The Lacs Noirs of the Aiguilles Rouges

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

An easy route to follow, thanks to both the signposts and the markings. The route is a return walk.
The path is almost entirely rocky, featuring at least one scree slope. Make sure you wear sturdy footwear and take care in wet weather, as some sections can be slippery.
The outward leg is mainly uphill, so the return leg is downhill: the descent really puts your knees to the test! 😅
The reward is well worth the effort: a superb view of the Mont Blanc massif and the Fiz, with the added bonus of far fewer visitors than on the Lac Blanc side.

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Date of your route : Aug 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

:Thank you for your services

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A magnificent hike that’s an absolute must… one of my favourites around Chamonix, with ibex visible at the Col de la Glière at 2,461 metres. It’s quite dry, so remember to pack some water bottles in your rucksack…
Note that there’s a shorter alternative via La Flégère and then the Index chairlift, which takes you higher up (though it’s quite expensive – expect to pay 112 euros for 1 adult and 2 children return) and includes a difficult section with safety lines (no dogs allowed).
It’s still an absolute MUST!!

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Date of your route : Jul 03, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A really lovely walk – you can do it without a GPS or app as the route is so well signposted.
Stunning views. Make sure you check the conditions before setting off to avoid ending up on large, slippery snowfields.

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Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hike completed on 17 August 2025.
The route and directions are very easy to follow, the view is superb, and we encountered some ibex near the black lakes, which is the least frequented part of the trail.

A few details:
You need to take the cable car to reach the starting point of the hike (allow £24 per person for a return trip in the cable car)
The easiest option is to park at the cable car car park (around £6 per day)

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Date of your route : Aug 18, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful hike, very well signposted, challenging due to the numerous scree slopes. I recommend making good progress during the first part to fully enjoy the lakes, the view and the friendly ibexes.
The landscape is very wild once you pass Col Cornu, although there are a few people on the route and at the top.

The car park at Planpraz, at €1/hour (as of 16/08/2025), is a good option at the foot of the cable car, which costs €24 return. Note that it is possible to descend via a cross-country route and the Flegere cable car (then shuttle bus).

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Date of your route : Aug 24, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Superb panoramic views of the Mont Blanc massif Top hike!

1. toprando We're opposite and as close as possible to Mont Blanc! (perhaps a little closer to Lac Brévent in fact ...)

Magnificent contrasts!
A must in the Cham' valley !
I take the Brévent gondola up to Lac Cornu and the Lacs Noirs.
The climb is gradual at first, but it's very rocky and climbs all the same (12 - 15%).
I escaped La Grande Faucheuse by passing 5 minutes after a large rockfall just below the start of the hike, which also chilled those who were just before :-o
You have to lift your legs a lot, which is even more tiring given the terrain.
The terrain goes from rocky & scree crossings to ... rocks to cross. I find that very tiring (and even more so with a bum knee)!
It was unbearably hot on the way back, given the temperatures at the end of August/beginning of September, and there was no shade.
I still have a lot of thinking to do, but I'd put this walk in the TOP 3 of the thousands of kilometres I've covered ;-)
It gets harder and harder from the Col Cornu onwards, particularly because of the rocks, and then there's a nice climb up dirt tracks with a high gradient of 20-25%.
Breathtaking scenery at Lac Cornu and Lacs Noirs! Lac Brévent is not to be outdone, with scenery right in front of Mont Blanc. I take the cable car, which is quite impressive and takes us up there in less than 5 minutes!
I don't have time to go all the way down to Lac Brévent as the last descent of the cable car + gondolas is fast approaching :-o
THE hike to do in Cham!
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9.4 km & 670 m D+/D-
⚡️ Highlights of the hike :
- Alt. 2002 m - Planpraz cable car
- Alt. 2417 m - Col du Lac Cornu
- Alt. 2461 m - Col de la Glière
- Alt. 2497 m - Lacs Noirs (Aiguilles Rouges)
- Alt. 2202 m - Lac Brévent

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Date of your route : Jul 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A much more enjoyable hike than the Lac Blanc, as it is much less busy. The only downside was that even at this time of year, there was too much ice. We had to take very slippery paths up to Lac Cornu and the climb up to Lac Noir was impossible because you really needed winter equipment to get there.

We did get to see some marmots and ibex, though, which was a real treat.

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Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Quite a wild hike compared to the Lac Blanc... Walk along a paved path and across scree. The aiguilles rouges massif is spectacular, as are the lakes and the view of the Mont Blanc range. We had a picnic on the banks of the little-frequented upper black lake, and didn't make the diversions to the lower lake. We were able to see an ibex up close. One of the most beautiful hikes we've done in the massif.

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very nice hike! Done on 7/8/23, we saw snow and ibexes!
The only downside is that it's impossible to get to the start by car. Either you have to walk up for 5 km, or you have to take the Planpraz cable car (22€ return).

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Date of your route : Jul 31, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Yellow signage is very precise

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