Refuge des Conscrits

There’s no such thing as chance. I’m the one who did the round trip in under 7 hours, and I actually did it again yesterday, just in time before the first drops of rain fell. Once again, I followed the route on the way there, and on the way back I took the Chemin Bernard after the Tré la Tête refuge, then went via the stream. It shouldn’t add any time – it’s just two different options for the descent.
It took me 10 minutes longer than it did two years ago, but I was quite tired from the day before and I had a blister that was bothering me.
I’m 48, I’m fit and I love the elevation gain (upwards – downwards is harder on my knees). I mainly go hiking in August.
I was overtaken by a seasoned mountaineer who must have been about 60 or 65, and then on the way back by a couple of a similar age who were absolute whizzes on the descent. OK, I’m probably faster than average, but I’m no powerhouse either.

To get back to the route: up to the Tré refuge, it’s fairly gentle. Yes, it goes uphill, but it’s fairly steady and through the forest. After the refuge, I don’t find it particularly steep, even if it is demanding. I’ve done proper climbs where, once you reach the top, you need five minutes to catch your breath. Here, no – it’s a series of ups and downs along the ridgeline. You climb almost without realising it. In fact, it’s the return journey that strikes me as more tiring.
There are three or four exposed sections, but nothing fundamentally dangerous, although they do require your attention: there are steps, ropes and handrails to ensure you get through safely.
The footbridge is as impressive as ever! Not for the faint-hearted!

I was incredibly lucky yesterday to spot at least 10 marmots after the Tré refuge. I must have been among the first people out that day, which might explain it. Didn’t see any ibex, though. Maybe next time!

Edit: I’d spotted a small error in the route description which, at one point, directs you to climb up a scree slope for a few dozen metres to get higher up, when in fact there’s a ladder opposite with sturdy stainless-steel rungs. The Blue Circle markings and the path were quite obvious this time, so we didn’t hesitate to veer off the theoretical route and head straight for that inviting ladder.

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Date of your route : Aug 15, 2026
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A magnificent hike with a very good description. I’d just like to point out that you shouldn’t rely on the comments of people who say they climbed it in 3 hours 20 minutes or completed a round trip in 5 hours. These people don’t specify their age or fitness level. I’m not disputing that it’s achievable for young, fit people, but on a website aimed at the general public, this is completely misleading. As the author points out very clearly, it’s a difficult and long hike. Personally, I’m in my sixties, not particularly fit, although I do enjoy walking; it took me 7 hours to climb up and 5 hours to come down, carrying a rucksack with just the essentials in terms of clothing, water and food (no more than 10 kg, perhaps even less). So, whilst I’m certainly no expert on Alpine hikes, for the average person, this is a more realistic timeframe than a 5-hour round trip.
Otherwise, the scenery was superb; in the morning, the climb up to the Aiguille de la Bérangère before heading back down. A superb, modern mountain hut; the staff are very welcoming, and the evening meal was excellent and generous.

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

A magnificent hike with superb scenery all along the route. There are a few technical sections that require good mountain-walking skills, but nothing insurmountable for a hiker used to this type of terrain.

We completed the round trip in 6 hours 40 minutes, jogging down from the Refuge du Pré de la Tête. We were lucky enough to spot several ibex and marmots.

The Passerelle des Conscrits is simply fabulous and is in itself one of the highlights of the route.

We received a very warm welcome at the Refuge des Conscrits, which has been recently renovated and is particularly pleasant. Finally, the route description provided by the author is accurate, reliable and perfectly suited to the terrain.

A magnificent and varied hike, which I would recommend without hesitation.

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Date of your route : Oct 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

An incredible hike!
If you follow the directions on Visorando, it's very well marked! Especially after the first refuge, when the orange and blue dots start, you can be sure you won't get lost.
We slept in the high winter refuge for conscripts, which was an amazing experience! There's gas, beds and blankets, it was great!
I understand the difficulty rating for the hike, which is intended to discourage some people, because you do need to be confident on your feet and with your hands on the various ladders and slightly steep passages equipped with ropes.
But it's a hike that's still very doable for athletes or those who are used to the mountains. In any case, we loved it! The scenery is breathtaking!

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Date of your route : Aug 16, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

A round trip completed in a day, and even in less than 7 hours, taking time to visit the glacier and taking different paths on the descent after Trè la Tête to enjoy the variety of scenery. I reached the top in 3 hours and 20 minutes, but I must admit that I have a good pace and am not afraid of the few exposed sections.
It should be noted that around the Pointe des Terriers, the trail is not quite right. Instead of going back up and looking for a higher passage, there is now a kind of ladder with a knotted rope opposite the finish. I completely missed it on the way up and had to do a bit of climbing to find the trail again. That was the only time I felt I took a risk; the rest was fairly straightforward. On the way back, you come straight to this ladder.
It was very exciting on the footbridge, which is impressive but at the same time completely safe.

Although I didn't get to see any ibex, I did come across a few shy marmots!

Although you meet people on the way to the Très la Tête refuge, the second part is much less touristy.

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

Tough route!
We set off on 1 July 2022 (2 hours 25 minutes to the Tré-la-Tête refuge, then 3 hours 45 minutes to the Conscrits refuge, making a total of 6 hours 10 minutes) with our rucksacks loaded with mountaineering equipment. Altitude of the Conscrits refuge: 2,602 metres according to the FFCAM website.
We descended on 2 July 2022 after crossing the Dômes de Miage and the Aiguille de la Bérangère. That's why we chose to stop for the night at the Tré-la-Tête refuge (3 hours 15 minutes "descent" between the two refuges). A good choice for "well-seasoned" sixty-somethings! Then a peaceful return to the valley on 3 July 2022.
The path from the car park to the Refuge de Tré-la-Tête is even and pleasant.
The trail connecting the two refuges is "rough". With the numerous "rocky" sections scattered along the trail and the steep slopes indicated in the description, we were unable to maintain a steady pace. The "jolts" in the walk are frequent and tiring, especially on the descent.
Ibexes near the Refuge des Conscrits and marmots along the entire route.

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Date of your route : Jul 11, 2021
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Very beautiful hike. Lots of ibex and marmots. Still some snowfields. Keep your eyes open to follow the trail. The footbridge was reopened last week. Draught beer at the Conscrits refuge.

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Date of your route : Jul 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

cloudy weather, beautiful, dizzying hike, alpine hike, lots of ropes and some dizzying passages.

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Date of your route : Aug 09, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Going on Friday, 9 August
The description is accurate, with the only addition being that some markings are no longer blue but orange... Do not be confused and follow the route carefully.
The advice to spend the night at the refuge is wise: it allows you to descend from the refuge to the glacier in the evening (since you have time), enjoy a pleasant evening (thanks to the refuge team) and take in the sunset in this enchanting setting.
The next day, you can take a walk to the old refuge or the Bérangère Pass before heading back down if the weather is nice (unfortunately for me, although the climb was done in the sunshine, the next day was rainy)

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Date of your route : Aug 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

The goal of our outing on Sunday, 26 August 2018: a day trip to the Conscrits refuge and back.
We arrived at the car park in Cugnon at around 7:30 a.m. It is a large car park just 10 minutes from the start of the path leading to the refuges. It is a pleasant hiking trail that quickly climbs to the Tré La Tête refuge at 1,970 metres. From there, you can see the end of the Tré La Tête glacier at the bottom of its moraine.
From the refuge, the path becomes steeper and more rugged. We are now tackling a high-mountain alpine trail that climbs rapidly up grassy slopes to 2,400 metres and then continues through boulders and rocks. The path is well marked with cairns and blue paint, so it's hard to go wrong. There are a few secure passages with handrails, which are very useful when the rocks are wet (the day before, it had snowed up to an altitude of 2,200 metres), and the footbridge about 45 minutes from the Conscrits refuge, which we reach at around 12 noon at an altitude of 2,614 metres.
We have a bite to eat near the refuge in front of a magnificent landscape of glaciers, peaks and snow-covered ridges. It was a feast for the eyes
We returned to the Conscrits refuge for a coffee served by the friendly "refuge assistant", then we began the descent at a leisurely pace. With the sun shining and a light breeze, the snow had melted, the ground was dry, and the descent was uneventful.
My opinion of this hike:
A very beautiful hike with magnificent, wild landscapes. We can't wait to come back next year and spend a night at the refuge.
This hike is intended for people with a minimum of experience in the high mountains. The "very difficult" rating is justified to discourage any beginners who might want to venture there. The elevation gain is significant (approximately 1,600 metres round trip) but not insurmountable for people with a minimum level of fitness and some training hikes under their belts.

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Date of your route : Aug 28, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

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The summer trail is perfectly passable: work to secure the footbridge was completed at the end of June. A beautiful hike at the foot of the Mont Blanc massif.

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Date of your route : Jun 17, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

i set off on Sunday towards the Refuge des Conscrits, a very difficult parish-specific to Brittany route i can confirm that from the start at the Cugnon car park, the path climbs steadily for at least 3 km, then becomes rather stony and rocky. When I arrived at the Tre la Tête refuge, I was surprised to find that the Nepalese footbridge over the glacier was unusable as it was being secured for an indefinite period as I didn't have my crampons and was alone, I didn't take any risks. I stopped at the edge of the glacier in the company of marmots for lunch and turned back, but this hike is really great for those who want to tackle the high mountains. From the Tre la Tête refuge, the landscape becomes completely different. I'll go back as soon as possible with all the necessary equipment.
a helmet is mandatory from the Tre La Tête refuge onwards, as the path runs close to the mountain and rockfalls are common. This hike is really only suitable for hikers and people who are physically fit.

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Date of your route : Aug 01, 2013
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

A very long and exhausting hike, with very little shade. There are some aerial and dangerous passages, which are quite frightening (and I'm not talking about the suspension bridge, which is safe). It's a hike that's worth the effort, but you need to be trained, fit and well-shod.
To echo the previous comment, I don't remember having any trouble finding the route (I had a 1:25,000 map with me). I agree with the "Very difficult" rating. Personally, I would rate it "Extreme", as the elevation gain is very significant (close to 1,700 m)

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Hello,
i have several comments to make about this particular hike.

Firstly, I would like to respond to the comments made by quent88, which made me a bit angry, in order to defend the author of this guidebook.
It is clearly stated – and rightly so – several times that this is a long, alpine hike with steep slopes, sections with handrails (ropes), aerial passages, route finding (blue arrows), etc. It therefore seems obvious to me that you should not take people who are inexperienced in this type of terrain with you, nor those who are not physically prepared for the effort required and the impressive nature of the route. Every hiker must take responsibility for their own actions, and if you do not have the required level of experience, you should choose something else. The decision is not only for yourself but also for the most inexperienced member of the group.
This hike has been downgraded from "difficult" to "very difficult" following the comment. Normally, I am against the principle of overrating a route on the pretext that someone has fallen, turned back or had other difficulties (excessive fatigue, etc.). But looking at the Visorando rating system (sorry, I'm new here!), I would dare to make this equivalence with the R1 to R5 system used on other sites: R1=easy, R2=medium, R3=difficult, R4=very difficult, R5=extreme (borderline alpine).
Based on my experience, I would rate this hike as R3, leaning towards R4 for its length and the difficulty of finding the route, so the "very difficult" classification seems well deserved in this case, especially in comparison to other hikes of the same level that I know in my area (Grenoble).

For your information, I did this hike in August 2013 based on another guidebook (sorry, I didn't know about Visorando at the time) and I didn't have any particular problems, except for finding the blue dots on the descent from the refuge: you have to keep your eyes peeled, but it's more fun when you enjoy treasure hunts. It took me less than 5 hours to walk there and back at a brisk pace, and I can confirm that a cold beer on the terrace of Les Conscrits with a view of the glaciers is a great way to reward your efforts!

Finally, the footbridge is undoubtedly the safest part of the entire route: there's not much risk, except for vertigo for some sensitive people, especially in strong side winds.
It suffered significant damage this winter following heavy avalanches. It has recently been repaired and is awaiting approval to reopen soon (21 July). If in doubt, call the guardian of the Tré-la-Tête refuge.

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