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These
walks are all short and can be done practically all the year round. They
are low-altitude walks that can be combined with other routes described elsewhere
in this guide.
Montandré -
Grenis - Champessuit (700m
of ascent - 2h30)
The
route-finding is easier if the two loops are done clockwise, i.e. Montandré to the
left, then Champessuit, Grenis and Montandré again. The path that avoids
taking the forest trail above Montandré was repaired in 1999. Start
from l'Echaillon chapel, behind the Péchiney factory. South-oriented
and always practicable.
Chapelle de Bonne Nouvelle - Ste Thècle (200m - 45')
Short and classic walk from St Jean (1h). The start (signpost) is behind the hospital, near the cemetery (!?). Fine views on the city and the valley. Go up the path to the chapel. There, turn left on to another good path going up steep grass slopes. At a plateau, walk right on a level path that leads to the enormous white cross that is quite visible from St Jean. Ste Thècle's cave is just below. You can take an alternative route down from the small plateau: do not turn left but continue straight until the path descends towards the starting point.
Le Crêt - Fontcouverte - La Bise (350m - 1h)
Le Crêt is 5kms away from St Jean on the Col de la Croix de Fer road. The bridge over the Merderel is 500m further on. From Fontcouverte, it is possible to reach l'Oeillette and the Charvin's lower slopes via Pont de la Scie. On the way up, a few passages require caution. 1h30. Green (yellow?) marks.
Take the path that starts from the bridge over the Merderel (signposted "Fontcouverte"). It rises pleasantly up and across the very unstable mountainside over the torrent on its left bank. After passing through a forest, and on a short exposed ledge (caution), the route comes out at an abandoned house in Les Lamberts. Just before Fontcouverte, turn right on to a level path (signposted "La Bise"). Following the marks, reach a house very close to a bend on the Corbier road (15min). Walk down the road for about 100m and turn right into a hamlet to join a good path/trail that will take you back to Le Crêt and the bridge.
Le Tilleret - Albiez le Jeune (500m - 1h30)
This beautiful path, and final section of the Arvan-Villards GR, has been massacred by a forest trail in 1998. That is why it no longer figures here. Shame...
Saint Pancrace - Les Trois Croix (600m - 2h)
Drive up to St Pancrace and park in the village. Walk up towards Les Bottières and find the starting point on the left as you leave St Pancrace. Walk left of an oratory, across a forest trail and up a steep path in the forest. At an intersection, leave to your left the path to Les Côtes and turn right to reach Les Colonnes. Walk up a field towards the Bottières road up above and follow it about 500m. On passing the first house in L'Alpettaz, turn right on to a wide path and follow it about 500m. When it starts descending towards the road to La Toussuire, walk up a field to the right straight to the top and the Trois Croix (1550m, circular view).
Go down the same way or via Les Bottières. For the latter route, join the road west of the summit and follow it until you see a signpost ("Les Bottières"). Turn right and down the Bottières ski piste. From the village, go down the road and find the many shortcuts of the signposted Vernettes footpath towards Les Bottières.
Gevoudaz - Albiez le Vieux (750m - 2h30)
Start : Gévoudaz, on the St Jean - Albiez-le-Vieux road. Park near Chapelle Saint Grat. Two paths start there. Take the one on the left towards La Cochette (signpost). It is steep in its lower part and remains so until you reach the ruined house at Sur la Roche (1141m, chamois during the cold season). A grassy trail then goes up to La Cochette (1355m). Walk past a nicely renovated chapel and take the path to Albiez-le-Vieux behind the grassy mound of Les Contamines. Then, go down the road to St Jean to a wooden cross in the first bend of the road, when it leaves the Albiez plateau (1461m). The path that starts there goes down to Gevoudaz. Despite the signposts, the route-finding may be difficult at times but you are never far from the road. Lower down, discover Notre Dame du Désert, a small oratory lost in the forest.
Above the small village of Le Chatel (767m), near St Jean de Maurienne, you will find a network of enjoyable routes, most of them in the forest. They are in condition most of the time, due to their southern exposure and low altitude. Some of the paths do not figure on IGN 3433 ET.
Les Plagnes (nature trail)
Short (1h30). The "nature" part is the east end of the route above Le Chatel. The rest makes for a pleasant forest walk. Early in season, you may find snow at the bottom of the ravines between Beauchamp and Ravichon. Start from Villaret d'en Bas (signpost) and walk up the trail into the Ravoire gorge. Around 940m, turn right and follow the yellow marks. The path climbs gently into the forest until it culminates (signpost) and goes down towards le Chatel. The nature trail starts here. After Beauchamp, you may choose to leave the trail and go down directly to Le Chatel, or continue on the trail which comes out on the Chatel-St Jacques trail. Turn right and walk down to the village. 15 minutes on the road will take you back to your car.
Very fine, but difficult path. The slopes above Ravichon are very steep and some passages demand caution. Same start as the previous route, but 10 minutes above Ravichon on the Plagnes nature trail, turn left on to a rarely frequented path in the general direction of a gorge straight above. Walk to the bottom of the gorge and cross a small stream (dry bed in summer). The following section is very sustained in the forest up to IGN 1283m. Once in the Bois Noir, on the other side of the mountain, the route becomes more level. At the first intersection, turn right and walk back towards Le Chatel and come out on top of the gorge that you just climbed. When the path leaves the forest, take a look down at a tree planted at the corner of the cliff (caution!). The path is now level. It crosses the top of a ravine, then a second one before arriving at Montbéranger (1 400m). The descent route (walk across Montbéranger and leave the trail to your left) joins the St Jacques trail. Once on it, it is easy to return to Le Chatel and Villaret d'en bas.
Same start as the two previous routes. Walk up the trail into the Ravoire gorge but, this time, do not turn right towards Le Ravichon. The trail rises on the left bank of the stream and joins the bottom at alt. 950m (stream on the left, fine waterfall on the right). The trail climbs steeply and immediately after a bend to the left, locate the start of a path on the right side of the trail. That path goes up Bois Noir to alt.1311m, where it joins a forest trail. Take right on to the level trail. At its end, when the trail turns into a path (towards Montbéranger), leave it and turn left up a grassy bank. This new path traverses up Bois Noir to join the trail that goes from Montpascal to Col de la Baisse, which is soon reached (1763m). Continue down towards Montbéranger and the previous descent route.