Tour of the Matterhorn — Stage 1: Breuil-Cervinia → Rifugio Prarayer
18.2 km
+1418 m
−1589 m
10.5 h
Fitness level
Map & route
GPX track — verify on the ground before hiking
Description
From Breuil-Cervinia climb via the Vofrède valley and the Cignana lakes to the Valcournera pass (3,072 m), a demanding crossing on Alta Via 1. The descent, steep and equipped at first, leads to the Prarayer basin (2,005 m) at the head of the Place Moulin lake.
The start sets the tone: from Breuil you climb to the Cignana plateau, with its dam and cobalt lake, then the path enters the wild Vofrède valley, where only marmots break the silence. The Valcournera pass keeps you honest to the end — the final section is equipped with fixed ropes and steps on rocky ground: nothing extreme, but sure feet are needed. Beyond the col you descend past the Bellatsà lakes and down the valley to the Prarayer plain, where the refuge overlooks Place Moulin, the region’s most scenic reservoir.
Key points
Col di Valcournera
3072 m · 12.5 km from start
Earth sciences
Geology & landscape
The Matterhorn is the world’s most famous textbook of Alpine geology: its pyramid is a sliver of African continental crust (Dent Blanche nappe, Arolla and Valpelline gneisses) resting on the green ophiolites of the Piedmont-Liguria ocean, visible at its base. The tour walks along this very suture: serpentinites and calcschists in the Cignana and Valcournera valleys, brown gneisses above Zermatt and Arolla.
History & culture
Below Lake Cignana, the Valcournera site yielded one of Europe’s highest copper mining deposits, exploited as early as the Bronze Age.
Water sources
Water at the stage's support points (Breuil-Cervinia, Rifugio Prarayer). On the high ground and at the passes springs are not guaranteed: fill bottles in the valley and at the huts.
Getting there
Aosta Valley side served by VITA buses and connections from Aosta; many valley heads have summer shuttles. Check seasonal timetables at arriva.it / vita-vda.com.
Warnings
- Snowfields possible on the passes until early July
- Check the weather: long high-altitude stages with few escape routes
- Book overnight stops in peak season
Start & end
Start
Breuil-Cervinia
2001 m
Finish
Rifugio Prarayer
1996 m
Refuges & bivouacs
Photo gallery
Adjacent stages
ACurated and verified by Andrea
Data source: Tour del Cervino / Tour du Cervin — itinerario internazionale · Traccia calcolata su rete sentieri OpenStreetMap (ODbL); verificare sul terreno
Last verified:
Valtournenche — Valpelline
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