The Mont Veyrier circular

From the road along the lake at Veyrier-du-Lac, take the Route du Mont Veyrier, which climbs diagonally between the villas, then turn onto the Route de la Combe, which is quite narrow between private properties. Please note that it is not possible to park at the top of the hamlet, as the available spaces are private and the turning platforms must be left clear. A few parking spaces are available in the lower part along the road, provided they do not cause any obstruction.

(S/E) Go up the end of Route de la Combe, passing the Sous la Combe junction where a path descends to Veyrier, until you reach the start of the paths marked La Combe.

(1) Take the path on the left, which starts off steeply and then climbs more steadily through the forest to the Les Champs junction.

(2) Continue straight north to the next junction at Grand Versant.

(3) Continue straight ahead to cross a wooded valley and climb up a clear ridge to a DFCI rest area, where you will get your first view.

(4) Continue north to cross another valley and climb the next wooded ridge, before crossing back to the right at the Bois Quémont junction (altitude 1,000 m, not 800 m as indicated).

(5) Turn left onto the Col des Sauts trail. After a hairpin bend, it crosses to the left to the foot of the rocky ridge and a scree slope. Start the steeper climb to the pass on the right (red dots at the start). After crossing to the left, you will reach the tricky section, where you can use chains to pull yourself up, before crossing to the right and then climbing a final ramp to the left, which leads to the Col des Sauts. Turn left 50 m before the Col des Sauts viewpoint.

(6) Return to the pass and climb towards the ridge after a detour to the left. The route consists of short ascents and descents through the forest to the summit of Mont Veyrier. Along the way, there are viewpoints a few metres to the right of the path.

(7) Continue along the ridge path, which is more open, to Mont Baron (platform at the foot of the summit).

(8) Climb up to go around the summit and rejoin the ridge path, which descends slightly and leads to the large platform of the old cable car (orientation tables).

(9) Continue along the ridge, which suddenly drops down a flight of steps protected by balustrades. The path then enters the forest again, veering left to reach the Balcon des Contrebandiers junction.

(10) Turn right to descend the valley where the path veers off to the right to pass under some rocks and then returns to the centre of the Vallon des Contrebandiers.

(11) Continue along the path, which descends in wide hairpin bends on steep slopes to reach a stream, then veer right into the forest towards the Sous le Chapeau de Napoléon junction.

(12) Leave the path to the left towards Le Péril and then the path to the right going up to the Col des Sauts to continue descending towards La Combe, along a path alternating between flat sections and steep slopes.

(1) From the La Combe junction, descend the Combe road to the point where you parked (S/E).

Take care not to obstruct neighbours or turning vehicles when parking. In high season, if there are no spaces left, start further down in Veyrier. This route is not affected by the prohibitions concerning the Col des Contrebandiers and Pré Vernet.

The route is classified as moderate, but the two sections of the final climb to Col des Sauts and the descent to Balcon des Contrebandiers are marked as tricky and require you to use your hands a little, with the help of the handrails. These are the only two sections that justify the difficult rating.

The entire route is signposted: directional signs at each junction (however, the signs at Bois Quémont are incorrect), yellow markings more prominent on the descent than on the ascent, GR® 96 markings along the entire ridge between Col des Sauts and Balcon des Contrebandiers.

The views along the ridge are magnificent: you normally have a vertical view of Lake Annecy (unfortunately, the attached photos were taken on a day when there was a sea of clouds), with clear views of La Tournette, Les Bauges and the southern Jura along the way, and at the end (towards the old cable car) towards Le Parmelan, Les Aravis and Mont Blanc.

This is a very popular ridge route, especially with trail runners.