Mer de Glace via the forest

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Many of you will be familiar with the Mer de Glace and its iconic red rack railway. But this time, there’s no train involved – you’ll be walking up to the Mer de Glace. Don’t worry, you’ll be able to admire the little red train on your way up. This hike continues to the ladders leading down to the Mer de Glace. From there, the route becomes mountaineering and it will be time to turn back.

Details

n°45858286
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.80 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 35 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Difficult
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,785 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,769 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 6,296 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 3,527 ft
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Photos

Vue sur les montagnes
Vue sur les montagnes
View of the return journey
Montenvers train

Description of the walk

Park in the car park on the right as you reach the Drop Zone du Bois (Chamonix PGHM).

(S/E) Cross the bridge over the Arveyron and turn left to follow the stream. Pass some farm buildings and a sheepfold.

(1) A few dozen metres further on, take a smaller path leading uphill to your right (Chemin de la Filiaz).

(2) At the junction, continue along the narrower path straight ahead, leaving the downhill path on your left.

(3) At the Caillet refreshment bar, take the path branching off to your left. This path winds through several tight bends, crosses the Montenvers railway line, then turns left to run alongside it.

(4) Ignore the path leading down to your left: from here you can admire the Mer de Glace train. Continue on to reach the Grand Hôtel du Montenvers.

(5) Keep right towards the Bar des Glaciers, pass the bar and the Mer de Glace train’s terminus, and continue straight on towards Les Échelles.

(6) Take the sharp right-hand bend and continue to the large ladders leading to the Mer de Glace.

(7) Turn back.

(6) Do not head back up towards the Montenvers station, but continue straight ahead along the path that runs beneath the infrastructure. Walk down to the Mottets junction (refreshment bar).

(8) Take the path on your left which joins the one you came up on.

(2) Turn right and follow the outward route in the opposite direction to return to the car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,530 ft - Bois Drop Zone
  2. 1 : mi 0.43 - alt. 3,586 ft - Sheepfold
  3. 2 : mi 1.56 - alt. 4,849 ft - Junction of the circular loop - Signal Forbes
  4. 3 : mi 1.94 - alt. 5,217 ft - Chalet Caillet
  5. 4 : mi 2.95 - alt. 6,027 ft - Viewpoint – viaduct
  6. 5 : mi 3.28 - alt. 6,280 ft - Gare de Montenvers-Mer de Glace
  7. 6 : mi 3.56 - alt. 6,129 ft - Common junction for outbound and return routes
  8. 7 : mi 3.66 - alt. 6,112 ft - Les Échelles
  9. 8 : mi 4.53 - alt. 5,328 ft - Les Mottets refreshment bar
  10. S/E : mi 6.8 - alt. 3,527 ft - Bois Drop Zone

Notes

(6) It is possible to descend to the Mer de Glace cave.

Worth a visit

Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 8 reviews
Reliability of the description
5 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.6 / 5
Route interest
4.6 / 5
Delphinium
Delphinium ★

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

I did this walk starting from 5pm so I didn't get a lot of people on the way which was amazing!
The little hut along the way is really nice to have a drink with a view of the mountains. Thanks for sharing.

User 20962216

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 01, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A very beautiful hike, mostly through the forest. Magnificent views of the little red train, then the Mer de Glace and Les Drus. It was very pleasant to stop at the Mottets refreshment bar on the way back.
A slight unpleasant surprise on arrival with a parking ticket in the designated car park because the access road is reserved for residents. It is possible to park 200-300 metres before.
With a few small detours, my watch showed 11.8 km for a 3 hour 12 minute hike

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User 22348091

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Pleasant, shaded walk, moderate difficulty.
The return journey is more exposed for part of the route (the last quarter).
Option to extend the climb after the hotel on a return trip for an even better experience.

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Marco d’la yaute
Marco d’la yaute

Not since 2023! Except with ropes and harnesses

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jordanvelard
jordanvelard

Is it no longer possible to take the stairs to the ice cave?

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Marco d’la yaute
Marco d’la yaute

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Great hike, but it was a shame that after all that effort we couldn't go down to the sea ice cave (except via the ladders, but you need to be equipped and that's something you need to know in advance).
Thank you, Mr Mayor!
The price of the descent with the cabin in these conditions is extortionate.

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Coline2384
Coline2384

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 08, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pretty forest walk (pleasant in warm weather) with a gentle climb to the finish. The trail is moderately well trodden all the way to the summit. There are refreshment points on both the outward and return journeys, with magnificent views over the valley. If you want to combine the hike with access to the ice cave, remember to buy a ticket in advance.

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Adu
Adu
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 26, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

Point 6: It's no longer possible to go down onto the glacier by order of the mayor dated 22 December 2023. They've blocked off the passageway with signs saying 'tir de mines', danger de mort etc. Either this is true, or it's to dissuade us from going down onto the glacier without taking the cable car (???). Either this is true, or it's to dissuade us from going down onto the glacier without taking the cable car (???).
You can always go down a little further, but it's clearly signposted at your own risk (via a via ferrata). But with no experience and no equipment, we turned back. If you fall, you're dead.
Apart from that, it's a tough climb. The descent is hard on the knees, with very few flat paths and lots of rocks.
I preferred the Bionnassay glacier, it's much easier to see and what's more, it's white.

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Ccyl
Ccyl

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We did this walk with thunderstorms forecast for 12 noon. The scenery was less colourful than in bright sunshine, but still extraordinary! A hike accessible to all, with one of the most grandiose objectives, the Mer de Glace 😍 Majestic but suffering from global warming. Definitely worth doing!

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asimja85
asimja85

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 18, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Take care with your walking sticks as there is a Neve at the end of the route (May 2024).

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