Métsan, from Mandriou
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Updated at: 12/08/2026
Access
Road directions
Leave the A5 motorway at the Verrès toll booth (toll section) and continue for 38 metres (0.04 km) towards the roundabout. At the roundabout, take the second exit and follow Via Caduti della Libertà/SR45 for 300 metres (0.34 km). Turn left onto Via Canonici Regolari Lateranensi/SR45 and continue for 3.5 km (3.84 km). Continue along the SR45 for 18.5 km (22.34 km), travelling up the valley and passing through the villages of Challand-Saint-Victor, Challand-Saint-Anselme, Brusson, Vollon and Extrapieraz, until you reach the junction for Antagnod in the hamlet of Corbet. Turn left onto Frazione Corbet for 210 m (22.55 km), then continue along Frazione Trochey and Meytere for 400 m (22.95 km). Continue along the SR4 for 1.4 km (24.35 km), then along Route Monsignore Obert for 350m (24.70km) and along Boulevard des Sabotiers for 700m (25.40km), which curves slightly to the left to become Route Emilio Chanoux: continue for 1.3km (26.70km). Keep to the left and continue along Route de Mandriou for 1.7 km (28.40 km) until you reach the car park, situated just before the village.
Car park
In Mandriou there is a free 🅿️ car park situated just before the village, along Route de Mandriou. If the car park is full, you can park along the road, taking care not to obstruct traffic.
Access by public transport
Mandriou is not directly served by public transport. During the summer, a circular shuttle service 🚌 operated by VITA is available (blue shuttle – Champoluc – Antagnod – Corbet), which connects to Magneaz. From there, you can reach Mandriou on foot via a footpath, with an additional 130-metre climb and a distance of 700 metres further than the routes starting directly from Mandriou.
Distance and journey time
🕒 Journey time: 45 minutes
📏 Distance: 28.40 km
GPS navigation
Information notice
The directions provided were verified on the date the route was mapped. Before setting off, it is advisable to check for any changes to the route. For up-to-date and detailed directions, we recommend using Google Maps or Apple Maps.
Introduction
Alpe Metsan is situated on a plateau on the slopes of Mont Facebelle in the upper Val d’Ayas. The Ru Courtod flows nearby, making it a fairly popular destination. Attached to the mountain pasture, the La Tchavana farm holiday accommodation has been operating for a few years now and serves as a destination for family hikes, made all the more enjoyable by the chance to sample the excellent dairy produce. The woodland you pass through is a larch forest typical of the upper Ayas Valley, an ideal habitat for squirrels and black woodpeckers. In autumn, the warm light of the autumn foliage filters through the golden needles, creating evocative plays of colour.
The route suggested here is the quickest one.
Description
0h00' 0.00 km From the car park, keep the Chapel of the Immaculate Conception on your right and take the narrow road towards the village. Near the drinking fountain 💧 you’ll find signposts indicating the route to Lac Lochien and other local trails. Follow the marked path, winding your way through the characteristic stone buildings of the village of Mandriou. Once past the last houses, the path becomes steeper, runs alongside a wayside shrine and reaches the access road to Cà Zena (1,883 m). Ignore the road and carry on straight along the path, which leaves the pasture and enters a sparse larch forest. Continue in the same direction, maintaining a steady gradient, until you reach the first clearing. Carry on for a few more minutes until you come to a signpost at an altitude of 1,950 m, which confirms the direction to Lac Lochien.
0h20' 0.58 km
Continue straight along the main path, keeping to the same direction without any detours until you reach the Ru Courtod, a clearly visible open-air irrigation channel that runs alongside the hillside at a gentle gradient.
You will soon reach an information board situated near the canal, where the route crosses the course of the Ru (1,976 m): follow the main track, taking care not to be distracted by the side branches. From this point, you can observe the structure of the Ru at close quarters, a historical testament to the ancient hydraulic engineering of the Aosta Valley, once used for the distribution of water for agricultural purposes.
0h25' 1.11km Ignore the path on the right that runs alongside the Ru, and continue straight ahead across the lovely pasture. The path turns slightly to the left and reaches the Alpe Métsan complex (2007m) 0h30' 7.58km comprising the mountain pasture and the farm holiday accommodation La Tchavana.
The return journey follows the same route as the outward journey [0h25’T2] 1.11 km (182 m descent).
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