FRANCE · VANOISE · 45.38°N 6.72°E · SUMMER · JUL–SEP
Tour of the Vanoise
France's first national park looped in eight hut-to-hut days: glacier views most of the week, ibex most days, marmottes constantly, and 5,600m of ascent softened by proper French mountain dinners.
THE ROUTE, CHARTED
The elevation profile
GPS-logged. Camps and key points marked; the shape of the route is the honest version of the brochure.
DAY BY DAY · 8 DAYS
The itinerary
A first climb straight into the park's heart: waterfalls, then the lake-dotted shelf below the Grande Casse, to the refuge on the col itself, 2,522m. Sunset turns the glacier pink; dinner is four courses.
The great balcony path south: the Dôme glaciers hang overhead all day while the trail contours over streams and marble outcrops. Ibex favour the afternoon slopes near the refuge.
Above the Maurienne now, through old alpages whose stone barns wear grass roofs, dipping to cross gorges and rising again. New legs required after lunch; the fromage blanc at Plan Sec restores them.
A shorter stage into the great glacial bowl of Aussois. Afternoon options: the Pointe de l'Observatoire for the keen, or the dam-side café for the honest. Both camps report satisfaction.
The tour's roof: a steady pull to the col where the whole Vanoise arranges itself in a circle, then the long descent to Refuge de Péclet-Polset with the Doron stream for company.
Over the highest col on any French GR at 2,796m, past late snow patches and a lake the colour of bottle glass, into the wild upper valley of the Doron de Chavière. Marmots on sentry duty throughout.
Lac Blanc, Lac des Vaches — crossed on stepping stones like a procession — and the moraine paths under the Glaciers de la Vanoise. The Grande Casse closes the horizon the whole way home.
A farewell round over Petit Mont Blanc, 2,677m, gypsum-white and improbably named, then down through larch woods to Pralognan for the valley bus and a last long lunch.
WHY THIS ROUTE
The expedition
The Vanoise was France's first national park and remains its most civilised wilderness: a ring of 3,000m peaks and hanging glaciers walked refuge-to-refuge, where the wildlife is protected enough to ignore you and dinner is taken seriously at 2,500m. Our loop from Pralognan crosses the Col de la Vanoise beneath the Grande Casse, traverses the balcony paths above the Maurienne, and tops out on the Col d'Aussois at 2,916m. Every day climbs at least 600m and two climb over 1,000m — but paths are good, packs are light with hut kit, and there is cake at predictable intervals. Honest note: this is the highest-comfort trip we run and still nobody's idea of soft; the grade is honest about the daily ascent.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Seven refuge nights, half board, proper dinners
- Col d'Aussois, 2,916m — the tour's roof
- Ibex and marmots daily, bearded vultures often
- Balcony paths under the Dôme glaciers
- Packs under 12kg all week
- Petit Mont Blanc finale
STRAIGHT ANSWER
Is this for you?
You should be able to say yes — honestly — to all of these:
- You can walk six-to-seven-hour days on rough ground, back to back, and enjoy most of them.
- You would rather be told the truth about a hard day than sold an easy one.
Grade 3 means grade 3. If you're not sure, ring us — we'd rather lose a booking than carry a struggle.
THE LEDGER
What £1,240 covers
INCLUDED
- Wildtrace guide (Elin Vaughan) at a max ratio of 1:8
- All hut, refuge or lodge nights as described, with evening meals
- Group safety kit: inReach satellite comms and expedition first aid
- Pre-trip video call, training plan and the real kit list
NOT INCLUDED
- International travel to the start point
- Personal travel insurance covering trekking to 2,916m — required, checked before departure
- Visas and permits payable on entry, where applicable
- Tips for local crew (we publish a guideline per trip)
- Sleeping bag — bring your own or hire ours (£30/trip)
- Lunches and drinks on travel days
PACK THIS, NOT EVERYTHING
Kit, previewed
The items that matter most on this route. The full list — with honest notes on what not to buy — lives in the kit room and is sent on booking.
Broken-in boots matched to the terrain. Broken-in is the load-bearing phrase.
Waterproof jacket and trousers you actually trust.
A day pack that fits — 30–35L covers almost every trip.
Headtorch plus spare batteries. Early starts are a feature.
Sheet sleeping-bag liner and earplugs. Dormitory diplomacy in two items.
2L capacity plus purification where the trip notes say so.
A proper insulated jacket. Evenings are where trips are enjoyed or endured.
WHO'S TAKING YOU
Your guide
Elin Vaughan
IML · HIMALAYA LOGISTICSRuns our Asian operations — permits, mule teams, oxygen, all of it — across nine Himalayan seasons. Speaks enough Ladakhi to argue about yak butter prices, and win.
HOW WE RUN IT
Max 8 walkers. inReach satellite comms carried and checked daily. Escape routes planned before we sell a single place. And the weather rule that built this company: we turn back. That's the deal. Full detail on our safety page.
NO PAYMENT AT THIS STAGE
Ask about this trip
Send this and a guide rings you back — Tuesday or Thursday evening, usually. Fifteen minutes, honest questions both ways, no hard sell.
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