Châlet de la Têtaz circular loop

de fr

A pleasant walk along the Nant du Sappey, followed by a fairly steep climb to the Refuge de la Têtaz, offering a beautiful view over the Thônes valley.

Details

n°2188139
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 5.41 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,274 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,244 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 4,229 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 2,014 ft
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Photos

Sappey
Le Sappey
Chalet de la Rosière

Description of the walk

Park in the car park in front of the school in Thuy-dessus or, alternatively, at the Lac de Thuy car park.

(S/E) Walk past the chapel towards Les Rassettes. Go past Les Rassettes and head for the crossroads of paths.

(1) Take the path on the left which runs alongside the Sappey stream.

(2) At the Croix du Chanty, follow the signposted path to the right (sign for Nant du Sapey). At the ‘vanosse’ sign, the path descends steeply to reach the bank of the stream. (narrow and slippery section in wet weather)

(3) Cross the ford as best you can; there are a few stones to help you across. The path continues to the right, then turns sharply south-west until it meets the Route du Sappey.

(4) Head up the road to the right as far as the Sappey Chapel.

(5) Take the path that starts on the left, just before the chapel; look out for the signpost for the Chalet de la Têtaz here. Follow this fairly steep path. When you reach the junction with the Chemin de la Verpillière, turn left to reach the viewpoint. Continue on to the Chalet-Refuge de la Têtaz.

(6) From the Refuge de la Têtaz, head north on a gentle climb before quickly beginning the descent (tricky in places), which leads to the hamlet of La Rosière.

(7) Pass La Rosière on your right and turn left onto a track suitable for vehicles, which descends southwards towards Nant Debout. Follow the stream along its right bank to reach Grange du Fresnay.

(8) Here, rejoin theGR®®96and follow it to the hamlet of Nant Debout.

(9) Leave theGR®®, turn left and follow the track to Thuy-dessus and the school car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 2,031 ft - Car park at Thuy-Dessus school
  2. 1 : mi 0.3 - alt. 2,136 ft - Nant du Sapey trail
  3. 2 : mi 1.01 - alt. 2,516 ft - Croix du Chanty
  4. 3 : mi 1.13 - alt. 2,470 ft - Thuy stream ford
  5. 4 : mi 1.51 - alt. 2,818 ft - Route du Sappey
  6. 5 : mi 1.76 - alt. 2,972 ft - Sappey Chapel
  7. 6 : mi 2.7 - alt. 4,111 ft - Châlet de la Tetaz
  8. 7 : mi 3.3 - alt. 3,930 ft - La Rosière junction
  9. 8 : mi 4.05 - alt. 3,104 ft - Grange du Fresnay
  10. 9 : mi 4.56 - alt. 2,530 ft - Nant Debout
  11. S/E : mi 5.41 - alt. 2,034 ft - Car park at Thuy-Dessus school

Notes

Thuy Dessus car park: approx. 5 spaces

At Le Sappey, drinking water points

Sturdy footwear recommended; paths are at times narrow, steep and slippery after rain, particularly
between the Chalet de la Tetaz and La Rosière.
Crossing the stream of Thuy can also be tricky depending on rainfall.

Between ((7) and (9), signposted alternative routes are available to avoid the track.

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

3.9 / 5
Based on 10 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.1 / 5
Ease of following the route
3.7 / 5
Route interest
3.9 / 5
PatBolz
PatBolz
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely walk through the forest, alongside the water both on the way up and down, so it’s pleasant when it’s very hot. The slopes are quite steep in both directions, but the gradient is steady. The new wooden bridge does indeed make it easier to cross the stream before point 2.

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gilloumar
gilloumar

Overall rating : 3.7 / 5

Date of your route : May 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Before Point 2, at La Croix du Chanty, do not follow the GPS track as there is a landslide. You must follow the Nant du Sapey path. This path, which ends in a narrow section that can be slippery in wet weather, leads to Point 2 before the ford.

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Midep
Midep

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 30, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

On the climb up along the stream, just before the steep ascent and the subsequent descent to the ford, a brand-new wooden footbridge now spans the stream, making it unnecessary to cross at the ford, which can be treacherous at the start of the season. A path then climbs up the opposite bank until it joins the path coming from the ford, just before Sappey.

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VisionFR
VisionFR
• Edited:

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 10, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

The route was cut short due to a rockslide just before the second landmark.
The description is very brief, so you’ll need to interpret the route description.
The section we completed is pleasant: it starts in the village, crosses the plain briefly, then heads deep into the forest along the river.
Take care in wet weather, as the path becomes increasingly muddy and therefore slippery!

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Rugbyman74
Rugbyman74

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Apr 14, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

If you do it in the opposite direction, the climb is less steep; there aren’t many viewpoints, apart from the panoramic one, but the woodland scenery and rivers are very relaxing.

If you do it in the direction of the marked route, it’s best to have walking poles, especially for the section after the Chapelle du Sappey. I’m very fit and I can tell you I really struggled.

A word to the wise

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gerardcouvet
gerardcouvet

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 26, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★☆☆ Average
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Between the Sappey Chapel and the end of the circular route there are no problems; however, between the start and the village of Sappey there are many other paths and signs (Gorges du Stream of Sappey, etc.)etc.), the path is blocked by the swollen stream, making it difficult to find the path that heads south-west to reach the village of Sappey...........

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38Christian
38Christian

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 29, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A lovely route that climbs steadily (from 620m to 1250m) and then descends all the way over rocky ground!! It’s entirely through woodland, so it’s possible to do it in hot weather, but the route description lacks landmarks as there are no coloured markings on the trees along the way, and it can be a bit nerve-wracking if you’re doing it alone (as I was). In particular, finding the Route du Sappey isn’t straightforward, as there are lots of ‘Gorges du stream of Sappey’ signs, but you have to stop following them at a certain point to find the Route du Sappey.

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delgui
delgui

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : May 09, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

A lovely, varied route. Lots of woodland.
But be careful not to go if it has rained heavily (muddy and slippery + a ford to cross)

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Paul Prozeller
Paul Prozeller

Overall rating : 3.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★☆☆☆ Disappointing
Very busy route : No

It’s a decent walk, but there’s not much to see in terms of viewpoints, scenery, etc. Take care between points 1 and 2; there’s been a fairly recent rockslide, so you’ll need to do a bit of scrambling...

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jc brice
jc brice

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 20, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

A lovely walk. The route is nicely shaded. It’s a shame about the views, apart from the one over the Thônes valley.

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