This route takes you through the high altitude grazing pastures of the Col de Balme and along a vertiginous ridge up to a pinnacle that looks out over both the Chamonix valley and over the back into Switzerland.
This route takes you through the high altitude grazing pastures of the Col de Balme and along a vertiginous ridge up to a pinnacle that looks out over both the Chamonix valley and over the back into Switzerland.
Starting from Le Tour car park you can either hike up from the bottom following the trail behind the lift station, or skip the first bit and hop on a gondola followed by a chairlift.
At the top of the chairlift turn left and follow the stony track towards the Col de Balme. You’ll see the grey stone building of the Refuge de Balme on your right and the Swiss border lies just beyond.
Don’t be tempted to follow the trails to the right or left, carry straight on towards the Croix de Fer. When you reach a fork in the path, bear right to follow a narrow ridge that climbs higher and higher all the way to the Croix de Fer at 2,343m. You’ll need steady feet and a head for heights, as there are some sheer drops to the side and the occasional bit of scrambling required to get past a few rocky sections. It’s a very fun path though and the scenery along the way is breathtaking.
Once you’re at the top you can perch on what feels like the top of the world and take in the sweeping view of Valais and the Col de Forclaz over in Switzerland and the Rhone Valley. "Croix de Fer" translates as iron cross, and this is exactly what you'll find at the summit; a cross dated 1984.
The route back can either be by the same way you came up or you can make a circuit of it by looping round the cow fields. Descend the ridge and when you reach the Col de Balme follow the Plan des Reines towards Autanne. This will take you round in a big circle through beautiful pastures to reach the top station of the gondola. You can now either take the gondola back down, or follow the hiking trail that juts off from the left on the first bend of the 4x4 track.
We’ve given the distances and timings as if you’ve walked the whole route, obviously it will be significantly less if you use the lift system in either or both directions.
