This itinerary will take you to the Refuge of Vanoise Pass via Vaches Lake and along the paths once trodden by pedlars and smugglers on their way to Italy. Your walk will begin at Barioz Square which takes its name from the customs dues paid by the pedlars at this place (‘barioz’ means ‘gate’ in the local patois dialect).

However, you can also take the Mont-Bochor cable car to reduce the length of your walk.

You must allow 4 hours for the ascent. The walk is not very difficult but you must prepare yourself with some short walks so as to not suffer too much from fatigue.

For those who are more experienced and wish to make a day trip, the Little Mont-Blanc is an ideal hike. There are two possibilities:

Do you know how the Little Mont-Blanc got its name? Simply because the summit is made of gypsum, a white stone that makes it resemble Mont-Blanc.

There is not enough space here to list all the possible walks as there are so many! To learn more about the walks on offer around Pralognan-la-Vanoise, simply visit the Tourist Office and obtain a Mountain Paths Map.

For long-haul hiking enthusiasts, there are many refuges around Pralognan-la-Vanoise to help you undertake hikes lasting several days to places where few people go.

The most famous of these long-haul hikes is undoubtedly the Vanoise Glacier Race. You will find it mentioned in all the hiking books as one of the most beautiful hikes in France. The hike takes 4 or 5 days with overnight stays in the refuges of Vanoise Pass, Arpont, Plan-Sec, Orgère (and not forgetting Péclet-Polset and Pêche Rock). This hike is complementary to the race that we organize every year in early July, the Vanoise Glacier Race.