Pointe de Bénevent

Good evening again,
That’s right. I’ll correct the date.
Have a good evening
Pierre

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Thank you, Pierre, for the additional information.

The document mentions “from Bouaz to the Col de Floray”… Taken literally, this means that access to the Pointe de Bénevent is impossible… That’s a real shame…

My son did this hike on 7 August. You state that it was completed on 18 August, whereas it is only the 15th... Could you please correct the completion date? Thank you in advance!

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Good evening,
Thank you for your feedback. Whilst searching online for the municipal by-law of the commune of Vacheresse, I found a photo of the sign stating that: “the path between Le Bouaz-dessus and the Col de Floray is closed due to dangerous conditions”, and it is indeed this sign that was displayed at Lac Fontaine --> see the Facebook link below:
https://www.facebook.com/www.vacheresse....
... and an article from the Dauphiné Libéré:
https://www.ledauphine.com/societe/2020/...
In fact, once at Bouaz-dessus, if you want to do a circular route, you have to head back down towards the Arbon chalets, Lac d’Arbon, the Col de Floray, the Bise chalets and back to Lac Fontaine. But there’s no longer any chance of climbing the Pic de Bénévent... a shame.
By the way, we met two hikers and a trail runner at the summit of Pic de Bénévent (perhaps your son? ).
Yours sincerely,
Kind regards,
Pierre

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Hello FlickaPatsy, and thank you for sharing your experience. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed the hike.

Thank you for pointing out the prefectural order. The last time I did this hike was in 2020, and at that time, only the path between the point (5) and the Col de Floray was closed.

One of my sons did this hike a week ago; I asked him about it and he didn’t spot the prohibition sign. Not surprising, given what you’ve reported regarding the location used to display the prefectural order.

We need to know whether the closure applies from Les Chalets de Bouaz (I can’t really see why it would) or only from the point (5).

To be continued...

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

A lovely hike through the mountain pastures. The route to the summit of Bénévent is manageable but is nevertheless best suited to experienced hikers. Magnificent views of the Mont Blanc range. To be undertaken with caution and in dry weather. Be aware at point 4 of the presence of two Patou dogs and an Anatolian Shepherd. However, these dogs do not seem aggressive at all as long as you stand still and let them pass. Avoid the circular loop via the Chillon chalet as the flock is there.
On our return, at Lac Fontane, we discovered a prefectural decree (poorly placed on information boards for fishing rather than on signposts where it would have been more visible) which, at first glance, prohibits the path between Bouaz-dessus and the Col de Floray, which seems to block access to the Pointe de Bénévent???

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Hello,

To take account of the closure of the section between the foot of Pointe de Bénevent and Col Floray, the route has been altered and the description updated accordingly.

From today, and until further notice, this hike can only be undertaken as a round trip.

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Hello Fab1G, and thank you for your feedback.

I understand your disappointment regarding the section between the foot of Pointe de Bénevent and Col de Floray. However, the danger posed by this section and its current closure are explicitly highlighted (in bold) on the hike description page:

• In the introduction: This is a round-trip hike until further notice.
• In the description: Since late June 2021, a local by-law has prohibited access via the path between the western ridge (5) and the Col de Floray (7) (thanks to Benoît V. for bringing this to my attention). The return from the summit must therefore follow the same route as the outward journey. Please disregard the description that follows (partially crossed out pending a possible reopening of the path).
• In the practical information: Recommendations: mention of the tricky section up to the Col de Floray.

Reading the guide therefore lets you know what to expect.

Should the route be modified to show only the round trip, as you suggest? We’ll have to see...

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Date of your route : Sep 12, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

It really was a magnificent hike up to Bouaz-dessus; we came across lots of ibex and the views were stunning.

However, from Bouaz-dessus onwards, there are no more signposts and the path is sometimes difficult to find. To follow the Visorando route, you even have to climb over fences with signs warning you not to go beyond them and which have no gates. Nevertheless, the path remained fairly safe.

Once we reached the pass at Col du Floray just after Pointe de Bénavent, there was no longer a ‘NO ENTRY’ sign, as there apparently had been recently. We went there without having seen your description beforehand, but we decided to turn back a few metres further on, as we felt the path was particularly dangerous. There were, however, some hikers there, I think because the sign warning of the danger had disappeared. We later read that it has indeed been the cause of several serious accidents in recent years.
Despite your written description mentioning this, I suggest removing the IGN circular route from this page for safety’s sake, as the passage is currently more than tricky, even for those without a fear of heights.

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Thank you, oberried, for your comments!

The route you describe starting from Col Floray is very interesting: I’ve included it in the description.

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Date of your route : Jul 15, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The climb up to the summit of Pointe de Bénevent, whilst not particularly difficult, requires sure-footedness for the final 100 metres, a bit of concentration, and should be avoided the day after rain. Encountering a herd of ibex on the secondary summit is the icing on the cake.
The path towards the Col de Floray is tricky in places, no doubt damaged by mudslides. An alternative to avoid the descent to the Bise chalets and the stretch of road to Lac Fontaine: from the Col de Floray, instead of heading right towards Bise, climb the path which then descends towards the beautiful Lac Darbon, then head down the valley towards the Darbon chalets amidst a magnificent chaos of rocks. From the chalets, climb a path winding diagonally up the left flank of the mountain; after a short traverse through a small pine copse and a wide bend to the left, continue up a well-marked path through pastures abounding with wildflowers to the Bouaz de dessus, one of the waypoints at the start of the hike. Finish by following the description of the start of the circular path but in the opposite direction to Lac Fontaine. The path is shown in red on the Top 25 map.

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No problem, Etienne
I’m more used to other forums, perhaps ones geared more towards “regular hikers”, where this route would probably have been rated lower? (length, no need to “get your hands dirty”, elevation gain, etc.)
But I understand in the sense that they’re aimed at “the widest possible audience”
Best regards

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Hello bmal,

Thank you for your comments and feedback! I’ll add a note about the cable on the slab.

The ‘Difficult’ rating should be understood in the context of Visorando’s very large and diverse audience. I have rated the climb to the summit from the point (5) as D, particularly the crossing of the slab, the steep path between the point (5) and the Col de Floray (7), and the very steep start of the descent from this pass.

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Date of your route : Oct 28, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A beautiful, picturesque and wild walk up to the Col Floray ........ after that, it’s the Vallon de Bise motorway
stunning views; we came across a herd of 50–60 ibex that weren’t at all shy
The small slab has been fitted with a good cable and is very easy to navigate
It’s not a technically ‘difficult’ route: just make sure you have good hiking boots with proper crampons and a sure footing, and you’ll get through it without any trouble!

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Date of your route : Aug 07, 2015
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

a very good description

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