Tour du Mont Blanc — Stage 3: Rifugio Walter Bonatti → Rifugio Elena
Warnings
- Book overnight stops in peak season
1 / 3Map & route
GPX track — verify on the ground before hiking
Fitness level
From Rifugio Bonatti you drop to Arnouva and climb the head of Val Ferret to Rifugio Elena (2,062 m), facing the snout of the Pré de Bar glacier and Mont Dolent, the mountain of three borders.
A half-day walk that many happily stretch out, stopping at every alp: descend gently to Arnouva, where the Val Ferret road ends and only pastures remain. The final pull up to Rifugio Elena is short but steep, rewarded by the crevassed snout of the Pré de Bar glacier tonguing down right in front of the terrace. Mont Dolent behind it marks the point where Italy, Switzerland and France meet. In season the Val Ferret bus lets you shorten or lengthen the stage at will.
Earth sciences
Geology & landscape
Mont Blanc hanging valley: gneiss, granites and Miage moraines; glaciological views of the Italian flank of the massif.
History & culture
Rifugio Elena commemorates Princess Elena of Savoy-Orléans; the present building (1992) replaces the one destroyed by the 1952 avalanche. The merchants’ mule track to Orsières passed by Pré de Bar.
Water sources
Water at the stage's support points (Rifugio Walter Bonatti, Rifugio Elena). On the high ground and at the passes springs are not guaranteed: fill bottles in the valley and at the huts.
Getting there
VITA buses and connections from Aosta; check seasonal timetables at vita.it.
Parking
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: Tour du Mont Blanc — itinerario internazionale segnalato · Traccia calcolata su rete sentieri OpenStreetMap (ODbL); verificare sul terreno
Last verified:
Val Ferret
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