A hiker enjoys views of the Grandes Jorasses and l’Aiguille du Dent du Géant, part of the Mont Blanc Massif above Chamonix, France.
Note: This is part 3 of a 3-part spotlight on our Grindelwald, Zermatt and Chamonix Hiking Tour. Please follow these links to read part 1 and part 2.
After availing ourselves of the best hikes in Zermatt, we say “au revoir” to Switzerland and climb aboard a series of cog wheel mountain trains which convey us across the French border to Chamonix-Mont Blanc, France.
The Massif du Mont Blanc is the cornerstone of Europe. At its core is Mont Blanc, the highest peak in Western Europe at 15,781 feet/4,810 meters above sea level. In 1760, a Swiss geologist and explorer named Horace Benedict de Saussure offered prize money to the first person(s) to successfully summit Mt. Blanc. Saussure’s challenge attracted climbers and adventurers from around the world and alpinism, as it’s known today, was born in the Chamonix Valley.
Mont Blanc is immense and stunning, but to focus solely on Europe’s highest peak does a disservice to the surrounding landscape. Mont Blanc is not just one mountain, it is part of a complex and intriguing group of imposing peaks called the Massif du Mont Blanc. Within this massif, rocky spires, airy ridge lines, cascading glaciers and foreboding cliff faces dwarf the surrounding countryside. Extending from the Mont Blanc massif, too, are a series of idyllic valleys that retain centuries of alpine history, essentially functioning as cultural treasure chests for the Mont Blanc region.
Before tourism, the valleys of Mont Blanc nurtured a mostly agrarian life for thousands of years. A few of the major valleys that make up the region include, in France, the Vallée de l’Arve (home to Chamonix), the Vallée de Mont Joie and the Vallée des Glaciers. In Italy the Val Veni and the Italian Val Ferret stretch out beneath the southern face of Mont Blanc. In Switzerland, the Swiss Val Ferret, the Val d’Arpette and the Val Trient invite hikers to explore their secrets.
The view from the hiking trail high above Chamonix, with Lac Blanc, Mont Blanc, the Aiguilles (needles of Chamonix), the Mer de Glace and the Grande Jorasses in the background.
One of my favorite secrets in the Mont Blanc region is the Grandes Jorasses, a mountain tucked within the Mont Blanc massif. The Grande Jorasses is hardly a “secret” among serious members of the climbing community, yet it’s hardly mentioned in the greater outdoor/hiking/travel community. It seems that everybody focuses on Mont Blanc. This is a shame, because the Grand Jorasses is a member of the “Trilogy” one the three most challenging north faces in the Alps. The other two members of the Trilogy are the Eiger and the Matterhorn which we experience during the first part of our Grindelwald, Zermatt and Chamonix hike. The Grande Jorasses is a pleasure to photograph and admire as it unfurls its glacier, the Leschaux, onto the Mer de Glace, the largest glacier in France and the second longest in Europe.
The historic Montenvers cog wheel train has been carrying hikers and sightseers alongside the Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, for more than one hundred years.
We’ll get up close to the Mer de Glace as we hike above Chamonix. We’ll also ride the historic Montenvers cog rail train which fully opened for tourism in 1909. The next day we’ll stretch our legs on one of the most beautiful hikes in the entire Alps. Views from our hike look directly across the Chamonix Valley to the Mer de Glace and the stunning north face of the Grande Jorasses. Of course, we’ll enjoy phenomenal views of Mont Blanc, the Aiguilles (needles) of Chamonix which form a jagged backdrop against the sky, glistening alpine lakes, and much, much more. At night, we’ll treat ourselves to the bustling alpine mecca of Chamonix.
Chamonix hosted the first Winter Olympics in 1924, but even before then, the town was on the map for mountain tourism, and it’s been a favorite of mountain lovers ever since. During the day, the warm smell of fresh baked croissants waft through town from the local boulangerie. At night, sounds of laughter spill from wood-paneled chalet restaurants onto Chamonix’s quiet streets while guests pour more wine in search of the seemingly endless bottom of their fondue Savoyard. In the distance, a lone church bell rings, signaling to a local farmer that it’s time to turn out the light and put the sheep to bed for another night.
Please click to read more about our Grindelwald, Zermatt and Chamonix hike.
