WALKS AND HIKES FROM VAL THORENS
Set off on foot from your residence in any direction and discover the exceptional landscapes of the Belleville Valley.
OUR FAVOURITE WALKS AND HIKES
For children, adults, keen walkers and those seeking a challenge: explore our favourite routes in Val Thorens and the Belleville Valley.
LAC DU LOU BALCONY TRAIL
1 hour 45 minutes each way from Val Thorens. One of the classic walks from Val Thorens, accessible to younger and older walkers. Allow 2 to 3 hours from Val Thorens, plus 1 extra hour for the return. It also offers a beautiful off-piste winter route. In summer, you can pick blueberries and enjoy a warm welcome at the Refuge Hôtel du Lou overlooking the lake. You can also start or stop at Ferme Pépé Nicolas to meet mountain animals and taste local produce.
LAC BLANC
The hike from Val Thorens to Lac Blanc is an exceptional experience in the heart of the French Alps. Surrounded by breathtaking scenery, the route combines natural beauty with a picturesque adventure. To start your return walk from Val Thorens, head to Place Caron in front of the tourist office, where signposts show the different walking routes. Follow the signs!
CIME CARON
What is the metal structure above the resort? It is the cable car that takes you to Cime Caron at 3,195 m. There are 3 ways to get there from Val Thorens: For an effortless ascent, take the cable car, open throughout winter except in poor weather, and in summer except Saturdays. Check before setting off. Start with the Cairn gondola, then continue to the Caron gondola to reach the cable car. For a walking route, head to Lac de la Moutière at 2,476 m, about 30 minutes on foot from Val Thorens. Find the track climbing towards Grand Fond, pass beneath the Plateau drag lift and the Grand Fond Funitel, then follow the relatively steep track via Col de Laudzin to the summit. For a more demanding ascent, walk directly up the black piste from the cable-car departure point. This is the route of the Vertical Kilometre event held each summer during Val Trophy week, alongside other fun runs and trail races in the resort and Belleville Valley. At the summit, a mountain restaurant and orientation table await, with panoramic views of Mont Blanc, Mont Bréquin, La Meije, Les Aiguilles d’Arves, the Chavière and Bouchet glaciers and the Belleville Valley.
THE LAKES CIRCUIT
A 1-hour-45-minute circular walk from the Slalom Stadium car park in Val Thorens. This classic route is often our choice for a first warm-up walk. From the car park at 2,320 m, follow the descending path across the ski slopes and cross the footbridge over the Péclet stream. Continue towards the Combe de Thorens, pass Lac de Thorens and climb the zigzags to a track. Cross it and follow a stony path to a junction, then climb the zigzags to Lac de la Portette at 2,627 m. Descend towards the track following the rock markers, cross the stream and continue downhill over wooden footbridges through several small valleys. After going around the summit of Tête Ronde, join a broad track above Lac de Tête Ronde and follow it downhill. Walk along the lakeside path, then descend to the lower Tête Ronde lake, also known as Lac des Grenouilles. Find the path back to the resort and enjoy this scenic walk among lakes and remarkable Alpine landscapes.