The Emosson lakes in the footsteps of the dinosaurs

A superb circular French-Swiss for experienced walkers.
The beauty of the landscapes in absolute silence will make you forget everything.
Add to that a leap back in time several million years and you'll feel like you're walking on air.

⚠️ 16/12/2025: closure of a section of the Barberine forest (between (S/E) and (1)). See decree. Detour possible.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 22.57 km
  • ◔
    Duration according to the author: 12 hrs 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Very difficult

  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 1,794 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 1,789 m

  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,507 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,152 m
  • ⚐ Country: France
  • ⚐
    Area: Alps
  • ⚐ District: Vallorcine (74660)
  • ⚑
    Start/End: N 46.050185° / E 6.941625°
  • ❏
    IGN map(s): Ref. 3530ET, 3530ETR, 3630OT, 3630OTR
  • Hour-by-hour weather

Photos

Description of the walk

Meet at the small car park in the village of Barberine.
This village is located 0.7km from the French-Swiss border on the D1506 coming from Chamonix.

(S/E) Go up the only street in the village on the left until you reach the bend leading to the EDF cable car. Take the path opposite, which climbs steeply into the forest, pass under a high-voltage power line and continue climbing, keeping to the right until you reach the junction for the Barberine waterfall.

(1) Leave the path on the right for the waterfall and continue climbing to a moraine valley and then into the forest. After a few very steep hairpin bends, you will begin the final climb to the Col du Passet.

(2) Leave the path climbing to the left and join the road coming from the Lac d'Emosson dam. Take this road on the left, first running alongside Lac d'Emosson for 1.7 km, then climbing for 2 km up the side of the Gorge du Vieux to the right of the Lac du Vieux Emosson dam. This road may also be partially snow-covered depending on the year, and passing through the two tunnels can then be "tricky".

(3) Take the path (not always very visible) to the right of the dam and walk along the northern edge of the lake. This path may disappear under patches of snow depending on the season, and may be between 20 and 50 metres from the water's edge depending on the year and the height of the lake. Follow this path along the lake to the southern tip.

(4) Continue along this path, heading due south towards Pointes à Corbeaux and Pointe de la Terrasse.

(5) Head southeast towards Col de la Terrasse and climb up to the Dinosaurs site (huge grey slabs surrounded by barriers below Col de la Terrasse).

(6) Begin descending northeast towards a small pass where snowfields are often present until you reach the junction for the climb to Col de la Terrasse.

(7) Continue straight ahead. The unmarked but well-marked trail is easy to follow and quickly descends into a gorge below the Veudale peak on the left and the Barberine mountain range on the right. Follow this gorge downhill, along the small Veudale stream, until you reach the heights of Lake Emosson.

(8) Leave the stream and continue along the path that runs alongside the dam road until you reach the Col du Passet.

At thethree-way junction, take the path on the right, which climbs steeply and then runs along the French side of the Barberine mountain to the Loriaz mountain pastures and chalets.

(9) Cross the chalets, take the path on the left after the last chalet and descend to the Croix de Loriaz.

(10) Leave the main path that descends to the right and descend to the left. Keep left at the next two crossroads through the forest until you reach the next crossroads.

(11) Go straight ahead and continue downhill through the forest until you reach the heights of the hamlet of La Villaz. Go down the road through the hamlet to the first bend. In the middle of the bend, take the path going up to the left into the forest and then follow it downhill, keeping to the right until you reach the third fork.

(12) Turn left and continue downhill through the forest, keeping to the right until you come out of the forest above the village of Barberine.

(13) Turn left and descend to the village of Barberine and then to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,154 m - Barberine village
  2. 1 : km 0.6 - alt. 1,280 m - Fork in the path for waterfall
  3. 2 : km 2.95 - alt. 1,955 m - Col du Passet three-way junction - Lac d'Émosson
  4. 3 : km 6.61 - alt. 2,205 m - Vieux Emosson dam, turn right
  5. 4 : km 8.69 - alt. 2,206 m - Southern peak of - Lac du Vieux Émosson
  6. 5 : km 9.28 - alt. 2,334 m - Head south-east towards the dinosaur site
  7. 6 : km 9.49 - alt. 2,386 m - Dinosaur footprint site
  8. 7 : km 10.09 - alt. 2,507 m - Fork in the road, descend towards the Veudale gorge
  9. 8 : km 12.06 - alt. 2,061 m - End of the Veudale Gorge
  10. 9 : km 16.95 - alt. 2,020 m - Refreshments available - Chalets de la Loriaz
  11. 10 : km 17.27 - alt. 1,987 m - At the Croix de Loriaz fork, turn left.
  12. 11 : km 20.36 - alt. 1,393 m - At the crossroads, continue straight ahead
  13. 12 : km 21.77 - alt. 1,265 m - At the fork, turn left.
  14. 13 : km 22.29 - alt. 1,159 m - At the fork for Barberine, turn left.
  15. S/E : km 22.57 - alt. 1,155 m - Barberine village

Notes

At the start of the season, it is recommended that you bring an ice axe (or a pair of crampons) as snow remains late in the Vieux Emosson basin and at the bottom of the Col de la Terrasse.

Refreshments are available:

- at the crossing point (3): Lac du Vieux Emosson refuge chalet: 28 places
- at the crossing point (9): Loriaz mountain hut: 50 places

Worth a visit

At crossing point (1), you can take a few minutes to admire the large Barberine waterfall.
The waterfall is about 100 metres high.
The Barberine waterfall, once spectacular, was one of Vallorcine's first tourist attractions in the 1850s.
Since the construction of the dams (in 1924 and then in the late 1960s), it has lost a considerable amount of its flow.

At the crossing point (6), the Swiss side of the Col de la Terrasse, located at the south-eastern end of the cirque, offers a view of one of the most beautiful sites of "dinosaur" footprints (~800 footprints recorded).

The site was discovered on 23 August 1976 by G. Bronner, a French geologist.

Reviews and comments

4.5 / 5
Based on 5 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.4 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.2 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Andrée A.
Andrée A.

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We took inspiration from this route but stopped at the dinosaur tracks. We set off from the Émosson dam at the large car park accessible to coaches. Route taken: points 2, 8, 7, 6, 4, 3 and 2
The climb is quite strenuous, involving climbing over rocks and narrow passages... The return via points 4, 3 and 2 is much more pleasant, even if there is a section on the road.
A very beautiful hike with magnificent scenery, views of the dam and an encounter with a chamois and her two young.

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Vincent M8.
Vincent M8.

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 30, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb walk.
A path has been created to cut across the 1,971-metre hairpin bend at Vieux Emosson.
There is now only one tunnel.
It is impossible to cross the left bank of Lake Vieux Emosson, but there is an excellent path on the right bank.
The slab with footprints is fascinating and well explained by information boards.
I reached La Loriaz via the Col de la Terrasse, but I really don't recommend the descent! It's very steep and gravelly.
And as parking in Barberine is reserved for residents, it would be better to park in La Villaz, in the hairpin bend described in point 11).

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C. Oth
C. Oth

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 09, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Hello,
We had planned a circular route with an overnight stay at the Chalets de Loriaz: Emosson via Vertic'Alp, a short walk to Bel Oiseau or Col de Barberine, but not too long, then crossing to Loriaz via Col de Passet and, the next day, climbing to Col de la Terrasse, descending to Traces de Dinos and returning via Le Vieux Emosson.
However, the Loriaz refuge was closed for two days due to suspected Covid-19, so we did Vertic'Alp, Emosson, Vieux-Emosson, Traces de Dinos, climbed to Col du Vieux and returned via the Gorges de la Veudale.
Traces de Dinos: fantastic!
A very nice hike, with exciting moments in the two funiculars!

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philibert.sylvie
philibert.sylvie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 26, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hello, we only have the first circular passing through the Vaudale Gorges, the Dinosaur site, and Col de la Terrasse, then descending via the new path along the Vieux Emosson Dam lake. Six hours to do the whole thing, stopping for 20 minutes at the Dinosaur site... A beautiful hike, no need to worry about snowfields at this time of year, even though there is still snow on some slopes.
Thank you.

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ludocamus
ludocamus

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 16, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

Hike completed in 5 hours 30 minutes
It is no longer possible to pass to the right of the old Emosson dam. Work has been carried out to increase the depth of the lake by 20 metres. You can rejoin the route at point 5 by passing to the left of the dam. I recommend climbing to the top of the Col de la Terrasse for the view.

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Visophi
Visophi
• Edited:

Hello,

I would like to return to the subject of the works and restrictions on hiking. I can only advise you to find out when the works will be completed and the trails reopened to hikers.

Finhaut Tourist Office
1925 Finhaut
+41 (0)27 768 12 78
tourisme@finhaut.ch

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JSAM
JSAM

Hello Visophi,

I did this hike in the late 1990s.

Even back then, the start to the right of the dam was "off-trail" but still passable.
The current conditions may have changed for the safety of hikers.
However, it is still possible to do this walk by taking the left bank.

Best regards.

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Visophi
Visophi
• Edited:

Hello,
My message is intended to clarify one point. When I did part of this hike, the section between checkpoints 3 and 4, along Lac du Vieux Emosson, was closed.
When did you do this hike?
Thank you.

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