# Dawn hikes, nights under the stars and mountain refuges: immersive experiences in the Vanoise National Park

The Vanoise National Park offers several ways to explore the high mountains of Savoie, from guided hikes and nights in a refuge to environmental awareness campaigns and stays in communal cabins. These experiences draw on a protected area rich in biodiversity, made accessible by a dense network of waymarked paths and refuges.

## A morning hike among chamois and summits

The Crêtes route, in the Vallée des Encombres, is a ten-kilometre circuit that can only be walked with a guide. It sets off at 5am, early enough to catch sunrise among varied Alpine flora. The hike has a vertical drop of 600 metres, climbed gradually on both waymarked paths and open ground — a profile suited to walkers of intermediate to advanced level. Because the route follows little-used tracks, walkers stand a good chance of spotting chamois, chamois kids or other Alpine wildlife. The climb continues towards the Cariots and on to the Col du Chenu, where a 360-degree panorama takes in Mont-Blanc.

## A night in a mountain refuge under the stars

The Belleville guides' office runs an evening in a mountain refuge that combines a hike with an introduction to astronomy. Participants set off at 5pm for an easy climb to the refuge, followed by a shared meal. The guide then leads a session of stargazing, drawing on star-based orientation techniques used for generations. The descent is made by starlight, moonlight or head torch, depending on the weather.

## Helping hikers adopt good mountain practices

The Vanoise National Park has launched two information campaigns for hikers and walkers. The first, "Pour un bivouac sans couac", sets out guidelines for limiting the trace left behind after a bivouac. The second, "l'Opération pique-nique zéro déchet", aims to make outdoor picnics entirely waste-free. To support these efforts, reusable aluminium picnic boxes are on sale at tourist offices in the Belleville valley and in mountain refuges.

## Two communal cabins for a nature micro-adventure

Le Chalet du Fruit Commun, at an altitude of 2,365 metres, and the Refuge communal de Lachat, at 1,543 metres, are two renovated, unstaffed communal cabins. Both offer hikers a free night's stay, providing a simple, sociable experience in an isolated natural setting — the kind of "micro-adventure" suited to a family or a group of friends.

Both cabins lie in the Vanoise massif, in the Alps in Savoie, between the Maurienne and Tarentaise valleys. This high-mountain area has 107 summits above 3,000 metres, along with vast mountain pastures, glaciers and deep valleys. The Vanoise National Park, created in 1963 to protect endangered species, covers 53,000 hectares of preserved nature. It shares a 14-kilometre border with the Italian Grand Paradis park and is home to 1,200 protected species. It has around forty refuges and 500 kilometres of waymarked paths that walkers can follow across the whole area. The park's biodiversity features in the video "Debout les marmottes", made by the Parc de la Vanoise.

## The Esprit parc national label, a guarantee of sustainable practice

The Esprit parc national label recognises products and services rooted in France's national parks that respect biodiversity, natural and cultural heritage, and local know-how. It guarantees practices that are sustainable, committed and environmentally responsible. Mellifera, a black bee centre based in Les Menuires, is one of the businesses to hold the label.

## Key points

- The guided Crêtes route, in the Vallée des Encombres, is a ten-kilometre hike with a vertical drop of 600 metres and a 360-degree panorama over Mont-Blanc.
- The Belleville guides' office organises an evening in a mountain refuge combining a hike, a shared meal and an introduction to stargazing.
- Two awareness campaigns run by the Vanoise National Park encourage responsible practices around bivouacking and picnicking in the mountains.
- Le Chalet du Fruit Commun (2,365 m) and the Refuge communal de Lachat (1,543 m) are two unstaffed communal cabins that offer hikers a free night's stay.
- The Vanoise National Park, created in 1963, covers 53,000 hectares, is home to 1,200 protected species and has around forty refuges along 500 kilometres of waymarked paths.
