Corgnolaz, from the Vieu car park

Access

Leave the motorway junction at Châtillon, turn left and continue for about 300m until you come to a roundabout: take the third exit and continue straight on Via E. Chanoux. Cross the historic centre of Châtillon for about 600m and then turn slightly right onto Via Menabreaz to follow for 450m to the characteristic roundabout with the "Matterhorn" inside. Take the second exit and take the Valtournenche road for about 7.6km to Antey-Saint-André, where you turn right onto the to La Magdeleine. Climb up the regional road for about 7.8km until you reach the main town of Brengon. Drive past the parish church and, after a few hundred metres, park your car in the covered car park 🅿️ at Vieu. If the car park is full, you can continue along the little communal road that a little further on has pay parking spaces on the edge of it (6€ per day from 8 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. - coin or easypark).

[0h25'] - [17.1km]
How to get there with GMaps
How to get there with Apple Maps

These indications are based on direct verification at the time of the survey of the route so the information should be verified before starting the hike. We recommend using a GPS navigator or map app on your smartphone to get up-to-date and detailed directions.

Introduction

Chamois boasts several firsts. It is one of the highest municipalities in Italy and is the only one that can only be reached by cable car or on foot. Below we will describe the easiest pedestrian access, the one that starts from the village of Vieu in the commune of La Magdeleine and leads without any particular roughness to the characteristic alpine village. The walk follows a section of the Great Matterhorn Balcony, an itinerary of over 50 kilometres that crosses the glacial 'balconies' of Valtournenche. The route is certainly less pretentious and a little over an hour's walk takes you to Chamois with interesting panoramic views of the peaks that crown the valley. Along the way, there are educational panels for children on the subject of energy. The simplicity of the route makes it fairly popular.

Description

0h00' Go briefly up the small road from the car park to the junction with the small communal road where there is a signpost with directions to Chamois signposted . Proceed along the tarmac road for about 150 metres before meeting the start of path . Neglect the path and continue on the road for a kilometre following the Cote de Veuillen with interesting panoramic views of the Becca d'Aver and the Punta Tsan. 

0h25' At a hairpin bend, take a short path that skirts the hamlets of Fenetre Blanches and climb a short slope until you reach the hamlet of Verney. Take the little farm road and, after encountering the honey house and a wooden fountain 💧, proceed on the level, following the winding wooded slope that occasionally affords interesting views of Valtournenche and its peaks. In the first section, the path is flat, dotted with educational signs on the subject of energy. After about one kilometre, you reach the Copitou clearing where, among the larch trees, the Matterhorn peeps out.

0h40' The little road forks, keep to the right and, slightly uphill, enter the larch wood again and then descend again until crossing the Torrent Saverou impluvium. The little road now flattens out again and leads above the characteristic village of Suisse. You leave the forest and cross the pastureland, skirting the plateau. By now the destination is near and visible, you briefly re-enter the forest and come across the small chapel dedicated to the Holy Trinity before turning left near the old mill with the old oil press.

1h20' Cross the Torrent de Chamois over a small wooden bridge and proceed straight ahead first towards the first houses of the village of Corgnolaz and then into the village centre until reaching the central square in front of the cable car station and the parish church dedicated to Saint-Pantaleon 1h30' .

The return follows the same route as the outward journey 1h30' .