A circular route around the Taillefer and Entrevernes ridges starting from Duingt

This double ridge walk across two folds of the Bauges range, which plunge into Lake Annecy, offers both the appeal of a varied ridge walk and exceptional views of the lake and the surrounding mountains. La Tournette, in particular, is visible all day long.

Details

2920512
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.47 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 7h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 3,330 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 3,317 ft

  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,364 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,473 ft

Photos

Description of the walk

The route starts from Duingt, on the south-western shore of Lake Annecy, which can be reached from Annecy or Faverges.
Park near the church.

(S/E) Head east along the Route du Vieux Village: a concrete path branches off to the right towards Le Taillefer. This is a Way of the Cross, dotted with wayside shrines, winding steadily upwards to the Grotte de Notre-Dame du Lac.

(1) Retrace your steps a few metres, then climb the path on the right which, via tight hairpin bends, ascends the ridge to a flat area with unobstructed views, the Esplanade de Bellevue.

(2) Continue along the ridge path, ignoring the path coming from the right from Mont Gerbet, then resume the climb to the Crêt du Bourg.

(3) The path descends slightly to go round the indentation of a quarry carved into the eastern face before climbing again to a junction.

(4) Let the path leading down to Les Maisons branch off to the right and continue up the ridge to a new high point. The path then descends along the western flank to Le Bognon, from where the direct descent to Entrevernes begins.
NB: the path following the ridge here on the IGN map has largely disappeared: the few traces still visible are overgrown with shrubs and boxwood.

(5) From the junction, climb up the western flank towards the ridge, which the path follows for some time before crossing it at a paragliding launch site.

(6) Continue downwards a little, this time on the eastern flank, then cross the ridge again to reach the clearing at the Oratoire de la Thuile and its rocky viewpoint.

(7) Head off to the right, towards the west, along a path that soon joins fields and then the small road to Membert. Follow it down, passing the sawmill, and continue along the Route des Droblesses to the car park at Entrevernes church.

(8) Head left, due west, along the edge of the fields and then into the forest. After a steep climb, the path winds gently upwards in wide, less steep bends to the notch of the Col de la Cochette.

(9) At the pass, turn right to climb the final few metres of Montagne d’Entrevernes, pass by the foot of the Cross (accessible via a short, exposed climb aided by a chain on the first section) and reach a beautiful rocky outcrop with sweeping views.

(10) Descend due north along the broad ridge, following the limestone strata. The slope gradually becomes steeper and may be more slippery. Pass the junction at the Pas de la Cheville (path coming from Saint-Jorioz) and, at around 830 m, turn right onto the path to descend towards the hamlet of Les Maisons.

(11) From the junction, take the Entrevernes road on the left and after 100 m, turn onto the Chemin des Esserts, which descends further down to cross the road again.

(12) Take the path below the road, which it crosses further down, and continue descending to Bellevarde.

(13) Take the path below the road again, which it crosses further down, and continue downhill to D’Héré and its castle.

(14) In the hamlet, turn right onto a small road that descends, cross the Ruisseau d'Entrevernes and follow it. Via Mont Gerbet and the Route des Viviers, reach the bridge beneath the cycle path (former railway line) and the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 1,473 ft - Duingt - Lac d'Annecy (Haute-Savoie)
  2. 1 : mi 0.28 - alt. 1,660 ft - Notre-Dame du Lac Cave
  3. 2 : mi 0.68 - alt. 2,096 ft - Bellevue Esplanade
  4. 3 : mi 1.42 - alt. 2,493 ft - Crêt du Bourg
  5. 4 : mi 2.04 - alt. 2,487 ft - On the Carrière
  6. 5 : mi 2.69 - alt. 2,612 ft - Le Bognon
  7. 6 : mi 3.45 - alt. 2,805 ft - Paragliding launch site
  8. 7 : mi 3.68 - alt. 2,766 ft - Oratory - Oratoire de Lathuile
  9. 8 : mi 4.49 - alt. 2,661 ft - Entrevernes - church
  10. 9 : mi 6.09 - alt. 4,236 ft - Col de la Cochette (1298m)
  11. 10 : mi 6.36 - alt. 4,347 ft - Esplanade on Montagne d'Entrevernes
  12. 11 : mi 8.01 - alt. 2,182 ft - Les Maisons
  13. 12 : mi 8.51 - alt. 1,962 ft - Le Clus
  14. 13 : mi 8.72 - alt. 1,811 ft - Bellevarde
  15. 14 : mi 8.96 - alt. 1,591 ft - D'Héré
  16. S/E : mi 9.47 - alt. 1,473 ft - Duingt

Notes

The route is signposted with signs at each junction and pictograms (yellow arrow on a green background) which are more or less frequent depending on the section.

The Taillefer path is always passable. The climb to the Col de la Cochette may be blocked by heavy snow, and the descent can be quite slippery towards the bottom in wet weather.

As this circular route combines two routes, it can of course be shortened by returning via Les Maisons or the village centre of Entrevernes.

Worth a visit

The ridges traversed are generally wooded, but at regular intervals, viewing points (rocks or clearings) offer unobstructed views of the surrounding Bauges and Bornes mountains and the lake.
(Unfortunately, the attached photos are from a winter outing when the expected clear spells failed to materialise).

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 6 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.5 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Fred345962
Fred345962

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Most of the route is shaded by trees. There are frequent stunning views of the mountains and the lake below.
The initial climb at the start is long and steep in places, to get you going (1 hour 45 minutes for 5 km).
We took a shortcut at point 5 to head straight to Entrevernes.
The second part of the climb is even steeper (1 hour 40 mins for 4 km). At the summit, there’s a stunning view with the lake in the distance, though unfortunately not a full 360°.
After the summit, a 5 km descent with an elevation loss of 875 m: quite a challenge (especially as we did it in stormy showers).
All in all, we saw some stunning scenery, but you have to work for it!
We tracked the route using GPS watches, so no issues there.
There is an error in the distance and elevation figures: we covered 14.5 km and 1,050 m of elevation gain, even though we took a shortcut from point 5 to point 8 (both our GPS watches gave the same figures).

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noran
noran

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 25, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

The start of the hike is magnificent. The cirque is spectacular, and we pass through a wide variety of terrain.
The section within the cirque (point 3) allowed us to spot numerous marmots.
This first section presents no particular difficulty.
Just before point 7, the route is no longer signposted. From this point onwards, it becomes more challenging, with dizzying, unstable sections requiring you to use your hands for support.
We didn’t feel safe, so we headed back towards the cirque to reach point 3 and start our return journey.

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philippe couedic
philippe couedic

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Feb 20, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A route that isn’t very busy at this time of year.
The route description isn’t perfect, particularly in the village of Entreverne when heading up to the Col de la Cochette; you have to go down as far as the church to find the path.
The route is actually around 16km with 1,000 metres of elevation gain.
At the Col de la Cochette, a sign warns of a difficult section, but in reality it’s nothing complicated.
There is a little snow left on the descent after the pass.
A very beautiful route

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pier17
pier17

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 11, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

👍👌😎🤩

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Vagau73
Vagau73

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A lovely walk, with stunning views, especially with Lake Annecy in the background . Admittedly a bit long, but the views are a real highlight of this hike.

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violinette
violinette

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 19, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A fairly easy hike with beautiful views.

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