Hikes near Chamonix – Les Planards

Chamonix – Les Planards (1062 m) sits in Savoie Mont Blanc, France. MR. ALPS lists 18 waymarked hiking trails starting from or crossing the area, 137 km of marked route in total. They run from 3.8 km to 13.8 km, the longest being Petit Balcon Sud. 17 of them record their elevation gain, between 63 m and 1760 m.

• Sentier des Gardes

  9.1 km · +587 m · ≈ 2 h 48

  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.

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• Chalet des Pyramides

  4.3 km · +801 m · ≈ 2 h 12

  Steep switchbacks — occasionally reinforced with metal chains, railings, and stairs — climb through dense forest before breaking into the open, where the Bossons Glacier fills one horizon and the Taconnaz Glacier with Mont Blanc dominates the other. The trail ends at a snack bar perched at 1,895 metres, looking out directly over the Glacier des Bossons.

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• Plan de l'Aiguille - Montenvers

  6.9 km · +849 m · ≈ 2 h 47

  A balcony path threading beneath the sheer foothills of the Aiguilles de Chamonix, the route links Montenvers (1913 m) to Plan de l'Aiguille (2310 m) through a wild, mineral landscape while keeping Mont Blanc (4808 m) in view. Along the way, the panorama swings from the Mer de Glace and the Drus (3754 m) to the Grandes Jorasses (4208 m), with the perspective shifting abruptly as you cross from the glacier side to the Aiguilles — Charmoz, Blaitière, le Plan, l'Aiguille du Midi — and back again.

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• Rocher des Mottets - Montenvers

  5.4 km · +1321 m · ≈ 3 h 17

  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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• Lac Cornu

  5.2 km · +1387 m · ≈ 3 h 21

  path nr.16 from Rother Wanderführer, Mont Blanc. Duration 3.3 hours

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• 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.

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• Chalet du Chapeau

  6.6 km · +1171 m · ≈ 3 h 16

  path nr.7 from Rother Wanderführer, Mont Blanc

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• Aiguillette des Houches

  10.6 km · +1731 m · ≈ 5 h

  A panoramic loop through the Carlaveyron nature reserve, the Aiguillette des Houches delivers sweeping views of the Mont Blanc massif, the Aiguilles Rouges, the Fiz, and the wet meadows of Carlaveyron. The ascent winds through the Chailloux mountain pastures directly opposite the Bossons glacier, described as Europe's largest.

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• Chemin des Villages

  3.8 km · +176 m · ≈ 1 h 03

  The Chemin des Villages threads through Les Houches by way of named lanes — Chemin des Longues, Chemin de la Tannuaz, Chemin des Fleurs, and Chemin Théobalde Couttet — crossing the village via a footbridge rather than the expressway, open to both walkers and cyclists.

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• Tour du Mont Blanc - Variante du Tour

  6.2 km · +227 m · ≈ 1 h 37

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• Mont Buet

  9.7 km · +1760 m · ≈ 4 h 52

  path nr.12 from Rother Wanderführer, Mont Blanc

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• Refuge Albert Ier

  5.3 km · ≈ 1 h 04

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• Balade du Plateau d'Assy au Lac Vert

  4.6 km · +134 m · ≈ 1 h 09

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• Boucle de Pormenaz

  10.8 km · +1025 m · ≈ 3 h 52

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• Chemin des Diligences

  9.8 km · +294 m · ≈ 2 h 27

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