The Tré la Tête refuge as seen from Notre-Dame de la Gorge

A lovely circular starting from the Notre-Dame de la Gorge car park. The path alternates between refreshing forests, meadows and breathtaking views. Among other things, you will see a natural bridge carved into the rock, a Roman bridge and the Combe Noire waterfall.

Details

n°392714

Creation:
23 Oct 2016

Last update:
05 Oct 2026

Last review:
21 Sep 2026

Activity: Walking
Distance: 6.43 mi
Average duration: 5h 15
Difficulty: Difficult
Back to start: Yes
Ascent: + 2,635 ft
Descent: - 2,608 ft
Highest point: 6,460 ft
Lowest point: 3,878 ft

Country: France
Areas: Alps, Beaufortain, Mont-Blanc (Massif)
City: Les Contamines-Montjoie (74170)
Start/End: N 45.792408° / E 6.715835°
IGN map(s): Ref. 3531ET, 3531ETR, 3531OT, 3531OTR
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Photos

View to the north from the Refuge de Tré-la-Tête

Description of the walk

(S/E) Starting from the Notre-Dame de la Gorge car park, go past the roundabout and take the bridge over the Bon stream.

(1) Turn right to follow the^GR®® Tour du Mont Blanc trail (red and white markings) towards the Refuge du Nant Borrant. The path climbs steeply in a straight line, with the Bon Nant stream below. A natural bridge is indicated by a sign. You can admire it before continuing along the path to reach the Roman bridge.

(2) Cross the bridge over the Bon stream (viewpoint over the gorge) and continue along the path towards the Refuge du Nant Borrant.

(3) Just before the Refuge du Nant Borrant, turn left towards the Combe Noire waterfall and the Refuge de Tré de la Tête. Turn left, cross the Bon Nant again and head for the Refuge de la Laya.

(4) Continue east-north-east until you reach the Combe Noire waterfall.

(5) After crossing the Tré la Tête torrent, turn right and begin the long ascent towards the refuge of the same name. Climb through woodland, following several hairpin bends, then across open terrain heading north-east.

(6) Once at the Tré la Tête refuge, follow the path to the left towards the valley. Walk a few dozen metres and take the path on the left, which descends quite steeply towards the valley floor. You’ll reach a wooden shelter.

(7) Continue north-north-east and, 100 metres further on, turn left onto the path which continues to wind its way down.

(8) At the T-junction, turn left and then right towards Notre-Dame de la Gorge (signposted; do not cross the stream on the right).

(9) At the bottom of a winding descent, turn left and cross the torrent’s ravine. At the first Fork in the road, turn right and continue downhill.

(10) At the junction, turn sharply right and descend along the hairpin bends. At the bottom, follow a path on the right for about a hundred metres.

(11) Then take a path on the left which passes close to a ski jump. Next, turn left and follow the Chemin du Praz, which runs alongside the Bon stream.

(1) Cross the bridge and return to the starting point (S/E).

Waypoints

S/E : mi 0 - alt. 3,950 ft - Start: Car park - Notre Dame de la Gorge
1 : mi 0.06 - alt. 3,983 ft - GR Tour du Mont Blanc. Bridge at - Bon Nant (torrent) - Affluent de l'Arve
2 : mi 0.85 - alt. 4,560 ft - Roman Bridge - Pont Naturel du Bon Nant
3 : mi 0.92 - alt. 4,639 ft - Junction before the stream Nant Borrant
4 : mi 1.34 - alt. 4,839 ft - La Laya
5 : mi 1.45 - alt. 4,839 ft - Cascades de Combe Noire
6 : mi 2.64 - alt. 6,460 ft - Refuge de Tré la Tête
7 : mi 3.57 - alt. 5,682 ft - Shelter
8 : mi 3.97 - alt. 5,338 ft - T-junction
9 : mi 4.62 - alt. 4,672 ft - Start of the winding descent
10 : mi 5.11 - alt. 4,482 ft - Y-junction
11 : mi 5.45 - alt. 4,026 ft - Junction
S/E : mi 6.43 - alt. 3,950 ft - Notre Dame de la Gorge

Notes

A fountain at the Refuge de la Laya. This is the perfect spot for a picnic break in this idyllic setting before the climb to the Refuge Tré la Tête.

This route passes through multiple protected areas, which may be subject to special regulations:

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5

Based on 17 reviews

Reliability of the description
4.6 / 5

Ease of following the route
4.8 / 5

Route interest
4.9 / 5

medaral

21 Sep 2026 at 11:41

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 21, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Circular walk, not very busy, done on a weekday in September. A very beautiful route; the climb up to the refuge is very steep but the path is in good condition; however, I would still advise against doing this circular walk in the opposite direction… it’s too steep going down. Once you reach the refuge, you must head to the headland to see the Trè-la-Tête glacier – it really isn’t far and it’s well worth it! The return journey follows a lovely path, which descends without too much effort, but be careful towards the end at a fork in the path: the GPS track isn’t accurate, so you’ll need to follow the signposts.
It’s a hike I’d happily do again.

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Zoltic

06 Aug 2026 at 00:27

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 06, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The route can be walked in either direction (the clockwise direction is clearly the more popular one).
In the suggested direction, the climb is steep, quite rocky and sometimes involves steps. The descent is a little more earthy.
The route is almost entirely shaded by trees, which is very pleasant in bright sunshine. However, a few clearings offer some lovely views.
There is a water source at the Tré-la-tête refuge.
The glacier is a long way off, but climb the 20 metres up to the promontory above the refuge for a 360° panorama.

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Blp69

27 Jul 2026 at 08:55

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 27, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

It really is a lovely walk. You’ve got to keep going towards the glacier (even though it’s quite a long way off). The descent is quite long and stony!

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SAGAU

08 Jul 2026 at 18:01

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 08, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Excellent signposting. Already very busy this June, due to the TMB

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Bartisback

11 Sep 2023 at 18:51

Overall rating : 5 / 5

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

A very beautiful, shaded hike. I pushed on to the glacier.

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canu.odile@orange.fr

24 Jul 2023 at 12:11

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 24, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful, easy hike with a return trip to enjoy the view of the glacier.

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Nicole Guil

07 Jul 2023 at 16:13

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jun 29, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Very beautiful hike.

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jacky57

03 Jul 2023 at 11:43 • Edited: 03 Jul 2023 at 11:54

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 03, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Departure from Notre Dame de la Gorge via the Roman bridge and Combe Noire, a fairly steep climb with steps and forest cover Arriving at the Tré la Tête refuge and wanting to continue towards the front of the glacier, I continued towards the Conscrits refuge (footbridge dismantled) because the markings (blue circle) were faded or non-existent. So keep your eyes peeled because the path probably branches off at an acute angle.
Beautiful view of the glacier, or at least what's left of it. The descent towards Cugnon is less difficult...
Next time, I think I'll do it in that direction and come back down via the "Claudius Bernard" path

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sncf

17 Jul 2022 at 14:26

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A beautiful half-day hike (completed in 4 hours). The climb is really pleasant, while the descent is longer and less interesting. A detour to the glacier (30 minutes round trip from the Tré la Tête refuge) is highly recommended.

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pseudo21

31 Jan 2022 at 10:17

Overall rating : 4.5 / 5

Date of your route : Jan 31, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : Not used / Not applicable
Very busy route : Yes

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Ct25

30 Aug 2021 at 16:08

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 28, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A challenging hike, busy at the start (up to the stream refuge). Quiet afterwards. Steady climb with some good steps to negotiate. No technical difficulty. Pleasant but long descent.

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Debant Dominique

04 Aug 2020 at 09:22

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 20, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

a very beautiful route, completed by four adults and two children aged nine and twelve.
We slept at the refuge and returned via the Armancette glacier.
A varied route with no difficult sections.
Very warm welcome at the refuge and comfortable (hot shower).

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Debant Dominique

22 Jul 2020 at 09:03

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

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Segar73

23 Sep 2019 at 13:00

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 23, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Hiking on a beautiful autumn day with our 8-year-old son.
The surroundings are beautiful, and the climb goes quickly with numerous spectacular views of the gorges. The descent is just as pleasant through the undergrowth.
We took a short detour a little higher than the refuge to see what remains of the glacier, which is not much. Setting foot on it remains illusory.

Just one comment: compared to other routes, I would say an average rating is sufficient. It's a bit of a climb, but there are no technical or exposed sections and the elevation gain is moderate.

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Chemindeleon

29 Jul 2019 at 12:11

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 25, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

During this week of scorching heat, this walk was ideal! Up and down through the forest. Beautiful view from the refuge and less than 25 minutes' walk to the glacier. We spotted some marmots near the glacier.
The advantage of this hike is that it is not very busy.

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Author

Lepep
1 Route

Visorando Member

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