E
Bassa Valle
High Route 1 — Stage 1: Donnas → Perloz
The start of the High Route of the Giants, from the valley floor up to Perloz meadows through Walser villages and chestnut groves.
12.5 km+950 m5 h
Where to spot
16 trails to spot Golden eagle
16 trails where Golden eagle is listed in flora/fauna: difficulty E–EE, elevation gain 180–1397 m.
16 · 4.7–18.2 km · +180–1397 m
EE
Valtournenche — Val Saint-Barthélemy
High Route 1 — Stage 10: Rifugio Jean Barmasse → Rifugio Oratorio di Cuney
The wild heart of the Alta Via: 17 km across Fenêtre de Tsan, Col Terray and on to Rifugio Oratorio di Cuney, with Matterhorn and Grand Combin dominating a horizon of 2700-metre passes.
17.1 km+1397 m7 h
EE
Valpelline
High Route 1 — Stage 11: Rifugio Oratorio di Cuney → Oyace
From the Sanctuary of Cuney to the Valpelline: a long descent over exposed ridges with short scramble sections, ending at Oyace in the heart of the Aosta Valley's most untouched valley.
15 km+504 m5.5 h
EE
Valpelline
High Route 1 — Stage 12: Oyace → Ollomont via Col Brison
The wild Valpelline: Oyace and Ollomont sit at nearly the same elevation, but Col Brison at 2520 m demands over 1100 m of climbing with views to Mont Vélan and Grand Combin on the Swiss border.
12.4 km+1145 m5.5 h
E
Valpelline — Conca di By
High Route 1 — Stage 13: Ollomont → Rifugio Champillon
From Ollomont to Rifugio Champillon in the Conca di By: 1000 m of climbing through forests and summer farms to one of the AV1's most distinctive huts, complete with mountain sauna and yurt.
9.5 km+1070 m3.5 h
E
Valle del Gran San Bernardo
High Route 1 — Stage 14: Rifugio Champillon → Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses
Over Col Champillon (2709 m) with panoramic views from Mont Blanc to Gran Paradiso, followed by a long descent to Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses in the historic upper Grand Saint-Bernard valley.
14 km+522 m5.5 h
E
Valle del Gran San Bernardo
High Route 1 — Stage 15: Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses → Rifugio Frassati
A steady climb through the Merdeux basin to Rifugio Frassati at 2540 m, the last overnight stop before tackling Col Malatrà (2925 m), the highest pass on the entire Alta Via 1.
10 km+905 m4 h
EE
Val Ferret
High Route 1 — Stage 16: Rifugio Frassati → Rifugio Bonatti via Col Malatrà
Col Malatrà at 2925 m is the rooftop of Alta Via 1: from the panoramic crest above Mont Blanc the trail descends into Val Ferret to the legendary Rifugio Walter Bonatti.
10 km+430 m4 h
E
Val Ferret
High Route 1 — Stage 17: Rifugio Bonatti → Courmayeur
The final AV1 stage: the Val Ferret balcony trail with Mont Blanc and Grandes Jorasses always in sight, ending at Courmayeur, Italy's alpine capital.
12.1 km+300 m3.5 h
E
Bassa Valle — Mont Mars
High Route 1 — Stage 2: Perloz → Rifugio Coda
From Perloz hill the trail climbs through Lillianes forest and into the Mont Mars Nature Reserve, where Rifugio Coda at 2280 m opens the view to the high valley.
11 km+1150 m5.5 h
E
Mont Mars — Valle di Gaby
High Route 1 — Stage 3: Rifugio Coda → Rifugio Barma
A high-level traverse between Mont Mars and the Barma Lakes: a skyline path linking two historic huts across a landscape of peat bogs, glacial slabs and end-of-summer bilberry.
9 km+320 m4 h
E
Valle di Gaby
High Route 1 — Stage 4: Rifugio Barma → Niel
From Barma Hut the trail descends to Niel, Gaby's most remote Walser hamlet: a village frozen in time where dark-stone houses preserve centuries of alpine culture.
10 km+180 m4 h
EE
Valle di Gressoney
High Route 1 — Stage 5: Niel → Gressoney-Saint-Jean
The longest stage in this sequence: 18 km of solitary ridge walking above the Lys valley with Monte Rosa views, ending in the Walser town of Gressoney-Saint-Jean.
18.2 km+1380 m7.5 h
E
Valtournenche
High Route 1 — Stage 8: Rifugio Grand Tournalin → Valtournenche
The great descent: from Rifugio Grand Tournalin losing over a thousand metres to the valley floor of Valtournenche, passing through the scenic plateau of Cheneil with Matterhorn views.
8.7 km+309 m4.5 h
E
Valtournenche
High Route 1 — Stage 9: Valtournenche → Rifugio Jean Barmasse
The shortest stage on the entire AV1: 4.7 km of sustained climbing from Valtournenche to Rifugio Jean Barmasse on the shores of Lago di Cignana, in preparation for the hardest day ahead.
4.7 km+682 m2.5 h
E
Val di Cogne
Lake Djouan from Valnontey
From the heart of Gran Paradiso National Park to an alpine lake surrounded by ibex. A classic.
11 km+850 m5.5 h