Grand Massif

Wide fertile valleys, glacial cirques, waterfalls, mountain streams, lakes  and gorges... this is the Alps in all its glory.

The area also houses some unique treasures, such as the Cirque du Fer à Cheval, a 9200-hectare nature reserve, the karst relief of the Désert de Platé.... and here and there, the traditional architecture of unspoilt villages.

The Alpine Meadows of Arâches

District: Arâches

Region: Grand-Massif

Road access and parking: Cluses - Arâches: 11 km.

Take the N205 out of Cluses, and then turn onto the D6 to Arâches. Park at the church in Arâches.

Total time, not including rest stops: 2hrs

Maps: IGN Top 25 n° 3530 ET Samoëns Haut-Giffre

Start height: 950 m

Highest point: 1100 m

Height difference: 200 m

Type of itinerary: (circuit, round trip): circuit

Best season: from spring to summer, when snow free

Description:

An easy, gentle and varied stroll starting in the village of Arâches.

Once upon a time, a giant came down from Flaine to the valley. At Laya, just outside Arâches, he was brought to a halt by a stone digging into his foot. He took off his boot and emptied out a huge rock, which embedded itself into the ground. The giant's stone still lies in that field at Laya, were it is known as the Pierre à Laya. More scientifically, during the last glaciation a 200-metre thick glacier covered Arâches and the Arve Valley. The Pierre à Laya is a "glacial erratic" deposited as the ice retreated.

Cross the road and head towards the centre of the village. At the fountain, go left up a one-way street and follow a minor road to a pale-yellow house.

Fond de la Combe Circuit

District: Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval

Region: Grand-Massif

Road access and parking: Cluses - Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval: 27 km.

From Cluses, take the D902 to Taninges. Go through Taninges and take the D907 to Samoëns/Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. From Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval, follow signs to Le Fer à Cheval and continue to the end of the road.

Total time, not including rest stops: 2hrs 15min

Maps: IGN Top 25 n° 3530 ET Samoëns Haut-Giffre

Start height: 910 m

Highest point: 1065 m

Height difference: 155 m

Type of itinerary: (circuit, round trip): circuit

Best season: from spring to summer, when snow free

Description:

The Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval nature reserve has set up a nature trail through this magnificent, waterfall-lined cirque. Our walk takes you a little further up the valley, to the Fond de la Combe and the "end of the world" (Bout du Monde). Look up to the east and you will see the Ruan and Prazon Glaciers towering above you.

The walk can be started in two ways.

If the weather is good, continue along the road to the Fer à Cheval. 15min.

If it is raining, or if instructed to do so by signs in the car park, cross the River Giffre (bridge on the left) and follow the track to Giffrenant.

Warning: flash floods can sweep down the Fer à Cheval. Obey the reserve's rules.

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