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Mont Barbeston, from the Blanchet car park

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Last survey: 21/06/2025
Updated at: 24/06/2025
Difficulty
T2
Length
12.30 Km
Departure altitude
1201 m
Arrival height
2482 m
Positive difference in height
1281 m
Negative difference in height
1281 m
Round trip time
04h00'
Return time
02h15'
Recommended period
Exposure
E W S N NW NE SE SW NNE ENE ESE SSE SSW WSW WNW NNW

Access

Leave the A5 motorway at the Verrès junction. Enter the roundabout and take the third exit to join the national road SS26 in the direction of Aosta. After about 450 metres, at the next roundabout, take the first exit and continue on the state road for another 1.3 kilometres. Turn left onto the regional road SR6 with signs for the Champdepraz Valley and the Mont Avic Park.

Go up the SR6 for about 10 kilometres, passing the village of Champdepraz and heading into the valley. When you reach the panel with signs for Blanchet and Fusse, turn left and follow the municipal road for about 200 metres. Reach the large free car park 🅿️ and leave your car.

In the summer period (July and August) there is a Trek Bus Avic shuttle service that runs from Verrès to Chevrère (Covarey), home to the Mont Avic Park visitor centre. It is advisable to check timetables and availability on this site.

Distance and travel time

🕒 Travel time: 23 minutes
📏 Distance: 11.7 km

GPS navigation

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ℹ️ Important note

The directions given were verified on the date of the survey of the route. Before departure, it is advisable to check for any changes to the route. For up-to-date and detailed directions, we recommend the use of Google Maps or Apple Maps.

Introduction

This excursion, within the Mont Avic Natural Park, proposes a well-marked itinerary enriched with informative panels that accompany you step by step to discover the local ecosystem. It is a route with a demanding altitude difference but no technical difficulties, suitable for trained hikers who want a complete experience of nature, knowledge and landscape. The ascent to the Barbeston peak, a natural balcony over most of the Aosta Valley mountains, is preceded by a varied walk through forests, pastures and panoramic stretches, where you will also come across historical evidence such as the ancient Ru Chevrère, an ingenious hydraulic work dating back to the 17th century. A particularly suggestive excursion in mid-season, when the grazing light enhances the contrasts of the territory and restores the silent beauty of the park.

Description

0h00' 0.00km 0m 0m Leave the car park by following the tarmac road back to the signpost at the crossroads.

0h02' 0.12km 9m 0m 5 5C 6 7 7B Turn left and go up the small asphalt road that crosses the open pastures of the Blanchet locality. Continue along the steady ascent, where the tarmac gives way to a paved road, until you reach the first houses of the village of Covarey.

0h10' 0.39km 52m 0m 5 5C 6 7 7B   Turn left again along the tarmac road. Pass a fountain 💧on the right and drive past the Mont Avic Nature Park Visitor Centre, recognisable by its wood and stone structure. Continue without any detours as far as the car park in the hamlet of La Ville (Veulla).

0h20' 0.67km 93m 0m 5C 6 7 7B Follow the agricultural track, leaving the chapel dedicated to the Madonna delle Nevi on the left and continue slightly uphill through the pastures. Skirt the Parc Animalier, cross the stream on a small wooden bridge, enter the forest and make two sharp turns (first to the left, then to the right) to a new marker.

0h35' 1.28km 161m 0m 7 7B Turn right, taking an easy path that immediately enters the wood, which is composed mainly of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). The path, which is steep at first, quickly gains height until it crosses the level path that runs alongside the ancient Ru Chevrère, which marks the boundary of the park.

01h00' 1.74km 319m 0m 7 7B Continue straight on, then turn left up the forest along a long diagonal ascending path with a moderate gradient. After crossing a stream, the path makes a few turns before coming out onto a short clearing, from which there are panoramic views of the park's peaks. It briefly re-enters the wood before reaching a marker post (1510m).

1h45' 2.71km 595m 0m 7B Ignore the turnoff for the nearby Pra Oursié pasture (1794m) and turn sharply right along a path that is initially flat and then begins to climb again. With a pleasant diagonal path through the forest of Scots pine and hooked pine (Pinus mugo subsp. uncinata), an endemic species of the park, climb the slope until reaching the pastures of Plan Château (2006m).

2h30' 3.98km 703m 0m 7B Leaving the alpine pasture on the left, the ascent towards the pass begins. The path winds its way in a series of hairpin bends through the forest, which gradually thins out to leave room for patches of rhododendron (Rhododendron ferrugineum L.) and alpine grassland. Approaching the final destination, we continue along a long diagonal slope ascending to the left, until we reach the wide saddle of Col de Valmeriana (2290m), from where there is a splendid panorama of the entire park area.

3h30' 5.31km 1069m 0m 7B Continue to the right along the path that initially follows the ridge line, then ascends the mountain ridge keeping to the left, along the side of the central valley. Once over the ridge, a saddle is reached, from where the final ascent begins. The final path, although it crosses stretches of broken rocks, remains well marked and leads to the summit of Mont Barbeston (2492m) 4h00' 6.15km 1233m 0m.

The return follows the same route as the outward journey, retracing the path until returning to the starting point at the Blanchet car park 2h15' 6.15km 0m 1233m.

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© 2025 - Massimo Martini
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© 2025 - Massimo Martini
© 2025 - Massimo Martini
We have been there
andrea81

Edited by:

Mont Barbeston

Da tempo puntavo a questa montagna, facile da salire ma estremamente panoramica, e non ha deluso. Sentiero che sale bello diretto già dall'inizio, il che permette di salire rapidamente di quota.
 Arrivato in vetta alle 11, un paio di escursionisti mi hanno raggiunto ma sono poi subito scesi, così me la sono potuta godere in solitaria. Panorama davvero spaziale, visibili tutti i 4000 ad eccezione del Granpa. Ho iniziato la discesa quando le prime nubi del peggioramento previsto hanno iniziato ad affacciarsi.

Condizioni via o sentiero: ottimo, privo di neve
Pericolo Oggettivo:
Tratti esposti:
Rischio valanghe:
 Affollamento: Poca gente

 

sq4810

Edited by:

Monte Barbeston

salita dal sentiero (7b) sono poi scesa dal sentiero che porta a magazzino e da li a veulla. sentiero completamente sgombro da neve. Ci sono stato!
sq4810

Edited by:

Monte Barbeston

salita dal sentiero (7b) sono poi scesa dal sentiero che porta a magazzino e da li a veulla. sentiero completamente sgombro da neve. Ci sono stato!
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Edited by:

Monte Barbeston

Piacevole gita di fine estate. Vista la giornata tersa il panorama era davvero notevole! Avvistamenti faunistici: Capra locale
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