Hikes near Les Houches

Les Houches (1000 m) sits in Savoie Mont Blanc, France. MR. ALPS lists 14 waymarked hiking trails starting from or crossing the area, 133 km of marked route in total. They run from 3.8 km to 20.6 km, the longest being Tour Du Mont Blanc - Variante du Col de Tricot. 14 of them record their elevation gain, between 134 m and 1731 m.

• Sur les Pas des Premiers Guides

  7.7 km · +668 m · ≈ 2 h 39

  Departing from Champel, a hamlet that dominates the Val Montjoie, this loop trail through the Bionnassay valley follows a mountain-flank path to trace the history of mountaineering as a themed, family-accessible route.

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• 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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• Tour Du Mont Blanc - Variante du Col de Tricot

  20.6 km · +1275 m · ≈ 6 h 15

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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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• 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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• Col de Tricot

  12.1 km · +1721 m · ≈ 5 h 17

  The route begins in the village of Les Chavants in the Houches valley and passes through a varied Savoyard landscape on its way to the col.

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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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• Lacs Noirs

  10.2 km · +1372 m · ≈ 4 h 20

  path nr.15 from Rother Wanderführer, Mont Blanc. Duration: 4.40 hours

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• GaB_TMB_S01

  10.8 km · +1158 m · ≈ 4 h 05

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• Boucle de Miage

  7.8 km · +750 m · ≈ 2 h 49

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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 des Balcons d'Assy

  7.2 km · +822 m · ≈ 2 h 49

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• Boucle de Pormenaz

  10.8 km · +1025 m · ≈ 3 h 52

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