Sales mountain huts - Le Lignon

Date of your route : Sep 02, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

The journey times indicated on the signs are probably underestimated...

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Date of your route : Jun 28, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Beautiful hike with beautiful waterfalls and lots of water, but also lots of people. On the way, we encounter sheep and especially goats. Stay away from them and you'll have no problem passing.

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Date of your route : May 27, 2022
Reliability of the description : ★★★☆☆ Average
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello,

Originally planning to complete the Fiz circuit in four days, I followed this hike partly uphill from the Wills refuge and entirely downhill on 22/05/2022 and 23/05/2022 respectively.

The ascent was very busy with weekend walkers.
The descent was much quieter, as it was on a Monday!

As I mentioned for the climb to the Wills refuge, the Tour des Fiz is almost impossible to do at this time of year because there is still too much snow (local trail runners I met at the Wills refuge advised me against it). So, I resigned myself to cutting my trip short.
Between the Pleureuse waterfall and the Sales pass, the bridge has been washed away, so you have to use one about 300m upstream (in the direction of the ascent); this is an old green metal bridge, fairly rudimentary.
At this time of year, there are lots and lots of ibex, and they are not at all shy (not yet, anyway!).
The climb via the Sales Pass to the Sales waterfalls is quite strenuous.
The Sales waterfalls are breathtaking!
At the start of the season, the Sales mountain huts are still closed, so be sure to bring camping gear, as I did.
Completely alone on the evening of Sunday 22 May 2022 in the Sales valley, the change of scenery is radical.
At this altitude, there was still a lot of snow, and the entire descent from Le Dérochoir was completely snow-covered.
The view of the Dérochoir and Platé is breathtaking.

However, the estimated 1 hour and 15 minutes to descend to the Lignon car park is very, very optimistic: 700 metres of elevation gain over 4.5 kilometres in 1 hour and 15 minutes is a bit much. Honestly, it can be done in less than 2 hours, but some sections are steep, and caution is required.
The scenery on the descent is splendid. For me, this is one of the most beautiful hikes I have ever done.

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Good evening,
this hike will take place in June 2018.
The Lannois

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Date of your route : Apr 22, 2017
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good

The highlight of the route is the waterfalls in winter (high flow). I did this route at the end of May, but be aware that there are some difficult sections due to persistent snowfields (ascent and descent in the same day on snowshoes). In summer, it's a lovely family walk but too crowded.

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