Les Épines Blanches from Praz-sur-Arly

A short hike with views of the Mont Blanc range, the town of Praz and a walk through the woods under the Épines Blanches.
Cross the hamlets of Praz with their chalets and farms.
Fairly easy hike, part of it under the trees, with benches and viewpoints available along the route.

Details

3746941
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.76 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 2h 50 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 311 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 304 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,324 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,024 m

Photos

Description of the walk

Departure from the Tourist Office (church) in Praz-sur-Arly.

(S/E) Take the main street towards Megève, to the right of the Tourist Office, and at the first intersection after 50 metres, turn left towards Plan de l'Aar, Les Granges (yellow signs) and go up the small road, passing above the cemetery. Continue along this winding road.

(1) Turn right towards Les Granges and Réon d'en haut, pass under a power line and continue along the small road. Enjoy the view of Praz and the Mont Blanc massif as you climb. Arrive at Les Granges, a small farming hamlet.

(2) Follow the signs for Les Epines Blanches (on the left, 20 metres before the car park, the path goes around the houses below and climbs up towards the forest).
Enter the forest via the forest path. After 300 metres, you can take the small path on the right for a view of the massif.

On the forest track, follow the signs (yellow signs) and discover the information points and games along the way. Continue to the junction with a road.

(3) At the junction with a road, turn left towards Tonnaz and Praz-sur-Arly. Descend to Tonnaz.

(4) Cross the hamlet of Tonnaz and continue downhill towards Praz until you reach Réon.

(1) Continue downhill along the road you took to climb up and return to the Tourist Office (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,024 m - Praz-sur-Arly Tourist Office
  2. 1 : km 0.87 - alt. 1,096 m - Crossroads of the circular
  3. 2 : km 2.4 - alt. 1,230 m - Les Granges
  4. 3 : km 3.59 - alt. 1,292 m - Road junction
  5. 4 : km 5.12 - alt. 1,165 m - Tonnaz
  6. S/E : km 6.76 - alt. 1,024 m - Praz-sur-Arly Tourist Office

Notes

An easy hike, uphill and downhill in the sun, so bring water.

Worth a visit

Views of the mountains, don't hesitate to stop and admire them.

Reviews and comments

4.4 / 5
Based on 9 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
3.7 / 5
User 12405126
• Edited:

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A pleasant hike with beautiful views. Tree felling work is clearly underway at the moment, and part of the trail appears to be temporarily closed (we realised this after passing through the area), but this did not affect us as it was the weekend.

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Caroline.D
Caroline.D

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Nov 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

I enjoyed this walk as a way to get back into it. I recommend taking the path on the right before the forest path for a nicer view, as the forest section is pleasant for shade when the sun is strong but not very interesting in terms of views and scenery.
Very detailed description, thank you very much.

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Ecologilles13
Ecologilles13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

An easy route offering beautiful views of the Arly Valley with Mont Blanc in the background.

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Jean Noel B
Jean Noel B

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 23, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Accessible via bus route Y 83 (Sallanches <-> Flumet), alight at Praz-sur-Arly chef lieu.
Easy hike.
Beautiful views (Mont Blanc, Crêt du Midi, etc.).
Partly on roads. Very pleasant section in the woods.
A bit tough in hot weather, with uphill and downhill sections in the sun.
Can be extended (departure from Les Granges, return via Les Plans) with a circular loop to the Plan de l'Aar refuge and the Tête de Christomet, see hike No. 36688350...but this makes for a much longer hike of around 5½ hours, which we didn't do due to lack of time.

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RCT69
RCT69

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

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

Hello
On 25/07, the weather is not good, so I decide to take this short route, which allows me to discover some pretty chalets, but 90% of it is on small roads.
A few comments: the weather is too bad in Les Grange, so I head straight to La Tonnaz (a historic hamlet in 1780 with 51 gabellians compared to 29 in Le Praz).
From La Tonnaz, I took a path that goes straight down (almost at the exit of the hamlet).
It leads to another road and arrives behind Belambra, which avoids taking the same road.

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SKN
SKN

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

A short hike, disappointing because it's mostly on roads, not very pleasant in hot weather because it's in full sun, even if the view is still quite nice. The part in the woods is nicer but too short, we were left wanting more!

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mickcare
mickcare

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 03, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Most of the hike is on the road, which is quiet but not deserted. Only the unobstructed view is interesting. Personally, I don't like it. Fortunately, the short section in the woods, which is really charming, saves this hike (between points 2 and 3).
Good elevation gain but gradual.
There are two nice picnic tables in the woods.

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Bernard dit Nano
Bernard dit Nano

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 27, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, easy walk; the road section is more than compensated for by the scenery and the serenity of this walk.

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Com'on
Com'on

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A bit of driving but no crowds.
Very pretty scenery. Pleasant walk.

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