GENTLE MOUNTAIN ITINERARIES, THE ART OF LINKING VALLEYS ON FOOT OR BY BIKE
Journey without ever leaving altitude
In Les 3 Vallées, itinerant travel reveals a different way to experience the mountains. Summer is no exception.
On foot or by electric mountain bike, the aim is no longer simply to reach a summit or a lake, but to move from one valley to another, shifting light, horizons and atmospheres. A night in a mountain refuge, a mountain pass crossed, a trail that drops into a new valley: here, the adventure unfolds step by step, in a vast and deeply alpine setting.
From alpine pastures to ridgelines, from hamlets to high-altitude landscapes, the immensity reveals itself over time, with that rare feeling that there is always another slope to explore. Here are a few examples of itinerant loops to extend the adventure.
This is the INFINITE MOUNTAIN EXPERIENCE!
Courchevel & Méribel Valley
Tour of the Aiguille du Fruit, four days circling a grand alpine landscape
Between Courchevel and Méribel, the Tour of the Aiguille du Fruit unfolds over 4 days of hiking across 47.92 km (elevation gain: 3,237 m). The route circles one of the area’s most distinctive peaks, moving from alpine pastures to mountain passes, from refuges to high-altitude trails, with a constant sense of shifting aspect and light as the journey progresses. Nights spent in mountain refuges – at Lacs Merlet, Refuge du Saut and Refuge du Grand Plan – set the rhythm of the journey and deepen the immersion in the high mountains.
The Vanoise forms a majestic backdrop, landscapes echo from one valley to the next, and each stage invites you to go further.
Low Valleys Loop, a gentle link between Méribel Les Allues and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
Méribel & Les Belleville Valley
Over 2 days, the Low Valleys Loop connects Méribel to the Belleville Valley across 26.55 km (1,358 m elevation gain), offering a softer approach to itinerant mountain journeys.
Here, no vast mineral slopes or high alpine routes: the trail weaves through forests, high-altitude hamlets, alpine pastures and gentle ridgelines, with the rare feeling of moving between valleys without abrupt transitions.
A night at the Refuge du Trait d’Union sets the rhythm of this human-scale crossing, designed to savour the mountains in their most pastoral, vibrant and welcoming form.
Les Belleville Valley
Wild Belleville Valleys, three days on a more secret side
Covering 38.37 km (elevation gain: 2,132 m) over 3 days, the Wild Belleville Valleys itinerary leads hikers into one of the most unspoilt areas of the region. Refuges, alpine pastures, remote valleys and panoramic ridgelines: here, the mountains feel more secret, more mineral, more silent. Nights at Refuge de Plan Lombardie and Refuge de Gittamelon set the pace of this immersion and enhance the sense of remoteness.
This is undoubtedly the itinerary that most vividly expresses the raw, alpine side of Les 3 Vallées – vast open spaces, lingering light and the feeling of being far away, without ever leaving the area.
Varlossière, a night at the end of the valley
Les Belleville Valley
In the Encombres Valley, Varlossière feels like one of those places reached by gradually leaving the world behind. A former shepherd’s hut turned unstaffed refuge, it offers four sleeping places and much more than simple shelter: a way to extend the walk, to watch the light fade over the slopes, and to set off again at dawn into a quieter, more stripped-back and more intimate mountain landscape. A different way to experience Les 3 Vallées!
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