La Tête du Danay loop starting from Les Confins

This lovely walk will take you to the Tête du Danay for a 360° view of the La Clusaz and Grand Bornand valleys.
Along the way, you will discover different facets of the Aravis mountains.

Details

16379746
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.21 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 40 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 370 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 369 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,728 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,359 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the Confins car park near the chapel.

(S/E) Take Route de la Cuiseraz, with your back to the golf course. Continue straight ahead, pass the Confins hamlet sign and head for the Frasses bus stop.

(1) Follow Route des Frasses, which branches off to the right.

(2) At the intersection, continue straight ahead and follow the path towards Danay d'en haut. This continues along a safe balcony path, where you can admire the Confins hills, stretching down towards the village of La Clusaz, overlooked by the Beauregard Plateau.

(3) At a place called Plattuy d'en haut, take the path that climbs to the right opposite the house, towards Tête du Danay / Covagnet Est. The path leads to a relatively wide track. Pass the Covagnet Est signpost, taking the path on the right.

(4) When you reach the signpost for Bois du Crêt Perreux, the track forks. Take the left fork towards Tête du Danay. You will soon reach a plateau with a house/alpine farm called Maison sur Frête, where you can see the extension of Le Grand Bornand and its mountains below (you can picnic here, as Tête du Danay is often quite busy!).

(5) Turn left, follow the ridge line and then take a fairly steep path through the woods to reach the summit of Tête du Danay.

(6) After enjoying the view, return via the same route to Maison des Frêtes.

(5) Follow the track opposite and you will come to a crossroads at the Bellevarde signpost.

(7) Head towards the Chapelle des Confins on the left (2nd departure point) and follow this track along the ridge to the end.

(8) At the crossroads, turn right and a few metres further on, join the access road to the car park.

(9) Follow this road to the right and reach the Chapelle des Confins (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,410 m - Chapel of - Lac des Confins
  2. 1 : km 1.15 - alt. 1,361 m - Bus stop: Les Frasses
  3. 2 : km 1.43 - alt. 1,372 m - Head towards Danay d'en Haut
  4. 3 : km 2.4 - alt. 1,394 m - Plattuy d'en Haut
  5. 4 : km 3.58 - alt. 1,546 m - Bois du Crêt Perreux
  6. 5 : km 3.84 - alt. 1,581 m - Maison sur Frête
  7. 6 : km 4.71 - alt. 1,728 m - Tête du Danay
  8. 7 : km 6.53 - alt. 1,517 m - Bellavarde
  9. 8 : km 8.07 - alt. 1,432 m - Fork in the road, to the right
  10. 9 : km 8.48 - alt. 1,431 m - Road, on the right
  11. S/E : km 9.21 - alt. 1,410 m - Chapel of - Lac des Confins

Notes

(7) You can reach the Chapelle des Confins more quickly by taking the third path on the left.

Water available at the Maison des Frêtes.
Easy walk, as it is more open than in the woods.

Worth a visit

At the upper car park of Lac des Confins, towards the starting point for walks from the Refuge de la Bombardellaz, a goat farm offers artisanal cheeses... and lets you see its animals in the barn (a guaranteed treat for young and old alike).
Golf des Confins near the chapel.

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 18 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
User 20920150

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : Yes

We did the loop in the opposite direction. The climb was on a track, and the end of the return journey was on the road for over 1 km. An easy walk, but not very pleasant.

Machine-translated

User 15717306

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Heavy traffic on the last section only. Otherwise, the ride is quiet and offers beautiful views.

Machine-translated

User 3173442

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A pleasant route to warm up! The path is very well marked and easy to follow.
The view from the top of Danay is beautiful, but so is the view from the start
My climb was interrupted many times by wild strawberries, blueberries and raspberries!

Machine-translated

RENARD Jean
RENARD Jean

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very pleasant walk, without any significant difficulties.
Recommended for blueberry lovers.

Machine-translated

Cécile et geo
Cécile et geo

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A lovely hike in beautiful weather. Not particularly difficult, but a nice climb to the top of Danay. Splendid views.

Machine-translated

tousenvert
tousenvert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 02, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

hike done on a very fine day. Quite easy, magnificent views throughout the hike. I recommend this very pleasant little walk.

Machine-translated

nivolet
nivolet

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Superb hike with a magnificent 360° view at the summit and, what's more, glorious sunshine.

Machine-translated

JAMBO74
JAMBO74

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Well-exposed hike, magnificent views; the last climb is a bit steep but the scenery at the top is worth it, with three orientation tables. Not many people there that day, so we went back down to the chalet to eat in the sunshine; the shaded return trip is easy. A bit of road, but it allows you to see the chapel.

Machine-translated

Gbouv
Gbouv

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route was very well marked, with a 360-degree view from the summit. We were lucky to have blue skies with not a cloud in sight.

Machine-translated

Sophia57
Sophia57

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

A pleasant hike without too much difficulty. Superb 360° panoramic views.

Machine-translated

lesmontagnards
lesmontagnards

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A very pleasant walk with beautiful views of the Aravis mountains, the Grand Bornand valley and La Clusaz. With the description and signposts at each junction, it is impossible to go wrong. Worth repeating.

Machine-translated

Delphe
Delphe

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 27, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, whether starting from the Vallée des Confins at the foot of the Aravis or from the Tête du Danay, with magnificent views!
A short hike but with a good elevation gain, it is still very accessible

Machine-translated

SE VE RI NE
SE VE RI NE

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A lovely shortened loop on the way back, however, as part of the circuit is currently reserved for cross-country skiing.
Beautiful view at the summit.
There is still some snow left.
An easy circuit

Machine-translated

Tine74
Tine74

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike taken in mid-March, the cross-country ski resort is still open. Far too many people at the summit :-(
After point 7, it's a cross-country ski trail, so pedestrians/snowshoers are not allowed. But there is an undisturbed footpath that continues along the ridge and descends into the forest. It is marked "Confins loop" in pen. As the descent was icy, I didn't take it because I didn't have snowshoes or crampons, but it may be an option to consider.

Machine-translated

pascal Lesage
pascal Lesage

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

That says it all

Machine-translated

Other walks in the area

For more walks, use our search engine .

The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.