Vallon de Bessans
If I like to roam through the valley of Bessans, it is first and foremost because this place knows how to satisfy an insatiable love for nature. It is the delicate whistling of the wind in the feathers of the bearded vulture, the powerful scent of the plants on the adrets that accompany you as you climb, and the touching sight of the young ibex, the future of a species at one time almost extinct, that rewards you when you reach the valley. But much richer still is the path which recounts the long history of those bygone men who lived on the mountain, and the more recent account of those who try to preserve it... A valley nestled between culture and nature, well known as home to the Haute-Maurienne. Benoit Deffrennes, Vanoise National Park ranger

The hay meadows

The adrets

Saxifraga valdensis

Engraved stones

Thunderstorms: Water versus the trails

Birds of prey

The hay cable

The Mâchefer mine

The alpine chalets

The ibex nursery

The Alpage du Vallon d'en Haut
Description
From the car park, cross the Arc river over the bridge and take the road leading to the hamlet. At the wash house, follow the lane on the right which leads to a dirt track. Follow this track over three bends, then take the trail on the left. Towards an altitude of 1,950 m at the locality of ""Le Cloton"" the trail joins the GR5. Continue on the trail that crosses the bends of the agricultural track. Towards an altitude of 2,200 m, the trail joins the track again at the level of a single mountain pasture chalet. From this point, follow the track which forms two small bends before levelling out, until descending slightly to the level of the valley. Pass the torrent by the bridge and then go back down into the valley on the left, still on the agricultural track, until the last mountain chalet. The return journey follows the same path.
"- Departure : Car park, Le Villaron, Bessans
- Arrival : Car park, Le Villaron, Bessans
- Towns crossed : BESSANS
Altimetric profile
Recommandations
Standard recommendations for the mountain.
Information desks
Rue Maison Morte<br>73480 Bessans,
http://www.haute-maurienne-vanoise.cm/bessans
info@hautemaurienne.com
04 79 05 99 06 / 04 79 05 99 10
Transport
Access and parking
Parking :
Accessibility
No