Pont du Countet - Refuge des Merveilles

Date of your route : Sep 19, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A beautiful hike with a significant elevation gain, but you have to pace yourself. Lots of chamois, which are not very wild, and marmots. The lodge was full, very cold and quite dilapidated (doors that wouldn't stay closed, 3 toilets for more than 50 people). Very warm welcome, good meal.

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Date of your route : Aug 22, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A superb hike with our family, including two children aged 6 and 9, with an overnight stay in a lodge and return the next day. It took us 5 hours, including numerous breaks (the children being children) and a picnic. The stunning scenery, marmots and chamois, raspberries and blueberries helped the children get through the toughest parts. We brought our own dinner with us and opted for breakfast at the refuge and a picnic to take away so we didn't have to carry too much. The children loved it and so did we!

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Date of your route : Aug 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

There were people around, but it wasn't like being on the motorway. The number of trails available spreads hikers out over the distance, so you often feel like you're alone on the trail.
Remember to bring rubber tips for your walking sticks to descend to the Refuge des Merveilles and then cross the Vallée des Merveilles. The site is protected. Tips are available for purchase at the refuge.
The refuge was nice and welcoming.
The route is classified as medium difficulty. We were on a 4-day trek and this first day was a good warm-up. Beginners should be aware that it may seem difficult.

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Date of your route : Sep 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Classic hike to climb to the wonders... difficult start because it's steep but not technical... then easier and splendid view of Me Bego and the lake from the top of the Pas de l'Arpette...
Old-fashioned Refuge des Merveilles... but very nice and a great place for a nap after the climb. Excellent meals and snacks.

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Date of your route : Jul 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

On the plus side, numerous stones have recently been laid to form steps, making it easier to climb up to the Pas de l'Arpette from the Countet bridge. At this time of year, there are lots of chamois that are easy to photograph, particularly near the penstock that carries water to the power station. The descent to the Merveilles refuge offers magnificent views of numerous lakes.

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Date of your route : Sep 17, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

GOOD BUT VERY STEEP START AND DELICATE RETURN ON THE DESCENT TOWARDS PONT DU COUNTET

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Date of your route : Sep 11, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : Yes

A very pleasant hike
The first part has a fairly significant elevation gain, but is shaded (well wooded)
the second part is sunnier but easier.
Finally, the major difficulty arrives. The Pat de l'Arpette, still sparsely wooded, but with a fairly significant elevation gain
The descent to Refuge des Merveilles remains accessible. Technically, it is in this last part that you can admire the famous rock carvings
not to be missed!!!!

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Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Completed on 5 and 6 July 2023, with an overnight stay at the refuge (fully booked). No particular difficulties except that in the last part of the climb to the Pas de l'Arpette, the path has disappeared in places, and walking sticks are necessary. You need to be resilient and drink, drink and drink again (especially as you usually arrive around midday), enjoy the presence of the animals (young chamois taking refuge on the last snowfields) ... Very green landscape, rhododendrons in bloom and an extraordinary wealth of flowers!

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Date of your route : Jul 10, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Dear video hikers
We did this hike this weekend. We went to the refuge on Saturday and returned to Le Countet on Sunday
There is a big difference in difficulty.
Honestly, the outward journey was very strenuous. The elevation gain is steep and rapid. Full sun. The chamois and marmots cheered us up. We are a couple in our 40s, both athletic. Our 12kg rucksacks were definitely a disadvantage.
Walking poles are a must for me.
The return trip is easier on the cardio, but be careful with your knees ;-)

Thank you for this hike! We're proud of ourselves!

(120 people in the evening at the refuge...)

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

N.B.: comments on the "Boucle du Countet" route
A walk in the snow, but one that allows you to see a good number of chamois and ibex, and enjoy the route in solitude.
A few patches of ice are the only "difficulty".
The landscape is completely different from what it is in summer!
Can be done with children without any worries.
Parking is 15-20 minutes before the start (at the turning area).

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Hello and thank you very much for your message.
On our website, we often receive comments about the difficulty levels we announce, and they all point in different directions. Either it's too difficult or too easy. That's why we've set up an automatic rating system that takes into account the elevation gain and distance. For this outing, the calculation gave a rating of Medium because an elevation gain of less than 1,000 metres corresponds to a difficulty level of Difficult.
However, I do agree with you that hikers each have a completely different impression depending on their current fitness level, and in this case, you found it much more difficult than the application and I did. You have probably noticed that this stage is part of the circuit and is also rated according to this tour. During this tour, we had no constraints in terms of bivouacking or catering, as we used the services of mountain huts.
You also noted the reliability of the description. Moyenne, as you were keen to point out the points that you did not find reliable, please let me know which ones so that I can make the necessary changes.
Enjoy the rest of our website.

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Date of your route : Oct 01, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello everyone,
We just did this hike, camping in tents at the Refuge des Merveilles.
It was an unforgettable experience, and I learned to read hiking guides more carefully. If you consider this hike to be of moderate difficulty, I would say it is difficult.
In fact, with an elevation gain of 814 metres over 3,240 metres of walking, that's a 25% gradient up to the Pas de l'Arpette... it's a bit tough.
So yes, I'm not a great athlete, but at 2,510 metres I had less oxygen than usual and I really felt it.
I find it a bit presumptuous of the author to rate a difficult hike like this as moderately difficult. Sure, it's not long in terms of distance, but we were carrying all our camping gear...
We're not all at the same level or the same age, so maybe the Diagonale du Fou is more of a medium difficulty hike?
I think we need to agree on a difficulty rating system that is more in line with the average hiker.
or am I just really bad?
it's possible

In any case, it's a great hike, the location is fantastic and I don't regret my efforts. We're in a wonderful place... which has to be earned

;-)

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Date of your route : Jul 08, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

I only climbed as far as Pas de l'Arpette.
It's a very steep climb from Pont du Countet to the passage under the penstock. But the effort is more than rewarded when you reach the pass: there's a sublime view of Bégo and the lakes around the Merveilles refuge. 5 hours 40 minutes there and back, including breaks: an unforgettable day with unforgettable views. My only regret was that there was no wildlife, probably due to the number of hikers.

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Date of your route : Jul 26, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

We began this multi-stage hike by setting off from the Pont du Countet bridge on a Tuesday, travelling independently to avoid the weekend crowds.
This meant we could park easily. Four days later, when we returned, this was no longer the case. The climb up to the Pas de l'Arpette was challenging from the start but entirely feasible. We were carrying our own supplies and each went at our own pace. The descent to the Refuge des Merveilles was easy. It was very crowded, too crowded for us.
We were warmly welcomed by the refuge staff and enjoyed a local cola with a distinctive taste before setting off again to leave the Vallée des Merveilles and find a nice place to camp. The only authorised campsite is above the refuge, but it's more like a small campground. Still, it's a solution.

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Planned hike

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