Vernayaz – Le Trétien via the Route des Diligences

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This beautiful route follows part of the “Route des Diligences”, which, in themid-19th century, alongside the arrival of the railway, led to the boom in tourism in the Trient Valley. The hike also offers the chance to admire the historic chalets in the villages of Les Granges, Les Marécottes and Le Trétien.
Accessible by public transport.

Details

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  • Walking
    Activity: Walking
  • ↔
    Distance: 9.50 km
  • ◔
    Average duration: 5h 15 
  • ▲
    Difficulty: Moderate
  • ⚐
    Back to start: No
  • ↗
    Ascent: + 895 m
  • ↘
    Descent: - 299 m
  • ▲
    Highest point: 1,134 m
  • ▼
    Lowest point: 450 m
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Photos

Panorama from the hamlet of Les Granges

Description of the walk

Access by public transport

Vernayaz SBB station.

Access by car

There are only a few free parking spaces available near Vernayaz SBB station. Please use public transport where possible.

(S) When alighting from the train from Geneva/Lausanne/Montreux/St-Maurice, cross the tracks via the underpass. Trains from Brig/Sion/Martigny arrive at the platform providing direct access to the start of the hike. Take the road opposite the station building. A few metres further on, turn left towards Salvan/Les Marécottes/Finhaut (signpost). Once on the Grand Rue, continue left for a few metres then turn right onto the path running alongside a power station.

(1) Just after passing the power station, continue straight ahead towards Salvan/Les Marécottes/Finhaut (signpost). The climb up the “Route des Diligences”, which is fairly steep but steady, begins shortly afterwards.

(2) Leave the “Route des Diligences” and turn right onto the Promenade du Marécot.

(3) Turn left towards Les Granges/Salvan. Continue until you reach a track. Take the track on the left towards Les Granges/Salvan. Cross Les Granges via Rue du Village, following the yellow markings and taking the time to admire the panoramic views, particularly of the Pierre Avoi and Mont Gelé.

(4) At the junction of Rue du Village, Chemin du Dailley and Clou Davau, continue straight ahead towards Les Marécottes/Planajeur.

(5) Leave Rue du Village and take the path on the right towards Les Marécottes/Planajeur. Cross Route de Van and continue along the path opposite. Then pass a path on the right and continue left towards Les Marécottes. The path then joins a track (Chemin des Messieurs). Continue straight ahead. You will come out onto a road; take it to the right. At the next junction, take Rue Principale on the right. Cross Les Marécottes (old chalets) via Rue Principale.

(6) Once you reach the square in front of the cable car, continue along the road slightly to the left towards Le Trétien/Finhaut. Walk down this road for a few metres. When you come within sight of the reservoir, continue left onto the path skirting the bottom of the reservoir. This path then joins a path coming from the left. Continue straight on towards Le Trétien. Cross the Mont-Blanc Express railway line with care. After a few bends, the path leads onto a road which you follow to the right (take care). After passing the entrance to the Gorges du Triège trail, then the bridge over the Triège, leave the main road and turn right to reach the village of Le Trétien. Continue through the village , admiring its historic chalets.

(7) Take a path on the right to join a road and head up to Le Trétien station. (E)

Waypoints

  1. S : km 0 - alt. 453 m - Vernayaz SBB station
  2. 1 : km 0.5 - alt. 455 m - Le Fond du Mont
  3. 2 : km 3.82 - alt. 913 m - Hairpin bend
  4. 3 : km 4.69 - alt. 886 m - Le Marécot
  5. 4 : km 5.64 - alt. 1,060 m - Les Granges
  6. 5 : km 6.14 - alt. 1,080 m - Bifurcation
  7. 6 : km 8.02 - alt. 1,112 m - Les Marécottes.
  8. 7 : km 9.39 - alt. 1,027 m - Le Trétien
  9. E : km 9.5 - alt. 1,049 m - Trétien railway station

Notes

Swiss National Map 282 T Martigny.

Starting and finishing points of the hike: please note that Vernayaz has two stations, approximately 1.2 km apart. The route starts at the SBB station (Rue de la Gare 2, 1904 Vernayaz). On the return journey from Le Trétien via the Mont-Blanc Express, you can either alight at Vernayaz MC station and walk to the CFF station, or continue on to Martigny, where all connections are available at the same station.

Equipment: good walking shoes and walking poles.

Markings: Yellow Diamond (hiking trail).

For further information on trail markings in Switzerland, see the “Hiking trail categories” on Suisse Rando: https://www.suisse-rando.ch/fr/savoir/signalisation/categories-de-chemins-de-randonnee.

Difficulty: route with no technical difficulties.

Our hikes wouldn’t be nearly as rewarding without the contribution of the people who live in and look after the mountains. But they need us too. Please support local businesses!

If you wish to check train and bus timetables, use the “SBB Mobile” app on your phone rather than the SBB website. The “Mobile CFF” app also includes “EasyRide”, which allows you to buy a ticket online and automatically calculates the cost from your starting point to your destination. You might also want to consider the “Fairtiq” app, which offers the same service regardless of the public transport used – train, PostBus, urban transport or even ski lifts – whether used individually or in combination.

Worth a visit

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