 m - The Priest's Cave
  3. 2 : km 1.87 - alt. 688 m - Fork in the path on the way there/back
  4. 3 : km 3.4 - alt. 891 m - Tête de la Mandallaz
  5. 4 : km 3.55 - alt. 893 m - View
  6. 5 : km 4.67 - alt. 739 m - Fork in the path "sur les Fartoz"
  7. S/E : km 7.62 - alt. 495 m - Cemetery car park

Notes

- The hike is well marked with the usual Savoyard hiking signs (yellow arrows on a green background)
- The paths are in fairly good condition, despite a very wet June 2016.
- Watch out for mountain bikes hurtling down the path at high speed.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 45 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.1 / 5
Hervé74
Hervé74

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Well-marked trail through woods (be careful at this time of year as trees may fall – pruning in progress), then beautiful views of Tournette and Lake Annecy from the summit.
Hike completed during the week, no crowds...

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guy038
guy038

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 06, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We did this hike on a Saturday morning. There weren't many people around. It's fairly easy and mainly takes place in the woods. You have to seek out the viewpoints, which are magnificent (300 metres after the start of the circular, follow the sign on the right for 200 metres).
At the end of the circular, the rocks and cave in the scrubland are well worth seeing.

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User 27452102

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Top hike

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kaolak1
kaolak1

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A rather pleasant route, you encounter many trail runners, which may be a concern for hikers.

A little disappointed because the view of Lake Annecy is quite small and not very clear.
It's a shame there's no view of Lake Balme de Sillingy, but overall it's still a pleasant hike

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User 26078396

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 13, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Nice walk through the forest all the way, but the view was disappointing as it was hidden by trees! The end of the climb was a bit steep for children (aged 4)

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User 17204438

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful hike, very shady depending on the season. Otherwise, everything was great

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Gaël195
Gaël195
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Superb route! A hike through the woods offering some beautiful views. However, the time is greatly overestimated: I completed the circuit in just under two hours... Admittedly, I only took very short breaks, but still! I didn't see many people despite it being a beautiful sunny Sunday. This route is accessible to all, but make sure you wear good shoes for the climbs, which can be quite steep at times.
In terms of figures, I recorded 8 km and 455 m of elevation gain.
I recommend this route for anyone looking for a short, easy hike that is very well signposted.

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Ismaël 74
Ismaël 74

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Early season hike with 430 m of elevation gain over 3.5 km starting from La Balme de Sillingy. The view from the summit over Annecy, its mountains and part of the lake is lovely. In bad weather, the ground quickly becomes soggy.

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Normann74
Normann74

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 28, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Easy trails accessible to all and very well marked. It took us 4 hours to complete the loop, taking our time.

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Migigi
Migigi

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Very good tour!

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Geugeu
Geugeu
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Approximately two hours to climb to the top of Mandallaz, including the Belvédère detour (which overlooks the village of Balme de Sillingy and offers views of the Savoie mountains), and one hour to descend. This hike must be lovely in winter, as there are more unobstructed views through the bare trees

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PaChavent
PaChavent

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Everything was perfect.
However, the journey time is shorter than stated: around 2½ hours (and I'm not very fit)

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andre.chesneau
andre.chesneau

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 03, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting route in terms of distance and elevation, with magnificent views and varied terrain in the forest and at the summit.
Suitable for all the family, including teenagers.

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HELENE❄️
HELENE❄️

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : Yes

Family walk

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Arclusaz
Arclusaz

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 13, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant route, entirely shaded, which must be very pleasant in hot weather. However, there are few views, except at the summit. The time indicated is overestimated.
Easy. No problem with children.

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