Towns and villages
Hikes in this valley
Lac de la Vogealle par Le Crêt
22.01 km hike with 2,454 m of elevation gain, starting from Samoëns. Duration 8h25, very hard grade.…
Lac de Gers, Refuge de Sales et Tête Pelouse
22.25 km hike with 1,642 m of elevation gain, starting from Le Fay, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 7h10, very hard grade.…
Montée au Criou
17.68 km hike with 1,607 m of elevation gain, starting from Le Creux du By, Samoëns. Duration 6h10, very hard grade.…
Tour and Pic de Marcelly
19.11 km loop with 1,488 m of elevation gain up to Pas de l'Âne (1,966 m). Duration 6h15, very difficult grade. Trailhea…
Le Môle (1,863 m) depuis Saint-Jeoire
17.16 km hike with 1,483 m of elevation gain, starting from Le Turchon, Saint-Jeoire. Duration 5h50, very hard grade.…
La Pointe de Sans Bet
14.14 km hike with 1,460 m of elevation gain up to Point intermédiaire (2,223 m). Duration 5h15, very hard grade. Trailh…
Pointe de Sales
15.43 km hike with 1,365 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de la Cascade du Rouget, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 5…
Le Lac des Chambres par Folly
12.73 km hike with 1,287 m of elevation gain up to Point intermédiaire (2,090 m). Duration 4h40, very hard grade. Trailh…
La Dent de Verreu (1,901 m) par Vallon
14.43 km hike with 1,199 m of elevation gain, starting from Le Creux du By, Samoëns. Duration 4h50, hard grade.…
Le Passage du Dérochoir depuis le Lignon
15.88 km hike with 1,101 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de la Cascade du Rouget, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 5…
Le Praz de Commune par Sixt
12.86 km hike with 959 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de la Chevri, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 4h10, hard gra…
Forêt de Pététoz par La Ramaz
12.24 km hike with 826 m of elevation gain, starting from Route du Col de la Ramaz, Mieussy. Duration 3h45, hard grade.…
Pic de Marcelly (1,999 m)
Loop from Praz-de-Lys up to the summit of Pic de Marcelly (1,999 m). Descent via the Pas de l'Âne, an exposed and techni…
Montée à Loëx depuis Taninges
12.28 km hike with 767 m of elevation gain, starting from Sur Magnin, Taninges. Duration 3h40, moderate grade.…
Pointe Perret par le Col de la Ramaz
14.46 km hike with 749 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de Bonnavaz, Mieussy. Duration 4h05, moderate grade.…
Sommand depuis Le Jourdy
8.27 km hike with 742 m of elevation gain, starting from Le Jourdy, Mieussy. Duration 2h50, moderate grade.…
De Bostan à la Golèse
10.35 km hike with 728 m of elevation gain, starting from Les Allamands, Samoëns. Duration 3h15, moderate grade.…
Les têtes depuis Plaigne d'Etry
9.41 km hike with 726 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de la Plaigne d'Etry, Taninges. Duration 3h05, moderate g…
Plaigne d'Étry depuis Verchaix
9 km hike with 601 m of elevation gain, starting from Le Bouchet, Verchaix. Duration 2h45, moderate grade.…
La Chapelle de Jacquicourt par Les Lanches
9.41 km hike with 574 m of elevation gain, starting from Les Rottes, Verchaix. Duration 2h50, moderate grade.…
La Bourgeoise, Angolon et Nyon par Joux Plane
8.88 km hike with 563 m of elevation gain up to Pointe d'Angolon (2,090 m). Duration 2h40, moderate grade. Trailhead at …
Tour des Suets par Les Allamands
9.82 km hike with 560 m of elevation gain, starting from Samoëns. Duration 2h50, moderate grade.…
Pointe des Chavannais par Sommand
7.77 km hike with 557 m of elevation gain, starting from Route du Col de la Ramaz, Mieussy. Duration 2h25, moderate grad…
Chartemerle et Tour des Suets
8.19 km hike with 545 m of elevation gain, starting from Les Moulins, Samoëns. Duration 2h30, moderate grade.…
Chalet du Boret par le Bout du Monde
10.65 km hike with 540 m of elevation gain, starting from Châlets de Frénalay, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 3h00, moderat…
Pointe de Chalune par La Ramaz
5.99 km hike with 535 m of elevation gain, starting from Route du Col de la Ramaz, Mieussy. Duration 2h05, moderate grad…
Boucle de Valentin
11.38 km hike with 523 m of elevation gain, starting from Route d'Ivoray, Mieussy. Duration 3h05, moderate grade.…
Les Esserts depuis Morillon
9.67 km hike with 519 m of elevation gain, starting from La Cuttaz, Morillon. Duration 2h45, moderate grade.…
Pointe de Chavasse (2,012 m) par La Ramaz
6.55 km hike with 471 m of elevation gain, starting from Route du Col de la Ramaz, Mieussy. Duration 2h05, moderate grad…
Le Bout du Monde à Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval
9.81 km hike with 377 m of elevation gain, starting from Châlets de Frénalay, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 2h35, moderate…
Lac Bleu et Lac aux Dames par La Valentine
9.24 km hike with 163 m of elevation gain, starting from Charrière, Verchaix. Duration 2h05, moderate grade.…
L'alpage des Rutines depuis Chantemerle
Accessible walk of 7.58 km and 386 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de Chantemerle, Samoëns. Duration 2h05, easy…
Les anciennes Gorges de Tines et Le Mont
Accessible walk of 7.12 km and 383 m of elevation gain, starting from Route des Tines, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 2h00,…
La Ferme de Bémont par Le Gme
Accessible walk of 5.37 km and 248 m of elevation gain, starting from La Plaigne, Samoëns. Duration 1h25, easy grade. Fa…
La rando des Rutines
Accessible walk of 4.62 km and 216 m of elevation gain, starting from Route de la Rosière, Samoëns. Duration 1h15, easy …
La Chapelle de Jacquicourt par Loëx
Accessible walk of 5.31 km and 187 m of elevation gain, starting from Les Pesses, Taninges. Duration 1h20, very easy gra…
Parcours des Gorges des Tines
Accessible walk of 2.03 km and 158 m of elevation gain, starting from Balme Dessus, Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. Duration 0h40, ve…
Les Miaux et Le Châtelard à Morillon
Accessible walk of 4.35 km and 136 m of elevation gain, starting from La Cuttaz, Morillon. Duration 1h05, very easy grad…
Tour du Lac de Roy par le Col de la Ramaz
Accessible walk of 5.44 km and 101 m of elevation gain, starting from Taninges. Duration 1h15, very easy grade. Family-f…
Tour des vallons, bord de Giffre
Accessible walk of 7.06 km and 32 m of elevation gain, starting from Avenue du Giffre, Samoëns. Duration 1h25, very easy…
Lac aux Dames (rando familiale)
Accessible walk of 4.03 km and 10 m of elevation gain, starting from Vercland, Samoëns. Duration 0h45, very easy grade. …
Hiking in the Giffre Valley
Nestled between the Faucigny massif and the Chablais Pre-Alps, the Giffre Valley is one of the most spectacular hiking areas in Haute-Savoie. It stretches over thirty kilometers from Mieussy to the road's end at Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, passing through Taninges, Samoëns and Verchaix. The Giffre, a turquoise river that gives the valley its name, originates in the Fer-à-Cheval cirque, a limestone amphitheatre 700 metres high with more than thirty waterfalls during the thaw.
A varied mineral playground
Hikers will find all levels here, from family trails to more demanding routes. The Pic de Marcelly (1,999 m), above Praz-de-Lys, offers one of the finest 360° panoramas over the Mont-Blanc massif, the Aravis and Lake Geneva. A classic half-day hike. For a longer outing, the Buet tour (3,096 m), nicknamed the ladies' Mont Blanc, is a demanding but non-technical ascent. Plateau lovers will discover Praz-de-Lys and its alpine pastures, perfect for a family hike with unbeatable views.
Samoëns, Sixt and the Fer-à-Cheval cirque
The village of Samoëns, ranked among France's Most Beautiful Villages, is an ideal starting point for many trails: la Bourgeoise, Col de la Golèse, or Lac de Gers. At Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, the national nature reserve protects 9,200 hectares of outstanding biodiversity. The Fer-à-Cheval cirque itself can be walked as an easy one-hour loop along the torrent, with an option to continue to the bout du monde at the foot of dizzying waterfalls.
When to go?
The ideal hiking season in the Giffre runs from June to October. Pastures turn green in June, flowers explode in July, waterfalls are most powerful in early summer after the thaw. Autumn brings magnificent golden light on the larches of the upper Giffre. In winter, high trails are snow-covered and require snowshoes or ski-touring gear. Always check the weather before heading out and carry at least 1.5 litres of water: water points are rare on the limestone ridges.