Grand Chavalard Circuit starting from L’Erié

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A very beautiful circular walk, offering magnificent views of the Grande Dent de Morcles, the lakes of Fully and the Mont Blanc massif, before finishing with a panoramic view over the Rhône Valley and the peaks of Valais.

Details

n°57319246
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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 7.34 mi
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 55 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: Yes
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 2,940 ft
  • ↘
    Descent: - 2,943 ft
  • ▲
    Highest point: 8,064 ft
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 5,991 ft
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Photos

View of the Mont Blanc massif from the Col de Fenestral
Balcony overlooking the Rhône valley and Mont Blanc massif
Fully lower lake
The Grande Dent de Morcles on the right.

Description of the walk

Access by car
From Geneva and Lausanne, take the A9 motorway, exit 21, then follow signs for Fully, Buitonne and Chibo. At Chibo, continue straight on and follow the track to its end. From Fully, the road and track are relatively steep and narrow. Passing places have been provided. It is advisable to use a vehicle that is not too bulky. Car park: the large Erié car park, at the end of the track coming from Chibo.

(S/E) Walk back down the track for 180 m.

(1) Take the path on the left, towards Lui d’Août, Odonne and Ovronnaz. Reach the Lui d’Août chalet. Continue straight on, towards Petit Pré, Jorasse and Rambert. After about 50 metres, you’ll reach a fork in the path.

(2) Ignore the path branching off to the right and continue left along the grassy track.

(3) The path joins here with a trail coming from Petit Pré on the right. Continue straight on towards Euloi, Col de Fenestral and Sorniot. Walk alongside the Grands Prés wetland, then climb up to the Col de Fenestral.

(4) Take a moment to admire the view of the Mont Blanc massif and the Lac Supérieur de Fully. Descend a few metres and pass the Cabane du Fenestral. Descend to the junction with a track. The descent offers numerous additional viewpoints of the Mont Blanc massif, the Upper Lake of Fully and the surrounding peaks, notably the Grande Dent de Morcles.

(5) At the junction with a track coming from Sorniot (mountain hut), turn left and pass the Lower Lake of Fully, visible below. After a few hundred metres, you’ll reach a fork in the path.

(6) Leave the track that continues to the right, and take the path that climbs to the left, towards Grand Chavalard, l’Erié and Lui d’Août. The path winds its way up the slopes of Grand Chavalard, offering panoramic views over the Rhône Valley, the Mont Blanc massif and the peaks of Valais.

(7) Avoid the high-mountain route branching off to the left towards Grand Chavalard, and continue straight on towards L’Erié and Lui d’Août. You will reach the L’Erié car park (S/E).

Waypoints

  1. S/E : mi 0 - alt. 6,184 ft - Erié car park
  2. 1 : mi 0.11 - alt. 6,145 ft - Junction
  3. 2 : mi 1.65 - alt. 6,430 ft - Junction
  4. 3 : mi 1.93 - alt. 6,588 ft - Junction with another trail
  5. 4 : mi 3.86 - alt. 8,054 ft - Col de Fenestral - Cabane du fenestral
  6. 5 : mi 5.34 - alt. 6,729 ft - Junction - Cabane de Sorniot
  7. 6 : mi 5.58 - alt. 6,719 ft - Junction
  8. 7 : mi 6.03 - alt. 6,975 ft - Crossroads
  9. S/E : mi 7.33 - alt. 6,184 ft - Erié car park

Notes

Swiss National Map 272T – St-Maurice.
Equipment: good walking shoes and walking poles.
Difficulty: route with no technical difficulties. Snowfields may be present at the Col de Fenestral at the start of the season.

Worth a visit

(4) Fenestral Hut, staffed from June to September; accommodation and meals available.

(5) Sorniot Hut, staffed from July to September; accommodation and meals available.

Reviews and comments

4.7 / 5
Based on 2 reviews
Reliability of the description
4.5 / 5
Ease of following the route
5 / 5
Route interest
4.5 / 5
Sanpaloune
Sanpaloune

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 23, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★☆ Good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★★ Very good
Very busy route : No

Walk on 16 August 2024, in fine weather.
Route signposted by the canton of Valais, easy to follow even if the Visorando description is limited.
No technical difficulties, but the climb to the Col de Fenestral is quite challenging. This is an average plus hike.

A very nice, varied circuit. Superb views of the Mont Blanc massif from the Col de Fenestral. Try to get there before 11am or midday and the first clouds appear.
The last third of the route takes place in the early afternoon, facing due south and therefore very hot. Allow 2 to 3 litres of water per person at this time of year.
Access to the Erie car park is after 5 or 6 km of (good) track, so plan to rinse the car on the way back.

I highly recommend!!!
Thank you for publishing.

Machine-translated

Scat-jm
Scat-jm

Overall rating : 4.7 / 5

Date of your route : Aug 13, 2024
Reliability of the description : ★★★★★ Very good
Ease of following the route : ★★★★★ Very good
Route interest : ★★★★☆ Good
Very busy route : No

Our plan was to bivouac in the mountains and climb the Grand Chalavard the next day. We set off (Sunday around 2pm) from the Erié car park in the direction of Lui d'août. From there, we took the 'variant' route over the Col du Grand Château and pitched our little tent just above Petit Pré. We set off at around 8.30am the next day to get some water (it was already hot) before climbing the Col de Fenestral. Our "mistake" was to take a picnic break before reaching the access path to the Grand Chavalard, because on this exceptionally hot day, the climb was becoming suffocating. We gave up and arrived at the car park well ahead of schedule ....
In mid-August this route is particularly dry, so in a heatwave you need to "carry" enough water if you want to remain self-sufficient.

Machine-translated

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