High Route 2 — Stage 6: Rifugio Chalet de l'Épée → Rhêmes-Notre-Dame
Warnings
- Check weather and residual snow early season
- Book huts in peak season
1 / 2Map & route
Official GPX track — Aosta Valley Region / lovevda.it
Fitness level
~1011 kcal estimated
Brief climb to Col Fenêtre (2840 m) and descent through pastures and woods to the Park visitor centre at Rhêmes-Notre-Dame.
From the Chalet de l’Épée you ascend to the Col Fenêtre (2,840 m), a clean notch between the Grande Rousse and the Becca della Traversière: ahead opens the Rhêmes valley with the dolomite-like wall of the Granta Parey, the valley’s emblem. The descent, first over scree then pastures, reaches Rhêmes-Notre-Dame, gateway to the Park and a bearded-vulture capital.
Earth sciences
Geology & landscape
Side valley with hydroelectric basin: gneiss and crystalline schist outcrops, glacial cirques and lacustrine deposits in the valley floor.
History & culture
At Rhêmes-Notre-Dame the bearded vulture, reintroduced to the Alps from 1986, first nested in Italy in 1994: the Park visitor centre tells the story of its return.
Water sources
Fountains in Planaval and Valgrisenche; Chalet de l'Épée hut.
Getting there
VITA buses and connections from Aosta; check seasonal timetables at vita.it.
Parking
Parcheggi comunali nei paesi di valle; verificare limitazioni in alta stagione.
Nearby peaks
Refuges & bivouacs
Photo gallery
Photos are published immediately. JPG/PNG/WebP, max 6 MB.
Flora along the trail
Adjacent stages
ACurated and verified by Andrea Rama
Data source: Catasto Sentieri Regione Autonoma VdA — Alta Via n.2 · Open data — DGR 899/2014
Last verified:
Valgrisenche
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