Hikes near Argentière – Chamonix – Grands Montets

Argentière – Chamonix – Grands Montets (1231 m) sits in Savoie Mont Blanc, France. MR. ALPS lists 20 waymarked hiking trails starting from or crossing the area, 199 km of marked route in total. They run from 3.8 km to 15.8 km, the longest being Alpenpässe-Weg: Trient - Emosson Barrage. 20 of them record their elevation gain, between 54 m and 2826 m.

• Tour du Mont Blanc - Variante du Tour

  6.2 km · +1409 m · ≈ 3 h 35

  Route map →

• Tour Du Mont Blanc - Variante de Vallorcine

  14.3 km · +2330 m · ≈ 6 h 45

  This variant of the Tour du Mont Blanc climbs through alpine meadows, conifer forests, and rocky slopes to the Col de Balme at 2,191 m, a pass straddling the French-Swiss border between the Vallée de Chamonix and the Vallée du Trient. From the top, the panorama takes in the Aiguille du Tour, the Aiguille du Chardonnet, and the Aiguille d'Argentière ranged across the Mont Blanc massif.

  Route map →

• Chalet du Chapeau

  6.6 km · +1171 m · ≈ 3 h 16

  path nr.7 from Rother Wanderführer, Mont Blanc

  Route map →

• Lacs Noirs

  10.2 km · +1380 m · ≈ 4 h 20

  Departing from the top of the Planpraz cable car, this route through the Réserve Naturelle des Aiguilles Rouges climbs through steep sections and névés to reach the Lacs Noirs at 2,540 m and Lac Cornu at 2,276 m. Throughout, the eyes are drawn across the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc valley to the glaciers of the Mont-Blanc massif — where the retreat of the ice is plainly visible.

  Route map →

• Rocher des Mottets - Montenvers

  5.4 km · +1414 m · ≈ 3 h 26

  The route climbs through forest and switchbacks to a dramatic viewpoint above red rocks, with a splendid outlook over the Aiguilles des Drus and the Mer de Glace below. The path follows a corridor carved out in 1968 as a Vallée Blanche exit, passing the couloir d'Orthaz — where falling rocks are a live concern — before breaking out of the trees onto those vivid crimson crags.

  Route map →

• Refuge Albert Ier

  5.3 km · +1491 m · ≈ 3 h 33

  The trail climbs to 2,702 metres above the Glacier du Tour — the only hut managed by the CAF de Chamonix reachable in summer without crossing a glacier — with views spanning the Aiguille du Tour, Aiguille du Chardonnet, and Aiguille d'Argentière. It sits on the Haute Route between Chamonix and Zermatt, making it a crossroads for day hikers drawn by the Chamonix Valley panorama and alpinists bound for serious high-mountain routes.

  Route map →

• Chemin du Montenvers

  4.1 km · +63 m · ≈ 55 min

  The Chemin du Montenvers traces the Grand Balcon Nord, a high traverse delivering unbroken panoramic views of Mont Blanc, the Chamonix Aiguilles, the Aiguilles Rouges, Le Brévent, and the Chamonix Valley. The route ends at Montenvers, where the high peaks tower above the Mer de Glace glacier.

  Route map →

• Mont Buet

  9.7 km · +2826 m · ≈ 6 h 39

  path nr.12 from Rother Wanderführer, Mont Blanc

  Route map →

• GaB_TMB_S01

  10.8 km · +1448 m · ≈ 4 h 34

  This route climbs from Chamonix-Sud at 1,033 m to the Plan de l'Aiguille at 2,314 m, then continues via cable car across the Glacier des Pèlerins to the Aiguille du Midi at 3,791 m — the highest of the Chamonix needles — where a terrace delivers the closest view of Mont Blanc without climbing it.

  Route map →

• Sentier des Gardes

  9.1 km · +843 m · ≈ 3 h 13

  A tight forest singletrack loop on the hillside above Chamonix, the Sentier des Gardes threads through mostly smooth but root- and pinecone-strewn terrain, passing through silence broken only by the occasional sound of a garbage truck in the town below. The route traverses exposed forest singletrack all the way to Plan Lachat before descending back to the start of the Chamonix Vertical Kilometer course.

  Route map →

• Petit Balcon Sud

  13.8 km · +1390 m · ≈ 5 h 05

  Mostly forested and hugging the southern aspect of the Chamonix valley at around 1,200–1,300m, the Petit Balcon Sud traces a low-altitude path from Les Houches all the way to Argentière. It presents very little difficulty and is considered an ideal choice even on rainy days.

  Route map →

• Chemin des Diligences

  11.6 km · +634 m · ≈ 3 h 23

  Opened in 1792, this historic path traces the old coach route linking Martigny and Chamonix via the Col des Montets, threading through the authentic hamlets of Vallorcine where local traditions have been faithfully kept alive.

  Route map →

• Via Alpina Stage 80: Trient - Champex-Lac

  14.8 km · +1505 m · ≈ 5 h 28

  From Trient to Champex-Lac

  Route map →

• 37-Chemin des cols alpins

  15.1 km · +245 m · ≈ 3 h 26

  From Trient to Lac d'Emosson

  Route map →

• Tour Du Mont Blanc - Variante des Grands

  9.1 km · +580 m · ≈ 2 h 47

  Route map →

• Alpenpässe-Weg: Trient - Emosson Barrage

  15.8 km · +1676 m · mittel · ≈ 5 h 57

  Route map →

• Aiguillette des Houches

  9 km · +196 m · ≈ 2 h 08

  Route map →

• Boucle de Pormenaz

  10.8 km · +1025 m · ≈ 3 h 52

  Route map →

• Chalet de Loriaz

  13.3 km · +676 m · ≈ 3 h 47

  Route map →

• Cirque des Fonts

  3.8 km · +54 m · ≈ 51 min

  Route map →

← Back to Argentière – Chamonix – Grands Montets