No. 1 - Bisse de Champex
Champex-Lac
0/7°
This north-facing trail is often well snow-covered. It climbs to the entrance of the Val d'Arpette and reaches the Relais d'Arpette before descending along the Champex bisse.
Difficulty
EasyLength
3.04 kmDuration
1:15 h
Description
This route allows you to discover the wild character of the Val d'Arpette, a small protected valley away from Champex-Lac. With the hotel-restaurant Relais d'Arpette situated midway, you have an ideal place for a welcome break with the Col des Ecandies in front of you, a very popular ski route. It is in the Val d'Arpette that the Durnand stream originates and flows down toward Martigny through the famous Durnand Gorges.
After this pleasant stop, you first return to the right bank of the Champex-Lac bisse before crossing it and following it on the left bank; a magnificent moment with the soft sound of water accompanying you until the end of the ski slopes and the Breya chairlift.
Turn-by-turn directions
From the Champex télé bus stop, follow the road and the cross-country ski trail on the left heading northwest. Then take the forest road westward, which rises gently for about 700 meters. The route leaves the road 100 meters after the bridge spanning the Durnand stream, still heading west, while the road continues north. The path climbs through the forest, then rejoins the road heading south/southwest to reach the Relais d'Arpette.
Then cross the stream to go to the right bank and follow the sled track for 100 meters. Turn left to follow the stream and cross it several times until the water intake of the bisse. Follow the path east along the left bank of the bisse up to the ski trail and thus reach the bottom station of the Breya chairlift.
Start
Breya parking (Champex télé bus stop) (1496m)
Destination
Breya parking (Champex télé bus stop) (1496m)
Author's recommendation
The Val d'Arpette is a wild paradise in winter but also in summer. It is a very popular alternative for hikers on the Tour du Mont-Blanc!
Technical information
Altitude
1627m
1491m
Ascent
+137m
Descent
-137m
Stamina
Experience
Landscape
Best time of the year
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Tags
Public transport
From Martigny, take the train to Sembrancher then Orsières. Then take the bus to Champex Télé. Check the schedules on www.cff.ch
Approach
Exit the motorway at Martigny at interchange 22-Gd-St-Bernard. Use the right lane to follow E27 towards Chamonix/Gd-St-Bernard/Verbier/Martigny-Expo. At the exit of the Martigny bypass tunnel, take the direction Grand-Saint-Bernard/Italy, then exit the main road at Orsières and follow Champex-Lac.
It is also possible to leave the main road at Bovernier and go through Les Valettes but the road is narrower and very winding.
Parking
Large free parking at the foot of the Breya chairlift, at the start of the route.
Source
This activity is brought to you by Pays du St-Bernard. Valais/Wallis Promotion is not responsible for the content provided.