Alpine Passes Trail

This superb hike begins at the Cabane de Brunet. Since 1982, the hut has belonged to the municipality of Bagnes and was named in memory of Marcel Brunet, former president of the Fédération Montagnarde Genevoise (FMG). He died in February 1928 in an avalanche while descending from the Mont Fort hut.

A stunning trail leads across attractive paths, past a small lake and alpine pastures to the Col de Mille. On the way, you enjoy a view of countless mountain peaks, including the famous seven points of the Dents du Midi. When you arrive at the Col de Mille, the hut of the same name invites you to take a break. The backdrop at an altitude of 2,473 metres at the foot of Mont Rogneux is a fantastic view of the Valais Alps and the Mont Blanc massif.

This is followed by the descent to Bourg St. Pierre, with an altitude difference of over a thousand metres. You cross beautiful pastures, streams and, shortly before the finish, the small chapel of Notre Dame de Lorette. Bourg St. Pierre is the last town before the Great St. Bernard Pass. Saint Bernard of Aosta founded the monastery on the hospice grounds of the pass in the 11th century. This has been inhabited since the 12th century. Much more famous than the monastery, however, is the breeding of St. Bernard dogs, which has gone on for more than 300 years. The most famous one was called Barry. He is said to have saved the lives of around 40 people between 1800 and 1812.