See the information sheets for each stage for details of the refuges.
Tour of the Dents Blanches massif, Ruan, Tenneverge
Straddling the Franco-Swiss border, the Dents Blanches, Dents du Midi, Tenneverge, Mont Ruan and Aiguilles Rouges. An area strongly shaped by the folding of the Alps, with surprising landscapes ranging from lunar deserts to high-altitude lakes, waterfalls and forgotten mountain pastures. A wild and unspoilt nature that only hikers can discover. Alpine valleys, often isolated by "pas", technical and cabled paths opening the doors to this universe of raw and grandiose nature...
Details
Creation:
Last update:
Last review:
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Activity: Walking -
Distance: 121.58 km -
Average duration: 8 days -
Difficulty: Very difficult -
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Back to start: Yes -
Ascent: + 10,358 m -
Descent: - 10,325 m -
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Highest point: 3,146 m -
Lowest point: 759 m
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Country:
France
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District:
Vallorcine (74660) -
Start/End: N 46.022058° / E 6.916825° -
Hour-by-hour weather
Photos
Stages of the route
This route needs several days, find the details below:
Notes
This route passes through multiple protected areas, which may be subject to special regulations:
Reviews and comments
marc24
Thanks for the information:
By any chance, can we buy take-away meals or bread, cheese and other cold meats in the refuges?
Because if not, 8 days of total autonomy is going to be very heavy.
Machine-translated
gérard bruet
We stayed in refuges for 7 nights
We left from Le Couteret next to Valorcine
1 cabane du vieux Emosson,2 Pierre Bérard,3les Fonds' 4 la Vogealle,5 Auberge de Bonavau,6Auberge de Salanfe,7 cabane du vieux Emosson, return to car parks
Machine-translated
marc24
hello friends,,,, I'd like to follow in your footsteps, but there's one question that's been on my mind: if I go or we go, can my girlfriend and I bivouac? I know that the laws in Switzerland are not always the same depending on the Canton and even the villages or communes, how did you manage?
My best regards
Marc
Machine-translated
Other walks in the area
Couteray - Refuge du Vieux Emosson
Visorando member 
11.99 km
+1,144 m
-321 m
6h 40
Difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
A pretty route, with views of the Tour and Argentière glaciers, which passes through the Refuge de Loriaz to reach the Barrage d'Emosson via a balcony path and finishes at the Refuge du Vieux Emosson.
Tré-les-Eaux - Col de la Terrasse - Loriaz
Visorando member 
18.09 km
+1,447 m
-1,447 m
10 hrs
Very difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
A superb circular at the edge of the high mountains (2,700 metres) with a very significant elevation gain.
This hike should only be attempted at the beginning of summer (as snow may still be present and obscure the markings).
Pointe de la Terrasse from the Buet station
Visorando member 15.41 km
+1,451 m
-1,453 m
8 hrs
Very difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
A loop via the magnificent and wild Trè-les-Eaux valley on the way there and via the Col de la Terrasse and the Refuge de Loriaz on the way back. Exceptional 360° panorama from the summit!Trè-les-Eaux is one of the few places in the Chamonix valley that is still untouched by mass tourism.
Col de Salenton, via the waterfall and the Bérard valley
Visorando member 
14.17 km
+1,202 m
-1,198 m
7h 30
Difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
A lovely mountain walk, easy at first, at the bottom of a wooded and green valley, then difficult, on the mountainside, exposed to the sun. Interesting waterfall. Panoramic view from the pass.
⚠️ This route crosses the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve. Please respect the regulations in force. See practical information.
Le Buet from Vallorcine
Visorando member 
18.76 km
+1,805 m
-1,796 m
10 hrs
Very difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
At an altitude of over 3,000 metres, there is a magnificent viewpoint over the Aiguilles Rouges and the Mont Blanc massif. This is a long and demanding hike in a wild setting offering superb panoramic views.
This hike can be done in a single day (Very Difficult) or over two days with a night in a refuge (Difficult).
In the forests and mountain pastures around Vallorcine
Visorando member 
18.89 km
+1,340 m
-1,340 m
10 hrs
Very difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
Loop through forests and mountain pastures.From the Col des Posettes via the Croix des Posettes or from the Col de Balme via the Catogne chalets, you will have a complete view of the surrounding Vallorcine landscapes.It's like a balcony overlooking Mont Blanc.
⚠️ This route crosses the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve. Please respect the regulations in force. See practical information.
The Mont Buet loop
Visorando member 23.73 km
+2,206 m
-2,212 m
7 hrs
Very difficult
Departure from Vallorcine (Haute-Savoie)
Starting from Buet, this is a large loop in a very rocky landscape. After the Refuge de la Pierre in Bérard, the ascent of Mont Buet and the Cheval Blanc pass, the circuit makes a short detour into Switzerland to visit the dinosaur site. The return journey is via the Col de la Terrasse, the Refuge de Loriaz and the hamlet of Couteray
⚠️ This route crosses the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve. Please respect the regulations in force. See practical information.
Lac Blanc via Lacs de Chéserys from Col des Montets
Visorando member 
10.82 km
+946 m
-937 m
5h 50
Difficult
Departure from Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (Haute-Savoie)
A must-do hike through the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve in the Chamonix Valley.
Lac Blanc culminates at 2352 m, offering an unforgettable panorama of the Mont Blanc range.
The route described here is much more bucolic and wild than the variant via La Flégère, which has become far too touristy.
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The GPS track and description are the property of this route's author. Please do not copy them without permission.
