Le Grand Piton

de fr

A short walk for a late afternoon on the Salève.

Details

n°40050
Creation:
Last update:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 3.21 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 1h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Easy
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 276 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 266 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,518 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 4,232 ft
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Description of the walk

On the D41a between Cruseilles and Monnetier, drive past the Col du Piton and park at the side of the road in a small car park on the left, at an altitude of 1,300 metres.

(S/E) With your back to the car park, follow the road to the left, then cross it and head north-east, following the signposted route for “Grand Piton” and “La Croisette”. This will take you, a little further up at Les Chavannes, to the GR®5.

(1) Leave the path towards La Croisette and follow the GR® markings to the right through the mountain pastures. Reach the D41a road without joining it and stay roughly parallel to it. This will take you to the Col du Piton (car park).

(2) Cross the road, walk alongside the car park and climb for about ten minutes to the summit of the Grand Piton and the Bastian Tower (panoramic views of Geneva and Lake Geneva).

(3) Retrace your steps back to the Col des Pitons and the D41a road.

(2) Follow this road to the left to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 4,255 ft - Petit Pommier car park. D41a
  2. 1 : mi 0.34 - alt. 4,311 ft - Les Chavannes. GR5
  3. 2 : mi 1.72 - alt. 4,380 ft - Col des Pitons (1336 m)
  4. 3 : mi 1.96 - alt. 4,498 ft - Tour Bastian – View of Lake Geneva - Le Grand Piton (1379m)
  5. S/E : mi 3.21 - alt. 4,259 ft - Petit Pommier car park. D41a

Notes

Lightweight kit is sufficient.

Worth a visit

There are numerous panoramic views and viewing points along this road.
There is a wide choice of walks on this mountain.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.1 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.2 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.5 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
lemarcheur65
lemarcheur65 ★

Hello lucbrossard1
Thank you for your comment.

I’ve made some changes to the route.
I’ve placed the car park in the correct spot. I didn’t mention the path that leads off opposite.
I’ve left WP1 at La Chavanne, where the route joins the GR5.
I’ve placed WP2 as shown on the base map, running alongside the D41a. Etc...

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lucbrossard1
lucbrossard1

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

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

A lovely little walk with no real elevation gain apart from the climb up to the Grand Piton (50–60 metres). You have Geneva on one side and the Alps on the other. I really enjoyed it. However, there are a few minor issues with the GPS route. Firstly, the car park: on Google it’s shown as the Salève car park; in reality, it’s the Petit Pommier car park. At the point marked S/E, which is 150 metres from the car park, there are no signposts and no path, just a ‘Private Property’ sign. However, opposite the car park, there is indeed a path, signposts for La Croisette and, a little further up, a point called La Chavanne – as if the map’s route were shifted 150 metres too far north. Furthermore, at point 2, there is no path after crossing the road as shown on the map; instead, you must walk along the road southwards for 100 metres and then climb up to the Grand Piton.

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skrando paris
skrando paris

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
An easy little family walk.
We were practically alone in the world, given that we did this walk on the morning of Monday 26 June 2023.
It’s easy to find the starting point from the car park by checking Google Maps.
A very pleasant route with splendid views.
The Devil’s Cave isn’t particularly interesting.
Thank you.

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alc1411
alc1411

Overall rating : 1 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★☆☆☆☆ Very disappointing
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : No

I couldn’t find the start point…
If I set ‘Go to start’ on Google Maps, it takes me to the cemetery in Archamps. There is a sign with the name of the walk, but no arrows or markings...
Could you please confirm the starting point for me?

Thanks in advance.

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arnaudv
arnaudv

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 30, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Stunning views right from the start, and a breathtaking view of Mont Blanc after the first 200 metres. You can almost see too much as you drive up to the starting point. A lovely, quick outing to round off the day.

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SALVAGIOTTI
SALVAGIOTTI

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 08, 2016
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Well

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caroleg
caroleg

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 29, 2014
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

a wonderful hike with stunning views of Lake Geneva

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gazok54
gazok54 ★
• Edited:

The paragraph in question is under the description of the hike. Here is a copy:

''Practical information

We also recommend that you bring along the 1:25,000 scale IGN paper maps for this hike. Click here to order them: 3430OT.

Click here to find out how to get to the start of the hike.

Always be careful and prepared when out hiking. Visorando and the author of this guide cannot be held responsible in the event of an accident or any inconvenience occurring on this route.”

Enjoy the hike and see you soon on Visorando – gazok54 – moderator

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davidviry
davidviry

Hello, I can't find the "Practical Information" section

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Bisserain73
Bisserain73

This tab is under the "Practical information" section

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davidviry
davidviry

Which blue tab are you talking about? dv

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Bisserain73
Bisserain73

Hello,

Yes, you need to use the blue tab: Click here to find out how to get to the start of the walk;

The directions provided are quite precise; sometimes they’re accurate to within a few metres.
In this case, it’s perhaps 200 metres.

Enjoy the hike
Best regards

Bisserain73

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gazok54
gazok54 ★

Hello davidviry.
Why don’t you use the blue tab:
Click here to find out how to get to the start of the hike
Regards, gazok54 – moderator

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davidviry
davidviry

Hi, it’s not clear where the hike starts. See you soon, David Viry

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