Le Balcon du Valromey

The well-marked route alternates between forest trails and balconies with breathtaking views. Each day offers a variety of landscapes: refreshing waterfalls, panoramic ridges, mountain pastures, and rural heritage.

This GRP is accessible to experienced walkers, with moderate to steep elevation changes depending on the stage (between 15 and 25 km per day). It's ideal for lovers of unspoiled nature and tranquility.

️Accommodation: lodges, inns, or B&Bs.
Level: Intermediate
Highlights: Alpine views, tranquility, nature immersion, and the authenticity of Valromey.
Do not hesitate to reach contact@bugeysud-tourisme.fr for more details.

Suggested stages with accommodation:
Day 1: Culoz - Vercosin
Day 2: Vercosin - Ruffieu
Day 3: Ruffieu - Plans d'Hotonnes
Day 4: Plans d'Hotonnes - Chalets d'Arvière
Day 5: Chalet d'Arvière - Culoz
Please contact us at contact@bugeysud-tourisme.fr for more information on the route and accommodation.

Stage 1 Culoz - Vercosin: 17.4 km and 830 m of elevation gain
You will travel back up the town of Culoz through the historic streets of Culoz: Rue des Frères Serpolet (forerunners of the automobile), then Rue de l'Église and Rue Henry Dunant (founder of the Red Cross) in the same extension.

At the top of Rue Henry Dunant, you'll see the Château de Montvéran on your left, as well as a very pretty aqueduct that can be seen by walking a few meters up the château's driveway.
Having gained a little height at the foot of the Grand Colombier massif, you'll have a few balconies and viewpoints to the south towards the Marais de Lavours nature reserve and the Rhône, which you'll see again from Fenestrez and Roche de Chanduraz during your last leg. The trail appears easy on the map, but some sections are a bit technical between the heights of Béon and Talissieu. Indeed, some rocky sections, not dangerous for experienced hikers, require a little vigilance; handrails are installed at the steepest points. These are the only places of this type on the entire GRP.
After entering the Valromey Valley at Charaillin, and past the small village of Vaux-Morets, I strongly recommend taking a detour of about 100 meters to see the source of the Groin, an emerald-colored spring that can be more or less impressive depending on the season and the rainfall in the days preceding your visit. Above the source of the Groin, you will see the Chapelle de l'Adoue and its fountain, a peaceful place that inspired Paul Claudel. The path leading to this site also offers a very pretty balcony opening to the south.
The tour will then take you to Vieu, a former Roman vicus; the current church was built above a Roman temple.
To finish the day, you will pass through the Gorges de Thurignin, small gorges and potholes carved by the Séran, a river that flows from the Plateau de Retord to the Rhône a little further down through the Valromey Valley you are about to explore. The Grand Amiral offers a beautiful view to the east, a well-deserved and appreciated vantage point after a long day of hiking.

Stage 2 Vercosin - Ruffieu: 16.3 km and 681 m of elevation gain
If you don't see the Sérémont viewpoint, you'll first pass through the hamlet of Saint Maurice, a village martyred during the Second World War, then along the Chemin des étoiles, where you'll return to the classic route. At the foot of the Lèbe Observatory (observation evenings and planetarium sessions are available), you'll notice that the planets of the solar system are arranged proportionally to their distance from the sun (each meter traveled represents one million kilometers, then 2.5 million km from Jupiter).
Heading north, the forest path increasingly faces the Grand Colombier to the east. A 500-meter detour with a 50-meter elevation gain will offer a beautiful view, weather permitting, at Planachat. You will then follow the Gigimont ridges to the Col de la Rochette before descending towards the village of Ruffieu, the birthplace of former biathlon world champion Sandrine Bailly.
(An additional stage can be added at the Lèbe forest lodge => self-catering group lodge).

Stage 3: Ruffieu - Les Plans d'Hotonnes: 22.4 km and 658 m of elevation gain
This final ascent of the Valromey Valley will take you to the Retord Plateau via numerous forest passages. Between beech and spruce forests, you'll be exploring the Nordic ski trails, particularly popular with skiers in the Lachat and Retord Plateau regions.
The first biathlon stadium in France, the biathlon stadium regularly hosts the best French biathletes and cross-country skiers during summer and winter competitions.

Stage 4 Les Plans d'Hotonnes - Chalet d'Arvières: 22.6 km and 777 m of elevation gain
Heading straight south, you will begin this transition between the Plateau de Retord and the Grand Colombier massif.
A short portion of your route follows the Maquis de Retord trail, a hike offering the opportunity to reach the various camps used by the resistance fighters to hide and organize guerrilla actions during the Second World War. More information is available on this website. Once there, it will be easy to imagine why these isolated locations, far from civilization, were chosen as places for the Maquis.
Beautiful views to the south will open up before you as you leave the Plateau de Retord.
The GRP route will take you back down into the valley, passing through several villages and hamlets before climbing back up to the Arvière site.
Built in the 12th century, only a few ruins remain of the Arvière Charterhouse, which you can see behind the forest lodge. Also very isolated from the rest of the world, the Arvière site is renowned for its tranquility in this remote corner, just a few kilometers from the summit of the Grand Colombier.
For your information, it is possible to complete this stage by a variation following the GR/GTJ (French National Geographic Trail) along the ridges. The GR is shorter, easier, and wilder than the GRP (French National Geographic Trail).

Stage 5 Chalet d'Arvières - Culoz: 22.1 km and 536 m of elevation gain
The final stage, the most magnificent in terms of panoramas, you will pass by the Daubrée fir (a remarkable 47-meter tree) before climbing to the Grand Colombier cross and its orientation table with a 360-degree view. A little visual challenge for you: find the three alpine lakes in the landscape: Lake Bourget, Lake Annecy, and Lake Geneva.
After crossing the pass, you'll climb once more to reach the true summit and culminating point of your adventure before descending to Culoz.
A detour to the Roche de Chanduraz and then the Fenestrez viewpoint will be the final two rewards, with remarkable panoramic views of Lake Bourget. Please note that the Roche de Chanduraz is a rocky outcrop to the south, but the tip of it is not accessible, but this doesn't prevent you from enjoying the magnificent view.

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