The listed Valley of Champagny le Haut’s 4 hamlets
CHAMPAGNY-EN-VANOISE

The listed Valley of Champagny le Haut’s 4 hamlets

Architecture
Flora
History
Lake and glacier
Viewpoint
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Destination getaway on the 4 Hamlets itinerary: a family itinerary taking in an authentic site and unspoilt nature!
A series of hamlets grace the slopes of Champagny le Haut Valley, a long valley carved out by glaciers and listed as a National Heritage Site. Following the Doron, an easy itinerary ideal for family outings acquaints you with their architectural treasures typical of the region, providing outstanding views of countless waterfalls and glaciers along the way. Once through  the hamlet of Laisonnay, the more athletic among you can make their way into the heart of the Vanoise National Park, a marmots’ paradise! The itinerary follows a pastoral trail (change of waymarking, a few rather steep sections) to Glière with its lake and chapel, facing the Grande Casse glacier, and then, after a few twists and turn, on to the Chalet du Grand Plan.

Description

The itinerary starts at the entrance to Champagny le Haut Valley, making its way along the left bank on a forest trail before switching to the right bank when you leave the hamlet of La Chiserette, taking you through the hamlets of Le Bois and Friburge, and then, by road, to the hamlet of Laisonnay. After taking full advantage of the tranquillity and beauty of the surroundings, you continue on along the road for a few hundred metres to rejoin a trail inFriburge, which will take you to the hamlet of Le Bois, and then, again by road, to La Chiserette before returning to your point of departure.

Follow the green waymarks: Les 4 Hameaux.

E-bike rental shop: 

Belvédère Sport 2000
Le Crey
73350 CHAMPAGNY EN VANOISE
+33 (0)4 79 55 05 45
  • Departure : The Couaz Dam Hamlet of La Couaz 73350 Champagny-en-Vanoise
  • Arrival : The Couaz Dam Hamlet of La Couaz 73350 Champagny-en-Vanoise
  • Towns crossed : CHAMPAGNY-EN-VANOISE

Altimetric profile


Recommandations

Rando Vanoise has been designed to help you pick and choose your outings, but cannot be held liable where they are concerned. The mountain offers up a wide range of routes and trails for cyclists of all levels, but remember, it is a living, unpredictable environment and it is important that you head out suitably equipped. Ask advice from cycle rental operators.
If in doubt, you can take an introductory lesson in how to ride an electric bike with an instructor.

The route is popular with hikers and mountain bikers . Please stay on the trail.

The mountain is living, please respect it by staying on the paths and tracks.

Information desks

Tourist Information Office - Champagny en Vanoise

Le Centre, 73350 Champagny-en-Vanoise

http://www.champagny.com/info@champagny.com04 79 55 06 55

Transport

Train services run as far as Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bains. Find out more at: www.oui.sncf.com
You can then get a coach to Champagny en Vanoise.
Find out more at: www.transavoie.com
Have you also thought about car sharing?

Access and parking

From Moûtiers, take the RD915 to Champagny-en-Vanoise.

Parking :

Couaz Dam car park

10 points of interest

  • Water

    Water’s journey in Savoie

    Photo Exhibition: “Derrière la retenue, les chemins de l’eau en Savoie” (Behind the reservoir, the roads of water in Savoie). In 2015-2016, at the request of the FACIM Foundation, visual artist Sylvie Bonnot created a photo essay in Savoie’s high valleys (Maurienne, Tarentaise, Beaufortain and Val d'Arly). The artist spent a year following water’s journey from season to season, producing an impressive set of images that show how dams, pipes and hydropower plants integrate with other ways in which the mountains are put to use. The fruit of her work is presented in a series of 24 large-format photographs (2 metres x 2 metres) exhibited in the open air and forming an itinerary leading to fresh discoveries in the heart of Beaufortain and Val d'Arly, around hydroelectric sites, in villages, and alongside the Arly and Doron rivers. You’ll also be able to stop off for a bite to eat at the “Le Canada” Restaurant.
  • Glacier

    Champagny le Haut Valley

    A magnificent glacier valley 1,500 metres above sea level, Champagny le Haut Valley was listed as a National Heritage Site in 1992.
    Through determined and patient human endeavour, nature has been organised to ensure the mountain dwellers' survival, with every possibility provided by a hostile environment turned to their advantage. The hamlets are all located on the right bank of the stream, to the south in order to make best use of the sunlight, close to the few areas of arable land and the grassland necessary to stockbreeding, near the woods that provide fuel for heating, and on sites chosen in order to keep their inhabitants safe from avalanches, rock falls and landslides. All of them at the feet of some of the highest ice-capped peaks in the Vanoise, close to 4000 metres above sea level, including the Grande Casse and the Grande Motte.

  • History

    Hamlet of La Chiserette

    In this hamlet, set in the shadow of an impressive waterfall and home to the little Chapel of the Holy Trinity, there’s a street called “Rue des Cocottes” as it was often overrun by hens and also pays tribute to Gaston and his mare Cocotte.
  • Glacier

    Espace Glacialis

    Come and acquaint yourself with the ice giants! In this era of global warming and untimely melting of the planet’s ice, it's all the more important to (re)discover glaciers and wonder at their incredible beauty and multiple attributes. In this light-hearted, educational museographic facility with 200 m² of exhibition space, the subject of glaciers is tackled from all angles: scientific, geological, historical, mythological, environmental, landscape and human. There’s a range of activities to enjoy, including guided visits, exhibitions, scavenger hunts and presentations.

    Information:
    https://espaceglacialis.fr
    04 79 01 40 28

  • Architecture

    Hamlet of Le Bois and Saint-Clair Church

    The last little hamlet accessible by car in winter and Champagny le Haut Valley’s main village, Le Bois boasts an outstanding natural setting. Its houses are perfect examples of traditional architecture, with their stone slate roofs, balconies with wooden balusters and cantilever barns…
    You’ll also find much to appreciate at Le Bois’ mountain hut, with its stretch of tree-shaded lawn, children’s games and excellent restaurant, along with Espace Glacialis, which is dedicated to the discovery of mountain glaciers, and finally, Saint-Clair Church, built thanks to donations from the parish’s inhabitants.
    Each hamlet has its own chapel, but the biggest has a full-fledged church.

  • Water

    Doron de Champagny

    The Doron is formed by the meeting of several watercourses that find their sources in various mountain glaciers. It abounds in fario and brook trout to the general delight of anglers. The stream makes its way between the rocks, watering milieus where fauna and flora can flourish. Water is essential to life: a benefactor that can also be a destroyer.
    Over the course of time, the Doron de Champagny has suffered avalanches, landslides and storms, and its tributaries have overflowed, their waters destroying crops and houses alike. As far back as the Middle Ages, mountain dwellers used water’s mechanical power to operate their flourmills and sawmills, but it was not until the 19th century that humankind learned how to use water as a source of energy, with hydroelectricity, dams and so on. Even today, during strong storms, the inhabitants can see the Doron rise from its bed!
  • History

    Hamlet of Friburge

    Don’t miss out on a visit to the craft workshop run by Hélène and Patrick Milliat, wood carvers and the hamlet’s last year-round inhabitants.
    This picturesque hamlet used to be inhabited all year round and contains fine examples of the traditional rural architecture of bygone days. It's located between two avalanche corridors, beneath a rocky outcrop and protected by a “tourne” (deflecting structure), and the mountain dwellers’ resourcefulness has ensured the hamlet’s survival in its natural environment, respecting the setting and making use of all its attributes.
    The pretty little chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Grâces provides a panoramic view over the entire hamlet.

  • Glacier

    Glacier Trail

    Take in the valley’s true magnificence from the Palet Pass, which provides you with views of some of the massif’s highest glaciers, with eight numbered marker posts located along the trail by the Vanoise National Park.
    The itinerary, which takes around 4 hours to complete, was created and waymarked by the Vanoise National Park. The accompanying booklet contains all the information you might need as you get better acquainted with mountain glaciers.
    On the itinerary: the Glière mountain hut (restaurant service and beds for the night), the high mountain pastures of the Plan du Sel and the secrets of Beaufort cheese production, and above all, no end of marmots!
    You can get a copy of the booklet at the Laisonnay Reception and Information Point.

  • History

    Hamlet of Laisonnay

    Laisonnay is the oldest and most remote hamlet. It was here that the first inhabitants (of Haute-Tarentaise) settled, after crossing the Palet Pass into the valley. It contains a dozen or so stone buildings with traditional stone slate and wooden shingle roofs and a renovated with smattering of more recent materials. Houses are grouped together in order to make use of the few locations not exposed to natural risks (avalanches, rock falls and flooding by the Doron). Notre Dame des Neiges Chapel downstream of the hamlet and the old oven upstream are both well worth a visit.
  • Glacier

    Trail of Gorzdérés

    A trail with its full share of interpretive signage including anecdotes and games, enabling young and old alike to uncover the secrets of this unique valley and its characteristic flora, fauna and pastoral life.

    The trail is labelled “Promenade confort” (Comfort Walk) and is also suitable for people of reduced mobility and pushchairs, due to its very gentle slope and the picnic tables provided along the way, where you can take a well-earned relaxing break.
    Excursion time: 1½ hours (loop trail)
    Difference in elevation: 30 metres