Pointe d'Arvouin

de fr

The ascent of a picturesque peak offering a bird's eye view of Lake Arvouin and a beautiful view of the Cornettes de Bise, the highest point in the area.

N.B. Route within a protected natural area: see recommendations in the practical information.

Technical sheet

n°3095780
Creation:
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 6.42 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 3h 05 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Return to departure point: Yes
  • ↗
    Vertical gain: + 445 m
  • ↘
    Vertical drop: - 437 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 2,009 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,592 m
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Description of the walk

Park in Sevan, at the end of a small road that winds steeply uphill from La-Chapelle-d'Abondance (follow the sign for "Lac d'Arvouin").

Directional signs at major intersections

(S/E) In Sevan, head west and take a path towards Lac d'Arvouin. Go around a chalet on the right and climb gently through the pastures. You will come to the Chalets de Sevan behind you.

(1) Continue a few metres west, then turn right and head north on an alpine track that enters the forest. After a few hundred metres, leave the forest and pass the foot of a chapel nestled in the rock. Continue roughly along the hillside until you reach Lac d'Arvouin.

(2) Continue north and follow the lake on your left. At the end of the lake, continue uphill on the track to the Chalets d'Arvouin.

(3) Then turn right (north-east). Pass at the foot of a scree slope and, at the fork that immediately appears, take the left-hand path (the narrower one). Climb up the mountain pasture, following a few hairpin bends. Join the ridge at the Col d'Arvouin.

(4) Follow the ridge to the left (north-west), through the spruce trees. When you reach open ground, climb up a steep grassy ridge.

(5) At the top, turn left, take a few easy scrambling steps among the boulders and reach the summit.

(6) The descent follows the same route as the ascent to Sevan ahead (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,592 m - Sevan devant
  2. 1 : km 0.59 - alt. 1,632 m - Sevan behind
  3. 2 : km 1.53 - alt. 1,668 m - Lac d'Arvouin
  4. 3 : km 2.12 - alt. 1,720 m - Chalets d'Arvouin (1720m)
  5. 4 : km 2.78 - alt. 1,863 m - Col d'Arvouin ou de Savalenaz (1856m)
  6. 5 : km 3.05 - alt. 1,960 m - Summit of a grassy ridge
  7. 6 : km 3.21 - alt. 1,980 m - Pointe d'Arvoin
  8. S/E : km 6.42 - alt. 1,592 m - Sevan devant

Practical information

Good sports shoes or hiking boots are recommended. In summer, bring suitable sun protection.

Water is available at the Chalets d'Arvouin (at least in summer). The banks of Lake Arvouin are ideal for a break or a picnic.

As Lac d'Arvouin is easily accessible, it is relatively busy at weekends and during school holidays (May to October). The car park has limited capacity, so it is advisable to start this hike early. If there are no spaces available in Sevan, it is still possible to park further down the road.

Recommendations:
The Sevan and Arvouin mountain pastures are grazed by livestock: dogs must be kept on a leash at all times.
This route crosses the Cornettes de Bise nature reserve. The following are prohibited: picking and gathering plants; leaving any rubbish behind; motor vehicles; campfires; wild camping and bivouacking.
See detailed regulations: Biotope Protection (APPB) - Pays d'Evian Vallée d'Abondance

Detailed map required (at least the one accompanying this description).

Hike completed three times by the author, the first on 31 May 2005, the last on 9 May 2008 (heavy snowfall).

In the nearby area

In a pretty alpine setting, Lac d'Arvouin is a great place to stop.

Beautiful panorama from the summit, facing the Cornettes de Bise and looking down on Lake Arvouin.

Reviews and comments

4.6 / 5
Based on 4 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.3 / 5
Clarity of route map
4.8 / 5
Route interest
4.8 / 5
Stefm24
Stefm24

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 31, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful hike with stunning scenery and views, not too difficult

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FlickaPatsy
FlickaPatsy

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of walk : Jul 04, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : No

A beautiful, easy and safe hike (but be careful of the peak in the middle of the rock formations).
The walk around the lake is easy: be careful to avoid the wet meadows.
There is a beautiful view from the summit of Pointe d'Arvouin. On both the way there and back, you can avoid the scree by turning slightly to the left before point 5. This route is much easier to see on the way down.

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Misoldo
Misoldo

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of walk : Jun 14, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

Nice route. It was very well signposted until we got to 10 minutes from the summit. There, there were two paths to choose from. The one leading to the summit was less visible. There were no signs on site. The other trail led us to a viewpoint. It was then more difficult to connect to the other trail. But we were very happy with this hike. Magnificent 360-degree view.

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Florence13
Florence13

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of walk : Aug 04, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Clarity of route map : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Busy trail : Yes

We started a little lower down, from the Panthiaz cable car station at an altitude of 1,500 metres, which is located on a signposted trail leading to Lake Arvouin. The climb is a little steep but takes you through the forest. We were greeted by the warning whistles of marmots well before we reached the lake, where we came across a stoat that quickly made its way up the scree at the foot of the Linleu peak. The climb to the Col de l'Arvouin (or Col de Savalène) crosses the mountain pasture where Abondance cows graze. Another steep climb before reaching the foot of the Pointe d'Arvouin. The almost 360° view between France and Switzerland is breathtaking. It took us two hours to walk there without climbing the last few metres, as we didn't go all the way to the slightly steep peak. We really enjoyed this half-day hike in cool weather with a cloud cover that quickly dissipated.

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