Tour du Mont Blanc — Stage 8: Tré-le-Champ → La Flégère

EEExperienced hikersummer

Distance

6.1 km

Ascent

+691 m

Descent

−303 m

Duration

4 h

Fitness level

Map & route

GPX track — verify on the ground before hiking

Description

A short but technical stage: past the Aiguillette d’Argentière junction the trail climbs the famous iron ladders of the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, then follows the Grand Balcon Sud to La Flégère (1,877 m), facing the Mer de Glace and the Chamonix Aiguilles.

Short on paper but not to be underestimated: the Aiguillette d’Argentière passage climbs a succession of iron ladders, walkways and rungs fixed into the rock — spectacular and solid, but best avoided in the wet or with storms brewing. You then enter the Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, home of ibex and marmots, and follow the Grand Balcon Sud, with the Mer de Glace, the Drus and the Chamonix Aiguilles parading opposite the whole way. Those wary of ladders can detour via the Col des Montets, adding an hour and a half.

Earth sciences

Geology & landscape

The Mont Blanc massif is a Hercynian granite batholith (~300 million years old) uplifted by the Alpine orogeny: the pale Mont Blanc granite — the “protogine” — forms the Peuterey and Géant spires. At its feet the tour walks on older crystalline basement rocks (gneiss and micaschist) and, in Val Veny, on the Mesozoic limestones of the Pyramides Calcaires, a sliver of sedimentary cover pinched between the granites. The Miage and Brenva moraines are textbook examples.

History & culture

The Aiguilles Rouges nature reserve, created in 1974, protects 3,300 hectares between 1,200 and 2,965 metres: its equipped trails were among the first in the Alps designed for environmental education.

Water sources

Water at the stage's support points (Tré-le-Champ, La Flégère). On the high ground and at the passes springs are not guaranteed: fill bottles in the valley and at the huts.

Getting there

Cross-border stage: on the foreign sides local public transport applies (PostAuto in Switzerland, line buses in France/Piedmont). Check seasonal timetables; in peak season several access links run by reservation only.

Warnings

Exposed equipped sections: surefootedness and a head for heights required
Book overnight stops in peak season

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Start & end

Start

Tré-le-Champ

1398 m

Finish

La Flégère

1883 m

Adjacent stages

Previous stage

Tour du Mont Blanc — Stage 7: Trient → Tré-le-Champ

21.9 km · EE

Next stage

Tour du Mont Blanc — Stage 9: La Flégère → Les Houches

14.6 km · EE

ACurated and verified by Andrea

Data source: Tour du Mont Blanc — itinerario internazionale segnalato · Traccia calcolata su rete sentieri OpenStreetMap (ODbL); verificare sul terreno

Last verified: June 13, 2026