Pas d'Encel walks

A big day with spectacular scenery. The Pas d'Encel pass is a little tricky to navigate to reach the foot of Mont Ruan. Reach Haute Cime, the highest point of the Dents du Midi at 3,257 metres, via the Col de Susanfe, then descend to the Auberge de Salanfe on the edge of the lake.

The usual route to the Susanfe hut from Campéry starts in the forest before emerging onto the Bonavau mountain pasture. Below the imposing peak of the same name, the trail climbs up a path with a few equipped sections and crosses the Pas d'Encel. The final ascent of the Susanfe valley takes place in a high mountain setting.

Straddling the Franco-Swiss border, the Dents Blanches, Dents du Midi, Tenneverge, Mont Ruan and Aiguilles Rouges. An area strongly shaped by the folding of the Alps, with surprising landscapes ranging from lunar deserts to high-altitude lakes, waterfalls and forgotten mountain pastures. A wild and unspoilt nature that only hikers can discover. Alpine valleys, often isolated by "pas", technical and cabled paths opening the doors to this universe of raw and grandiose nature...

After this detour on the Tour des Dents Blanches, you will rejoin the Tour des Dents du Midi and finish at the Auberge de Salanfe. Along the route, you will come across the Sauflaz, which you will overlook at the Pas d'Encel via a passage equipped with chains. In the Vallon de Susanfe, you can admire the Ruan massif. At the Col de Susanfe, you can contemplate the Haute Cime and the Dent Jaune. Further on, you will notice the Refuge des Dents du Midi.

Starting in Salvan and ending in Les Marécottes (VS, Switzerland), this hike is almost a loop. The route is a combination of several tours. In the Val de Trient, you will discover the Dailley Gorges and the Van Valley. You will complete the entire Tour des Dents du Midi and enjoy this magnificent mountain range and the Sauflaz Gorge. You will make a short detour to the Tour des Dents Blanches, which you can admire from the Barme plateau.

The Haute Cime is the westernmost peak of the Dents du Midi massif and the highest point in the French-Swiss Pre-Alps. It is a unique vantage point, offering a breathtaking panorama and a climb in a beautiful high mountain setting This long and demanding hike can be completed in two days with an overnight stay in a mountain refuge.

Starting from the Susanfe hut, climb up to a unique viewpoint in a high mountain setting!