Refuge du Lac Blanc, from Col des Montets

Introduction

Surely one of the most interesting itineraries in the beautiful Chamonix area. Following in the footsteps of the famous Tour du Mont Blanc, the described itinerary reaches the Lacs de Chesérys and the Lac Blanc: mirrors of water that owe their fame to the amazing reflections that the giants of the Mont Blanc massif leave on their placid waters. Photographer Mario Colonel has over the years been able to provide exciting "shots" taken in these parts: for all these reasons, I suggest the ritual French formula "Vaut le voyage!"

Description

Leave the car behind and take the path on its left-hand edge, following the signs for Lac Blanc. The first part of the path is very gentle and goes through a fir forest; you will come across a small chalet and soon reach a small plateau with a bench. Continue on the path, which begins to climb gradually as you begin to get a foretaste of the splendid views of the Mont Blanc massif that will keep the hiker company for the entire route. After about 30 minutes you come to a fork in the path: continue to the right in the direction of Lac Blanc. A few quick turns are made until you are practically at the foot of a rocky rampart where there are some climbing routes. The trail now continues with a long traverse at the foot of the rocky walls until reaching the Col des Aiguillettes d'Argentière (1893m, 0h50') with its prodigious gendarmes bolted for thrilling climbs.
On reaching the pass, you face the most challenging part: the so-called 'echellettes'. This is a series of ladders and equipped passages that allow you to gain height quickly by overcoming the rocky rampart. After a first series of equipped passages, a traverse is followed and a second series of ladders, less demanding than the first.
After this second section, the ridge is climbed with a series of twists and turns until a large cairn with signs is found: here is the path coming from the arrival point of the 'La Flegère' cable car. Still following the signs for the final destination, you quickly come to a second fork in the path: continue to the left. After passing a short hump, the first two Chéserys lakes appear on the left, sunken at the bottom of a glacial depression. A little further on, the most famous and photographed of the lakes appears: after an inevitable "photographic" pause, the ascent is resumed by tackling the last stretch. Once again you come to a small staircase and then with a few hairpin bends you reach a rocky knoll: a little further on you meet the Refuge du Lac Blanc (2352m, 3h00') and, practically next to the refuge, the white Lac Blanc.
The descent is in the first section backwards, following the uphill path: when you reach the second fork, continue to the left and begin a pleasant ride, slightly downhill, practically on the rocky rampart that you met at the start of the itinerary. You come to a small pond, which is very suggestive, and reach the end of the high route at the height of a rock wall. From here begins the swirling descent that leads very quickly to the Col des Montets (1461m, 4h45'). At the pass, cross the N506 road and return along the pleasant botanical path that practically ends near the car park: a short stretch of trail and you finally reach the starting point (1430m, 5h00').