Walking in the Haute Savoie: North
30 day walks - Salève, Vallée Verte, Abondance, Bellevaux, Morzine
Walking in the Haute Savoie: North
30 day walks - Salève, Vallée Verte, Abondance, Bellevaux, Morzine
First volume of a 2-part guide to walking in the Haute Savoie in the French Alps. This guidebook covers the area south of Lake Geneva to the Swiss border including Salève, Chablais and the Vallée Verte, with Evian and Morzine among places to stay. 30 walks include local summits and ridges, but generally straightforward terrain.A guidebook to 30 walks in the northern Haute Savoie. Exploring the dramatic scenery of the French Alps south of Lake Geneva, the walks are suitable for beginner and experienced walkers alike.
Routes range from 7 to 14km (4–9 miles) and can be enjoyed in 2–7 hours. Walks have been graded from easy to difficult allowing you to choose routes suitable for your ability.
- 1:50,000 maps are included for each route
- GPX files available to download
- Detailed information on planning, accommodation and transport
- Part of a 2-volume set, an accompanying Cicerone guidebook Walking in the Haute Savoie: South is also available
Printed book
A guidebook with detailed route descriptions, stage breakdowns, accommodation listings, profiles and maps - everything you need on the trail.
eBook
The complete digital edition of the guidebook, with full route descriptions, accommodation listings, profiles and maps, ready to use on any device.
Map key
Location of walks
Preface
Introduction
A short history of the Haute Savoie
Wildlife
Plants and flowers
Getting there
When to go
Accommodation
Savoyard food and drink
What to take
Waymarking
Maps
Safety
Using this guide
Salève and Vuache
1 Gorges du Salève
2 Balcon du Salève
3 Grand Piton
4 Pointe du Plan
5 Boucle de l'Iselet
6 Le Vuache
Vallée Verte
7 Signal des Voirons
8 Mont de Vouan
9 Pointe de Miribel
10 Montagne d'Hirmentaz
11 Mont Forchat
Vallée du Brevon
12 Mont d'Hermone
13 Rocher de Nifflon
14 Pointe de la Gay
15 Pointe de la Chalune
16 Haute Pointe
17 Pointe d'Uble
Pre-Alpes du Léman
18 Pic des Mémises
19 Pic Boré
20 Dent d'Oche
Val d’Abondance
21 Cornettes de Bise
22 Lac d'Arvouin
23 Autour du Mont Chauffé
24 Roc de Taveneuse
25 Mont de Grange
26 Pointe des Mattes
27 Le Morclan
Val de Morzine
28 Col de Chésery
29 Pointe de Ressachaux
30 Col de Cou
Appendix A Route summary table
Appendix B Useful information
Appendix C Glossary of useful French words
Seasons
Spring and summer, when the snow has melted and the slopes are bright with alpine flowers; autumn, when the leaves are changing, or even winter for some of the lower walks
Centres
Evian-les-Bains, Morzine, Abondance, Châtel, St-Julien-en-Genevois, Bellevaux, Boège, Habère-Poche
Difficulty
Variety of routes of differing length and height gain, suitable for most abilities, graded from easy to difficult; none require special equipment or expertise, but the few graded difficult have some exposed sections, often protected by cables, and need a head for heights
Must See
Major peaks: Cornettes de Bise, Mont de Grange, Dent d'Oche, Pic Boré Lakes: Geneva, Arvouin, Tavaneuse Cols: Cheséry, Cou, Brétolet Historical attractions: medieval abbeys; numerous small chapels, shrines, stations of the cross and statues on mountain tops; smugglers routes over the French-Swiss border cols Nature reserves; bird migratory routes Geological features: limestone cliffs, gorges and caves (Salève); fault-line and microclimate (Vuache)
November 2025
Walk 30
Page 248 The text says: 'To reach the Col d Bretolet, take the…path for about 100 metres to yellow Swiss signpost indicating…and shortly after turn right on an unsigned track.'
This is no longer correct. You must take the path toward…for about 100 metres and turn right on a signposted track.
Thank you to Paul Harper for the update
October 2023
Walk 15 - Pointe de Chalune
The following update is thanks to Rob Steenbrink.
Page 149 paragraph 1.
Towards the end of the path linking the Col de Chalune with the Col de Vésinaz, an alternative route is now marked which avoids both the scramble down the big rock and losing height by going down towards Chalet Blanc. The path leading to the rock is now marked by a yellow cross on a stone and the alternative path marked by a small yellow arrow on green attached to a post, next to a rope fence. This leads to the right, bypassing the difficult section down the rock, and joins the original route heading towards the Chalets de Pététoz.
June 2019
Upadates
Walk 13
(thanks to Mark Charlton)
The unsupervised Refuge de Nifflon (Nifflon d'en Haut) which lies north of Morzine suffered snow damage over the winter and is currently under repair. I understand it should be back in action later in the summer - also worth noting that the best way to make arrangements to access the key is to telephone the tourist information office at Bellevaux Phone: +33 4 50 73 71 53 https://www.refuges.info/point/4080/cabane-non-gardee/Chablais/Nifflon-d-en-Haut/
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