Tour des Aiguilles Rouges

Hello,
Is it possible to do this tour in the opposite direction as there is no more space in the refuge on our dates?
Thank you for your feedback.
Best regards
Matthieu

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Date of your route : Aug 03, 2025
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

There were two of us who did this 5-day tour this summer, from 3 to 7 August 2025.
It's a superb route with views of Mont Blanc at every stage.
The weather was perfect, after the rains at the end of July and before the heatwave that began on 7 August.
We were camping, so we were carrying quite a lot, which made the route quite difficult with some very steep climbs.
We extended the first stage by going past the Refuge de Moede Anterne (too crowded) to sleep near the chalets in Villy.
For the second day, we booked a meal at the Pierre à Bérard refuge (good welcome but very average food) and a place for our tent, and learned that there would be no water along the rest of the route, except in bottles (at £5 for a 1.5 litre bottle!!!) we also learned that we should have booked the bivouac for the Refuge du Lac Blanc (we wanted to take the alternative route that goes via Lac Blanc) and for the Refuge de Bellachat, which we hadn't done. We are in fact in the Aiguilles Rouges nature park, which is a protected site. We had to leave the park to camp (the park rangers are there to check reservations) because everything was full, which meant we had to walk for another hour and ended up above the Refuge Flégère, a long stage but a peaceful campsite.
The next stage, Flégère-Bellachat, is also very beautiful, with a balcony path before climbing up to Brévent, where we had a magnificent view of Mont Blanc thanks to the clear sky.
We had the same problem at Bellachat, where all the pitches were booked, so we had to leave the park again.
Negative points of the bivouac hike: lack of water for washing (except in the Bérard torrent), the obligation to reserve bivouac sites and the need to buy water in the refuges unless you have filter bottles or tablets. Contrary to the water points indicated in the description of the stage from Refuge Pierre in Bérard to Refuge Flégère, we were unable to refill our water supplies at the reception chalet at the Col des Montets because it was closed for renovation work!
In terms of crowds, we encountered people on the climb up to Buet (many trail runners) and from the Col des Montets to Brévent and then Bellachat, but the other sections were quiet.
On the plus side, it was a magnificent hike!

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Date of your route : Jul 07, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Perfect trails and refuges for a 5-day route that I did with my teenager.
The route was completely safe and easy, despite the unusually heavy snowfall at the beginning of July. With snow crampons, it was pure bliss! Fantastic scenery, with Mont Blanc always in the background.
P.S.: The Bellachat refuge has been open again since July 2024. Tel: 07 75 83 02 70. Thank you again.

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Good evening,
This hike consists of five stages, each of which must be loaded.

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Hello, I downloaded the app and am trying to find this hike on my smartphone. Neither the search function, the hike number nor the QR code are working. Any idea why?

Thank you.

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Date of your route : Aug 19, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

A challenging tour completed in three and a half days, camping before the Col de Salenton, at the Cheserys lakes and near the Aiguillette des Houches. I didn't go via La Flegere but via L'Index and the magnificent Col de la Glière. A few detours are well worth it: the black bridge at Pormenaz, the black lakes...
Magnificent views all along the way with sunrises over Mont Blanc, Aravis and Fiz. Few people on some sections, too many on others... and lots of ibex! Thank you for the route and the maps.

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Date of your route : Aug 02, 2023
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★☆ Good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

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Thanks for the advice!

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Hello,
I did this tour in August. I think March might be too early in the season.
It would be best to contact the guides in Chamonix to find out if it's possible.
Best regards

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Hello
I would like to do this hike at the end of March. Do you think it's feasible?
Thank you for your advice!

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Date of your route : Aug 14, 2020
Reliability of the description : Not used / Not applicable
Ease of following the route : Not used / Not applicable
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : Yes

Tour des Aiguilles Rouges completed a long time ago in 4 days/3 nights, covering the following stages (just for information).
Day 1 - Col des Montets car park - La Flégère (via the Argentières ladders) / left our bags at La Flégère and went to Lac Blanc and back while everyone else was coming down... Result: peace and quiet at Lac Blanc and return to La Flégère with the cable cars stopped for the night - view of the Cham valley and the Ont Blanc mountain range... nothing but beautiful memories.
Day 2 - Flégère / Moede d'Anterne
Day 3 - Moede d'Anterne / Pierre à Berard, via Le Buet
Day 4 - Pierre à Berard/Grands Montets car park - we could have skipped sleeping at Pierre à Berard the night before and made it a single stage, but this way, Day 4 was really peaceful, allowing us to get back on the road.

A very beautiful itinerary that I plan to do again...

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Completed the circular route in two and a half days completely independently, unfortunately without the return trip to Mont Buet! (due to the weather...)
Indeed, in summer 2019, the Refuge de la Flégère was closed for renovations; however, the Refuge du Lac Blanc reopened! (website not updated).
The most difficult part was days 2 and 3 combined, which was no surprise: greater elevation gain and longer distance, very bad weather for me (continuous rain and dense fog). I got lost for an hour and a half in the switchbacks after point (5) on the Moede Anterne to Pierre à Bérard map. I ventured into the valley near the waterfalls and streams when I really should have stayed on the ridge. Then, once I found the trail again, the Salenton pass seemed endless (and the descent in the rain a little dangerous, as warned in the guidebook). Stopping for lunch at the Pierre à Bérard refuge was a real pick-me-up! Great welcome! On the other hand, the welcome at the Moëde Anterne and Lac Blanc refuge was much less warm... a shame.
Towards Lac Blanc, there are lots of goat paths (not signposted) leading to the Lacs de Chéserys. To avoid detours, take the paths furthest to the left, which tend to climb, to go straight to the refuge.
Le Brévent was a wonderful surprise and a real pleasure! It feels like you can almost touch Mont Blanc with your fingertips!
The final descent, from Aiguillettes des Houches to Servoz, is also a mental challenge, especially if you are carrying a heavy load. With a 1,500-metre drop in less than 10 km, it's fair to say that you'll be looking forward to the end and almost regretting the Col de Salenton!
One last note about drinking water: there's no problem finding it in waterfalls or free in refuges on the first three stages. However, on stages 4 and 5, I ran out and I'm still kicking myself for paying £6.50 for a 1.5-litre bottle at the Bellachat refuge.

In short, a great hike with breathtaking scenery (as soon as the fog clears a little ).
Thank you for this idea for a very varied route! A wonderful experience! Leaving the sporting challenge aside, I would recommend 4 days for even more enjoyment!

Have a great adventure!

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For your information: La Flégère will be closed during summer 2019 (renovation).

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On stage 4, the passage to the Col du Brevent is perhaps the most difficult. It is possible to do stages 4 and 5, but I think stages 2 and 3 are too long.

I hope I have answered your questions.

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Hello,
Would it be too ambitious for a young woman in good physical condition, who is used to hiking and isn't afraid of long days of walking, to complete the route in three days, combining stages 2-3 and 4-5, at the beginning of August?
Where is the most difficult part of the route? Is it stage 2?
Many thanks!

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