Tête de Lindaret and Col de Bassachaux from Pré-la-Joux

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An easy summer hike in the playground of downhill mountain bikers. Panoramic views of Lake Montriond, Lake Geneva and the Portes du Soleil ski area. Descent via theGR®5and a forest path.

You are in a protected area! See the regulations in the practical information section.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.05 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 4h 30 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 673 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 670 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,942 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 1,291 m
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Description of the walk

Departure from Pré-la-Joux, on the Col de Bassachaux road from Châtel, at the foot of the Pierre Longue chairlift.

(S/E) Head towards the Pierre Longue chairlift departure station. Go around the station on the right and follow a ski trail that runs roughly parallel to the chairlift line. Pass under the chairlift line, walk along a water retention basin on the left-hand side and join a hairpin bend on the road to the pass.

(1) Continue along the track towards the Chalets de Plaine Dranse. At the end of the climb, join the road and follow it to the right until you reach the Chalets de Plaine Dranse crossroads.

(2) From the chalets, leave the road continuing west towards the pass and head left towards a chapel with bells on the façade. Go around the chapel on the left and continue on the ski slope to the right, passing under the Rochassons chairlift and then under the Plaine Dranse chairlift.

(3) Make a hairpin turn to the left and, when you reach the chairlift line, pass underneath it higher up. When you reach the other chairlift line, turn right and head for the Crête des Rochassons (view of Lake Montriond to the west and Lake Geneva to the north).

(4) Continue along the ridge path on the right towards Tête de Lindaret (note the car park on the right).

(5) From Tête de Lindaret, begin the descent towards Col de Bassachaux by following the path straight ahead and passing two large satellite dishes. Cross a mountain bike trail (caution) then descend through the scrub. Join an alpine trail, follow it to the right and you will soon reach Col de Bassachaux (car park).

(6) At the pass, join the D228A and begin the descent on the tarmac road. Quickly leave the road by following theGR®5(red and white markings) on the left. Descend due north, ignoring a few side paths. You will come to a star-shaped intersection between several paths.

(8) Leave theGR®5trail climbing to the left and descend the path on the right towards the Chalets de Plaine Dranse. After a few hairpin bends, leave the path and take a path on the left towards Pré-la-Joux.

(9) At an intersection, turn right, still heading towards Pré la Joux. Descend through the forest via a series of hairpin bends. Go around the toboggan run on the left and then turn right to return to the car park where you started (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : km 0 - alt. 1,298 m - Pré-la-Joux car park. Near the - Dranse d'Abondance (rivière)
  2. 1 : km 1.51 - alt. 1,508 m - Hairpin bend in the road
  3. 2 : km 2.14 - alt. 1,638 m - Chalets de Plaine Dranse
  4. 3 : km 2.75 - alt. 1,739 m - Hairpin bend on the track
  5. 4 : km 3.55 - alt. 1,909 m - Crête des Rochassons
  6. 5 : km 4.5 - alt. 1,941 m - Tête de Lindaret
  7. 6 : km 5.45 - alt. 1,783 m - Col de Bassachaux
  8. 7 : km 5.63 - alt. 1,779 m - Start of the GR5 trail - Refuge de la Haute Bise
  9. 8 : km 6.65 - alt. 1,664 m - End of the GR5 trail
  10. 9 : km 7.42 - alt. 1,564 m - La Place des Plaines
  11. S/E : km 9.05 - alt. 1,298 m - Pré-la-Joux car park

Notes

TheGR®5trail is muddy on rainy days.
The descent through the forest can be slippery in bad weather.

Be careful when the route crosses downhill mountain bike trails.

REGULATIONS:

This route crosses the Mont de Grange protected natural area. To avoid disturbing wildlife and preserve its habitat, please respect the regulations in force.

Permitted:

  • Dogs on a leash
  • Camping is permitted from 7 p.m. to 9 a.m.

Prohibited:

  • Picking
  • Picking plants
  • Leaving any rubbish behind
  • Motor vehicles

During your journey, you will also encounter herds grazing in summer pastures. Please respect the following rules of good conduct:

  • Close gates and barriers
  • Keep your dogs on a leash and pick up their faeces
  • Do not wash, bathe or clean any objects in the drinking troughs
  • Do not approach the herds
  • Stay on the paths

Here, as elsewhere, nature deserves your attention

More information: Protection Biotope (APPB) - Pays d'Evian Vallée d'Abondance

This route passes through a protected area, which may be subject to special regulations:

Worth a visit

Along the route, views of Lake Montriond and Lake Geneva.

Off the route, on the left from the point (4), departure point for the Fantasticable. This is a giant zip line, for a fee, which, in two sections, takes you back to the D228A road downstream from the Col de Bassachaux. Strongly not recommended for people who are prone to vertigo.

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

4.5 / 5
Based on 6 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.8 / 5
Ease of following the route
4.7 / 5
Route interest
4.2 / 5
bbn35bzh
bbn35bzh
• Edited:

Overall rating : 4 / 5

Date of your route : Sep 11, 2024
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★☆☆ Average
Very busy route : No

Today's route was done in reverse.
The weather was mediocre, so there wasn't a great view when we reached the summit, but otherwise it's definitely worth it!
The descent (which corresponds to the ascent if you do the hike as suggested by the author) is really not interesting. You walk on stones the whole time (ski slopes, forest paths?).
Otherwise, no difficulties with orientation.
Thank you for the publication.

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Sylvie Marie
Sylvie Marie

Overall rating : 4.3 / 5

Date of your route : Jul 17, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Hello
We did part of this hike:
starting directly at point 2 (chairlift ascent)
point 5 Bassachaux pass before point 4 Lindaret peak, so positive elevation gain
and it was better that way because the trail was very slippery due to the storm the night before, steep and mainly composed of slate
We also had an IGN map to help us because the trail markings in the Alps are less frequent than for hikes in the Vosges.

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nmelieres
nmelieres

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 04, 2020
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

We walked in foggy weather with light rain, so there was no view when we reached the summit, which was a shame!
The climb is rocky (not great) and the descent is very pleasant along a forest path. There were two adults and one very athletic 10-year-old child in our group. It took us 2 hours and 40 minutes to complete the route without stopping due to bad weather.
It's a beautiful hike to do in good weather to admire Mont Blanc from the summit.

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Mellan5174
Mellan5174

Overall rating : 4 / 5

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

Very disappointed with this hike, as the scenery is nothing special.
The climb up the ski slopes, close to the mountain bikes, is not pleasant at all and you have to be careful because some mountain bikes sometimes come down the path you are taking.
The only positive point for me was the walk between sections 8 and the finish, where there is more greenery.
Be careful of slippery paths, though, because even though it hasn't rained for several days, some paths, especially the descent from the Tête des Lindarets, are particularly slippery and you end up wading through water on numerous occasions.

One more thing: at the end of the hike, the app didn't show 655m of elevation gain, but 1023m, even though I followed the directions. So hang on tight! :-)

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jclmsn
jclmsn

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 17, 2019
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Do this route in the opposite direction to the one described, starting from the bottom of Pré Lajoux
Seems a little more challenging in this direction
The descent to Pierre Longue is difficult for weak knees and is also cluttered with numerous mountain bike trails, making it difficult to find the start point in this direction.

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Libaipire
Libaipire

Overall rating : 5 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 20, 2018
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good

Magnificent views of the surrounding area. After Lindarets peak, we walked to the Chésery pass.
Chairlift descent available for those with painful joints.

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