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Autumn Hiking in the Vallon de Berard, Vallorcine

A full day hike on a beautiful scenic circuit

featured in Activity reviews Author Alison Shayler, Chamonix Reporter Updated

Now that the lift system has gone into autumn hibernation, we’re forced to explore the lesser-trodden trails of the valley. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing…

This weekend I revisited a favourite hiking route that I’ve not done for a few years - a beautiful circuit around the Vallon de Berard. Starting from the train station at Le Buet (just before Vallorcine), we crossed over the road and followed the signposts up into the forest for the Cascade de Berard.

The trees soon clear to bring you into a wide open meadow that is the Poya ski slope in winter; cows graze peacefully as you make your way up through a little group of pretty stone chalets to pick up signposts for the cascade.

A short hike uphill through a shady pine forest takes you to a crashing waterfall; a new metal walkway has been installed since I was last here, allowing you to get a lot closer to the fierce torrent. You used to be able to shimmy behind the wooden chalet that perches over the waterfall and squeeze in between the waterfall itself and the rock face, but at some point this got a bit precarious and the area was cordoned off for fear that someone would get swept away. The new walkway takes away some of that excitement but does allow you a better view, swings and roundabouts…

From the cascade we followed the signposted path onwards and upwards in the direction of the Refuge de Berard. The route first takes you through a cool and shady pine forest, where ancient old boulders covered in moss and lichen are scattered either side of the path. The river gurgles along beside you and you pass a small bridge on your right.

As you climb higher you come out of the trees into a stunningly picturesque valley. This is one of the best times of year to do this hike, when the colours are on their best display. Rowan trees weighed down with rich red berries hang over the path, the last of the lupins are fading from bright purple to soft mauve, the leaves are still deep green but patches are starting to turn coppery. The autumn fruits are starting to ripen as well and there were plenty of wild raspberries and myrtilles to pick along the way.

The path up to the refuge meanders along the northern side of the valley, mostly uphill but undulating as it crosses little streams and brooks. The scenery is constantly breathtaking and the trail is very easy to follow with no chance of getting lost.

After around 3 hours at a gentle strolling pace we reached the refuge to find the guardians enjoying lunch on the sunny terrace. They are, unfortunately, now closing for the season so there is no chance of buying lunch up there but the area around the refuge is ideal for picnicking.

Hiking back takes considerably less time and we were back at the bridge before we knew it, so we decided to take a little detour via Sur Les Rochers to get back to Le Buet. Crossing the bridge brought us to a lovely little clearing beside the river, from where we headed back up into the forest. After a short climb we found ourselves at the little stone chalets of Sur Les Rochers, from where we were able to follow the signposts back downhill towards Vallorcine and Le Couteray. This adds on perhaps another 45 minutes but if your knees can handle the downhill then it’s a lovely addition that takes you through a pretty little hamlet and past another waterfall before bringing you back out by the Le Poya fields where you started.

The whole circuit is just over 13km and took us about 5 hours, including our lunch break and frequent raspberry-foraging stops. With the refuge now being closed, a picnic is essential and hiking poles are recommended for the way back down.

Location

Map of the surrounding area