Hikes near Vallorcine, Balme

Vallorcine, Balme (1264 m) sits in Savoie Mont Blanc, France. MR. ALPS lists 23 waymarked hiking trails starting from or crossing the area, 303 km of marked route in total. They run from 2.6 km to 66.3 km, the longest being Tour de la Vallée du Trient. 23 of them record their elevation gain, between 54 m and 5360 m.

• Sentier des Alpages

  11.3 km · +2786 m · ≈ 6 h 54

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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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• Gorges Mystérieuses de Tête-Noire

  2.6 km · +252 m · ≈ 56 min

  Carved into the uppermost gorge of the Trient valley where the Émosson and Trient valleys converge, this self-guided route passes through dramatic rock formations including the **Temple des Nymphes** — a cave discovered on 6 August 1884, just weeks after the trail itself first opened.

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• 37-Chemin des cols alpins

  15.1 km · +3093 m · ≈ 8 h 11

  A high alpine pass linking France and Switzerland, Col de Balme sits near the Sources de l'Arve amid rhododendrons and working alpine pasture, with sweeping views of the Mont Blanc range, the Chamonix valley, and the Swiss Alps.

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• 38-Chemin des cols alpins

  13.1 km · +2164 m · ≈ 6 h 14

  From Lac d'Emosson to Cabane de Salanfe

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• 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.

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• Tour du Mont Blanc - Variante du Tour

  6.2 km · +1409 m · ≈ 3 h 35

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• Tour Du Mont Blanc - Variante des Grands

  9.1 km · +1536 m · ≈ 4 h 23

  This high-altitude variant of TMB Stage 9 breaks free of the forested Vallon Nant Noir to deliver sweeping views of the Trient glacier, climbing above the tree line to Refuge Les Grands before tracing a high traverse along the lower flanks of Les Grands Otanes (2,679m) to meet the main trail at the Col de Balme. The route begins along the historic flat balcony path of the Bisse du Trient — an ancient water channel running from the Col de la Forclaz — before ascending into this little-trodden alpine terrain.

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• Tour de la Vallée du Trient

  66.3 km · +5360 m · ≈ 4 days at 6 h/day

  A five-day loop threading through both Switzerland and France, the route takes in the wild gorges of Trento, Trège, and Dailley alongside the reservoirs of Salanfe and Emosson — where dinosaur footprints survive near the water's edge — with the Trient Glacier and the Mont Blanc massif commanding the skyline throughout.

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• Chalet de Loriaz

  13.8 km · +1818 m · ≈ 5 h 47

  A relentless, steady climb through the heart of the Aiguilles Rouges leads to the Loriaz mountain pasture, where the Mont Blanc massif spreads across the horizon in exceptional panoramic views.

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• 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.

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• 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.

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• Via Alpina Stage 80: Trient - Champex-Lac

  14.8 km · +1505 m · ≈ 5 h 28

  From Trient to Champex-Lac

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• Via Alpina Stage 79: Vernayaz - Trient

  12.2 km · +1563 m · ≈ 5 h 03

  From Vernayaz to Trient

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• 36-Chemin des cols alpins

  16 km · +789 m · ≈ 4 h 31

  From Champex-Lac to Trient

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• Alpenpässe-Weg: Trient - Emosson Barrage

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

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• Sentier du Balcon du Mont-Blanc

  8.5 km · +882 m · leicht · ≈ 3 h 10

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• Alpenpässe-Weg: Emosson Barrage - Salanfe

  13.6 km · +1126 m · mittel · ≈ 4 h 36

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• Alpenpässe-Weg: Champex-Lac - Trient

  16.3 km · +884 m · mittel · ≈ 4 h 44

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• Sentier de Salanfe

  13.1 km · +717 m · mittel · ≈ 3 h 49

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• Alpage de Commune

  5.5 km · +354 m · ≈ 1 h 41

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• Cirque des Fonts

  3.8 km · +54 m · ≈ 51 min

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• Chalets de Salvadon

  5.3 km · +728 m · ≈ 2 h 16

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