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Day 3 on the Tour du Mt. Blanc – Don’t Make My Mistake
Most people hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc in a counterclockwise direction hike from Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta on Day 3.
Not my daughter and I.
We planned to combine Day 3 and 4 and hike all the way from Les Chapieux to Courmayeur – a distance of 33 kilometers (19.8 miles) with an ascent of 1464 meters (4803 feet) and a descent of 1818 meters (5964 feet).
Seloge - about one hour uphill from Les Chapieux
Dumb idea. Don’t make my mistake.
The Tour du Mont Blanc is a hard trip to plan without a proper guidebook and map – and that’s how I planned it. In February when I was booking I also figured – from the comfort of my chair – that Day 3 would be a hard day – but what the heck – it wouldn’t kill us.
And the scenery on Day 4 (Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur) is worth enjoying.
One of the zillions of cows on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Looking back down the valley towards Les Chapieux
You leave Les Chapieux and follow a tarmac road up for the better part of an hour. We saw no other hikers walking. Anyone we saw had elected to take a shuttle and cut out a serious amount of uphill. We saved our cheating till the end of the day.
The hiking is pretty enough and the higher you climb the wilder it gets. After two hours you reach the Refuge des Mottets, a former dairy farm and a place where you can get refreshments or a night’s lodging.
From the refuge it’s another 1- 1¼ hours of hiking to reach the Col de la Seigne, on the border of France and Italy, and a whole new world.
The trail to the Col de la Seigne
The border of France and Italy at the Col de la Seigne
We were very lucky to have a clear, sunny day. The guidebook says the Col de la Seigne is not an easy place to leave – given calm, settled weather. I would concur.
But leave we did, since we had so much ground to cover and lunch was beckoning at Refugio Elisabetta.
It’s a steep descent down and one where you need to concentrate, despite the pull to gaze at the rugged peaks. Part way down there is a renovated customs house and then lovely flat pastures, until the final steep climb up to Rifugio Elisabetta. It takes 4½ to 5 hours to reach Rifugio Elisabetta from Les Chapieux.
Part of the route down from the col
Rifugio Elisabetta's incredible location
Rifugio Elisabetta as a speck on the mountain
Rifugio Elisabetta is a happening spot. Day and overnight hikers share tables with a view of the mountains and glaciers. This is one of the best places for lunch on the Tour du Mont Blanc. A wide selection of food, with Italian overtones, like polenta is served along with cold beers and wine. Its scenic location also makes it a favourite for overnight stops. Private rooms are available but book well in advance. (Ph: 00 39 0165 84 40 80 rifugioelisabetta@alice.it )
Since we had elected to stay in Courmayeur we didn’t linger over lunch the way we would have liked to.
It’s 18 kilometers (10.8 miles) from here to Courmayeur – and the elevation loss is actually a knee breaking 1560 meters (5118 feet).
We had found a way to cheat the night before by poring over the guidebook. I know we missed some incredible scenery with sumptuous views but we made the day work for us.
Descending from Rifugio Elisabetta, we followed the main track alongside Lac Combal. Scenery is superb through this section. The Tour du Mont Blanc turns off to the right shortly after the lake. But we continued to the bridge, crossed it, turned right, and then went STEEPLY down for about 30 minutes to reach the small community of La Visaille. It was a weekend so the locals were out in force judging by the number of cars parked.
The peaks in view descending from Rifugio Elisabetta
From La Visaille you can catch a bus to Courmayeur. They run every hour to hour and a half and the ride costs only a few Euros. So that’s what we did.
Cheated – but only ourselves.
If you attempt the Tour du Mont Blanc – don’t make my mistake. Allow for a night at Rifugio Elisabetta so you can take full advantage of the glorious scenery to Courmayeur.
Useful Information for Day 3 on the Tour du Mont Blanc
- Distance from Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta – 15 kilometers (9 miles)
- Height gain – 1004 meters (3012 feet)
- Height loss 258 meters (774 feet)
- Refreshments at Refufio des Mottets, Rifugio Elisabetta
- Camping possible near Rifugio Elisabetta
- Distance from Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur is 18 kilometers (10.8 miles), height gain 0f 460 meters (1509 feet) and loss of 1560 meters (5118 feet)
- Highly recommend Hotel Bouton d’Or in central Courmayeur – friendly, helpful, nice rooms and the best price of any 3 star hotel on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Other posts related to this trip include:
- Les Houches to Les Contamines on the Tour du Mont Blanc (Day 1)
- Day 2 on the Tour du Mont Blanc: Les Contamines to Les Chapieux
- A Saturday on the Tour du Mont Blanc (mostly inspiring pictures from our last day)
Have you hiked to Courmayeur from Rifugio Elisabetta? What did we miss??
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6 Responses to Day 3 on the Tour du Mt. Blanc – Don’t Make My Mistake
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About
I’ve been all over the world – to all continents but Antarctica and to a grand total of 53 countries. I’ve always got some sort of an adventure planned – even if it’s only a weekend. I thrive on change and travel provides that.
Feel free to email me at
leighmcadamtravels@gmail.com
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Wow, that was quite a hike! It sure keeps one in shape, but you’re right about taking it slow: with that beautiful scenery next to me, I’d stop every 5 minutes and take pictures.
On this section of the Tour du Mont Blanc it was much easier to go slowly and smell the proverbial flowers with such stunning scenery. Thanks for visiting.
Hi, I would like to ask you: did you reserve all your nights on the “Tour” in advance? how long in advance? did you have bad weather on the rout? thanks, Rachel.
@Rachel I started booking months in advance – just via email – though except for Rifugio Bonetti that isn’t necessary. That is a nice refugio and one you’ll probably want to stay at – meals are included. I would also book Refugio Elisabetta – the one before Courmayeur – ahead of time because t here isn’t a lot of choice. Good food there too.
We did have a few really rainy, hypothermic type of days so absolutely have layers to dress in and bring a good rain hat. The good news is that there are many refugios along the way where you can warm up or even stay at the last minute if things get really bad.
Thank you for your reply!
Shoot me an email Rachel if you have any other questions.