Mont Laval and the Tours de César

This hike takes you to the summit of Mont Laval and then follows a circular route via the Tours de César to return via the Col de la Chambotte. Beautiful views of Lac du Bourget and the surrounding mountains.

Details

3510429
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.28 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 489 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 488 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 843 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 528 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Park in the small car park in front of the church at La Chambotte.

(S/E) With your back to the church, turn right and walk carefully along the road until you reach the first right-hand bend. Leave the road and take the forest track that starts on the left.

(1) Take the path that climbs up to your left towards the summit of Mont Laval.

(2) Turn left onto the new path and follow it to the summit: be careful, as the end of this path is not marked on maps. You will reach the viewpoint over Lac du Bourget.

(3) Retrace your steps and take the path on your left. You will come to a fork.

(4) Take the path on the left and keep going in the same direction, ignoring the paths on either side. Continue until you reach a forest track, turn left and continue along this track until you reach the "Champ Jean Blanc" hiking sign.

(5) Turn left towards Chindrieux and continue to the ruins of the Château des Tours de César.

(6) Continue along the path downhill until you reach a tarmac road.

(7) Turn left towards Chindrieux, pass the buildings at Chez Carabin and arrive at the end of a meadow.

(8) Turn left and take the path that runs along the meadow towards the south and leads to the D991B departmental road.

(9) Continue left to climb this road towards La Chambotte, passing through the pass and reaching the church car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 642 m - Church car park at La Chambotte
  2. 1 : km 0.72 - alt. 647 m - Fork to the left
  3. 2 : km 0.97 - alt. 682 m - Fork in the road
  4. 3 : km 2.05 - alt. 813 m - Viewpoint
  5. 4 : km 2.42 - alt. 834 m - Fork in the road, left
  6. 5 : km 3.71 - alt. 725 m - Champ Jean Blanc
  7. 6 : km 4.3 - alt. 843 m - Tours de César
  8. 7 : km 4.66 - alt. 797 m - Tarmac road, on the left
  9. 8 : km 5.3 - alt. 732 m - End of the meadow, on the left
  10. 9 : km 6.74 - alt. 529 m - D991B, on the left
  11. S/E : km 8.28 - alt. 642 m - Church car park at La Chambotte

Worth a visit

On your way, you will pass the viewpoint at the top of Mont Laval, then the César Towers viewpoint with an orientation table. There are also beautiful views as you descend the "Chez Carabin" path.
Nearby, the Chambotte viewpoint and climbing sites.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 7 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.1 / 5
Route interest
4.9 / 5
User 25983965

A lovely hike in March, with varied scenery and beautiful views of the lake. The ruined castle is surprising. A fairly easy hike. The last section on the road is a bit tedious, but it's still a beautiful hike.

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Du
Du
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 17, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant surprise, a fairly easy hike with beautiful views of Lake Bourget.
It's a shame that the last kilometre is on a road that is fairly quiet at this time of year (winter)
but which can become hellish on certain days (bear this in mind when choosing the date for your walk).

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cyrille7322
cyrille7322

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful, shaded hike with stunning views of the lake. The end of the trail is on the road, but there are no other options.
Worth doing.

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Cédric Cavaré
Cédric Cavaré
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

For me, this is a very good hike that offers beautiful views of Lake Bourget.
A wild route that will appeal to those who enjoy solitude.
However, you will need to follow your GPS track on the map carefully so as not to miss a change of direction 🙂.
I loved it!

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Guy de St Martin
Guy de St Martin

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 04, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

On this hot, sunny day in July, I did a mix with the César's Towers circular route, which can be found on the smartphone app. It's a lovely, fairly easy walk with a beautiful view of the lake from the ruins, followed by a rather impressive return trip under the limestone cliffs.

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VCANET
VCANET

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 06, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very interesting hike despite the grey and wet weather.
However, the last section on the RD 991B between point "9" and the finish is not very pleasant. (Heavy traffic of cars and vans due to roadworks on the main road along Lake Bourget).

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Bellaciao
Bellaciao

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : May 19, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

This route takes you off the beaten track in the Chambotte and Cessens area. It allows you to discover Mont Laval and its beautiful view of Lake Bourget. The paths through the woods are very pleasant and you won't be bothered by crowds, as other trails in this area are much busier. The only slight downside is the end of the route on the departmental road leading up to the Col de la Chambotte.

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randonita
randonita

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 19, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The start point isn't visible from the car park! There are no markings on the path. We had to climb for quite a while before finding the Champ Grand Jean markings. There were also too many roads to cross. We were just able to admire a beautiful view from the Montagne de Cessens viewpoint. AP

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