Alpine Passes Trail

Trient lies nestled at the foot of the Mont Blanc massif with breathtaking views of the mighty glacier of Les Grands near the French border and the mountain peaks of Aiguilles du Tour, de Midi et du Pissoir as well as Grande Fourche at altitudes of around 3,500 metres.

Right at the beginning, a beautiful forest trail leads from 1,300 to 2,000 metres above sea level up to the Pas des Moutons. From here, the mighty Trient Glacier and, to the right, the glacier of Les Grands, are visible. Robust, black Eringer cows graze on the Alpine meadows. A pleasant path winds through the barren mountain along the tree line to Alp Catogne. You can already see the 180-metre-high dam of Lac d'Emosson, the stage's destination. To its left and right rise the mountain peaks of Cheval Blanc, Grand Perron and Fontanabran.

Now the route drops the vertical metres climbed before. You descend to 1,100 metres above sea level to Le Châtelard, where you can visit the hydroelectric power museum at the reservoir. From here, the trail climbs steeply again to Les Montuires. In places, the rock face rises vertically next to the path, and some sections are secured with chains.

At the terminus of the cogwheel railway, the path turns into a gravel road, leaving the tree line behind. The Emosson panorama train and Minifunic take tourists up to Gueulaz Pass, situated thirty metres above the dam.

The stage ends at Lac d'Emosson. Follow the dinosaurs' tracks on the Vieux-Emosson geological trail. Those who want to compare the Tour de France results with their own performance on the bike can refuel at the panorama restaurant. The views of Europe's largest mountain massif, including Mont Blanc, Aiguille du Grepon, Aiguille de Verte and the Bouqui Gorge, are breathtaking.