Take the motorway junction at La Salle. Join the state road towards Courmayeur and follow it for 1.1 km (1.1 km) until you reach the junction with Via Corrado Gex. Turn left and take Via Corrado Gex towards Planaval. Follow the municipal road uphill, passing through the hamlet of Chaffieron, for 11.2 km (12.3 km) until you reach the hamlet of Planaval.
Car park
In the hamlet of Planaval there is a free 🅿️ car park, which is the starting point of the route.
Access by public transport
To reach the starting point of the route, you will need a private vehicle, as Planaval is not served by public transport.
The directions provided were verified on the date the route was mapped. Before setting off, we recommend checking for any changes to the route or road conditions. For up-to-date information, please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps.
Introduction
Description
0h00'0.00km From the car park, set off along the mule track which climbs gently into the comba and follow it along the left-hand side (orographic right) of the Planaval stream until you reach the vicinity of the Eculés mountain pasture (1887m), where it ends. Just before the mountain pasture, follow the trail that branches off to the right and continues northwards, passing by a water intake next to a boulder marked with a yellow arrow. Following the tracks and the sparse signposting (the route is, in any case, logical and straightforward), you reach an altitude of approximately 2,080 m where, on the opposite side of the stream, you can spot a clearly visible boulder bearing the inscription “Bonale". Cross over to it and follow the arrow indicating you should climb, to the right of a small stream, up a steep grassy alluvial fan. Climb this steeply with tight hairpin bends until you emerge near some grassy hummocks; continue for a few minutes to reach the plateau where the beautiful Bonalex mountain pasture is situated (2,340 m)
From the mountain pasture, follow the tracks and cairns leading towards a slope that is grassy on the right and scree-covered on the left. Leave the grassy slope and, as soon as possible, cross over onto the scree slope, where you’ll find the cairns leading to the upper valley. Continue northwards, passing over grassy hummocks; from the last of these, you can see the rest of the path. To the right, further down, lies Lake Bonalè. Continue towards the summit, following the cairns that lead to a ridge where the tracks are more distinct, until you reach the very obvious track (visible even from a distance) which soon leads to the exposed summit. Just a stone’s throw from Mont Blanc and the Grandes Jorasses, the view stretches from the Combin to the Velan, the Matterhorn and the Monte Rosa. To the south and north of Gran Paradiso lie the Ciarforon and the mountains of the southern valleys. Allow four to five hours.
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