Tour du Rutor — Stage 3: Planaval → Valgrisenche

EHikersummer

Distance

5.7 km

Ascent

+162 m

Descent

−136 m

Duration

2 h

Fitness level

Map & route

GPX track — verify on the ground before hiking

Description

A short valley stage: from Planaval ascend the Valgrisenche between woods, meadows and stone villages to the head village (1,664 m), home of drap, the loom-woven wool cloth. Time to visit the village and the Beauregard dam.

The Col de la Crosatie is a perfect balcony over the Valgrisenche: the climb from Planaval passes Lake Fond, set in a pasture basin, then tackles the steep final slope where short fixed-rope sections help without ever frightening. From the pass the eye runs from the Grande Rousse to the Testa del Rutor. You descend to the Fond plateau and follow the young Dora di Valgrisenche stream to the head village, a place of guides and weavers: the local cooperative still hand-weaves drap wool cloth on wooden looms.

Earth sciences

Geology & landscape

The Rutor group belongs to the outer Penninic domain: micaschists, fine gneisses and Permo-Carboniferous quartzites of the Ruitor zone, with striking folds visible on the walls above the Deffeyes hut. The three lakes and roches moutonnées of the valley are the work of the Rutor glacier, fast retreating yet still the Aosta Valley’s third largest; at the Col du Mont the Versoyen calcschists crop out with relics of oceanic crust.

History & culture

Valgrisenche raised whole generations of “sabotiers”, carvers of wooden clogs; the Romanesque bell tower and Beauregard fort tell of the valley’s twin religious and military souls.

Water sources

Water at the stage's support points (Planaval, Valgrisenche). 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