Crossing Mont Joigny, from Gorgeat to Bornée

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This circular loop can be completed in almost any season, even in half a day, allowing you to enjoy beautiful views, discover fossils and, when in season, a renowned site for lady's slipper orchids.

Details

n°1563186
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 8.19 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 45 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 488 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 488 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,554 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,130 m
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Photos

view of Mont Joigny
view from the summit of La Gorgeat
Lady's slippers
Lady's slippers

Description of the walk

From Chambéry or Saint-Pierre-d'Entremont, climb to the Col du Granier to park.

(S/E) A few dozen metres from the pass, on the Entremont side, take an unpaved road (GRP® de Chartreuse) that heads west through meadows and then forest, leading to Les Ravines.

(1) Continue on theGRP® towards Les Granges de Joigny, without gaining much altitude. Pass these barns to reach a crossroads on the edge of the forest.

(2) Take the path on the right that climbs to the Col de la Gorgeat. Shortly after the crossroads, you will see some slabs of rock that the path follows. These slabs feature the imprint of a beautiful giant ammonite, and further on, a second, more deteriorated one. Continue the steady climb through the woods (GR® 96), which levels out near the Col de la Gorgeat.

(3) At the pass, turn left, heading north-west, onto a path that quickly leads to Pointe de la Gorgeat. The Pointe overlooks Chambéry and Lac du Bourget.

(4) Then retrace your steps back to the pass, avoiding the paths that branch off to the left and then to the right.

(3) Continue straight ahead on the ridge of the pass, leaving the path you took to climb up on your right. The path climbs a little, heads south-east before turning right for a fairly steep climb, damaged by rockfalls. Climb up to the ridge of Mont Joigny to reach its summit after a few gentler slopes.

(5) From the summit, the path continues along the grassy ridge towards the south-east, then descends slightly on the south-west flank to reach a crossroads.

(6) Continue straight ahead on a much less marked path, which passes near a pond and climbs slightly to the promontory of Pointe de la Bornée.

(7) From the Pointe, facing the Granier, retrace your steps to the previous junction.

(6) Take the path that descends to the left on the western side. The winding descent is quite steep but steady. Join a forest path (altitude 1336m) and follow it to the left. It descends southwards until it meets the carriage road from the start, immediately east of Les Ravines.

(1) Take theGRP® on the left, which leads back to the Col du Granier (S/E) via the same route you took on the way up.

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,130 m - Col du Granier
  2. 1 : km 1.03 - alt. 1,196 m - Les Ravines
  3. 2 : km 1.92 - alt. 1,204 m - Crossroads at Granges de Joigny
  4. 3 : km 3.18 - alt. 1,441 m - Col de la Gorgeat (1438m)
  5. 4 : km 3.5 - alt. 1,478 m - Pointe de la Gorgeat (1486m)
  6. 5 : km 4.72 - alt. 1,542 m - Mont Joigny (1553m)
  7. 6 : km 5.17 - alt. 1,487 m - Crossroads on the Crête Joigny-Bornée ridge
  8. 7 : km 5.54 - alt. 1,504 m - Pointe de la Bornée
  9. S/E : km 8.18 - alt. 1,130 m - Col du Granier

Notes

The entire route is on marked paths or trails, so there are no significant difficulties.
(Between 3) and 5:: Only one steep climb on the ascent to Mont Joigny.

Worth a visit

This hike offers several different viewpoints:
- at Pointe de la Gorgeat, towards Chambéry, Lac du Bourget and the peaks of Chartreuse (Entremonts side)
- at Mont Joigny, towards Chartreuse (Entremonts side) and a hundred metres further east on the ridge, towards Les Bauges, Mont Blanc, La Lauzière...
- at Pointe de la Bornée: a magnificent viewpoint opposite Granier; unfortunately, the growth of trees around it reduces the appeal of this viewpoint.

After (2) At the start of the climb to the Col de la Gorgeat, beautiful giant ammonites in limestone slabs.
Below Le Joigny, in the Col du Granier area, a renowned site for lady's slipper orchids in late spring.

Always be cautious and plan ahead when you're outdoors. Visorando and the author of this route cannot be held responsible for any accidents occurring on this route.

The GR® and PR® markings are the intellectual property of the Fédération Française de Randonnée Pédestre.

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Reviews and comments

4.8 / 5
Based on 14 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.9 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.9 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
User 10748854

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 09, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful walk alternating between meadows and shaded ridges. Beautiful view to the south of the Chartreuse and the Granier. Be careful after rain, as the descent from La Bornée can become very slippery in places.

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VAN BOXSOM
VAN BOXSOM

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Mar 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

Despite the mud and traces of snow, this is a pleasant hike but should be done later in the season as slips and falls are likely

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Carole_M73
Carole_M73

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 29, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We followed the route in the opposite direction to the one suggested (starting at Col de la Gorgeat): we did well because, in the other direction, the descent would have been difficult because the ground was very slippery and muddy (walking sticks were very useful!). Beautiful view of the Chartreuse mountains on arriving at Mont Joigny, then of Mont Blanc on leaving.

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Benoit-Savoie
Benoit-Savoie

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 06, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Beautiful view of the heart of the Chartreuse. Relatively steep slope in places, best done in dry weather.

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sioucat
sioucat

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

beautiful route, a bit muddy and slippery if you do it after a rainy day... otherwise very good

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mick dupont
mick dupont

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Oct 04, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Lovely views

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FlorianH
FlorianH

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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

A magnificent route with multiple panoramic views throughout this circular. The climb between points 3 and 5 is indeed a little difficult, especially when the slope is icy, but nothing insurmountable. The route is not very busy (hike completed in early April).

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bobine63
bobine63

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 05, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely late summer hike, mostly through ash forests, sheltered from the heat.
The view from the Point de la Bornée is disappointing due to the vegetation cover.

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pierre67340
pierre67340

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It's a shame that the cloud cover prevented us from enjoying the views, but it was a very pleasant hike. The steep climb up to Mont Joigny is surprising when the ground is wet, but that's what mountains are like

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grefrog
grefrog

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

an easy route with no problems. Low difficulty (done with a 10-year-old child). Stop at Mont Joingy for the view. Walk mainly through forest. A very accessible hike with a 500 m elevation gain. Beautiful giant ammonite on the trail. You can't miss it.

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guy01
guy01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 08, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It was supposed to be a snowshoe outing, but at Col de Porte, the lack of snow prompted us to leave the snowshoes in the car. We needed crampons because some sections were very icy on the ridges. Still, it was a magnificent hike with superb views from the ridges.

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sarrarobert
sarrarobert

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 07, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

It's a shame that this hike is in the municipality of Apremont
We usually do it the other way round, but I think it's better this way
We showed our companions the fossils.
But above all, we were lucky enough to discover orchids thanks to the "botanists" present in the field
It's a shame we can't post photos...!!

Robert

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Cy&Ch
Cy&Ch

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : May 30, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful walk with lovely views. Just the right level of difficulty for moderately experienced walkers like us.

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