Gran Paradiso - Summary

In 2014 we decided to visit the Gran Paradiso National Park in North West of Italy. It sits on the French-Italian border and is continuous with the Vanoise National Park in France, making the largest area of National Park in France and Italy. The Gran Paradiso National Park contains the only 4000m peak, Gran Paradiso at 4061m, that is entirely within the Italian border, (whereas Mont blanc is straddles the French Italian border).

Cicerone have published a useful guide to the National Park called, Gran Paradiso, by Gillian Price

Map showing our route. I have added a separate post with a full size version of this map so that you can see it more easily.

The park is a stronghold for the ibex that are a protected species having dropped to very low numbers in the early 19th century. Number have now increased to approximately 4000 and you are very likely to see them on your walks in the park. There are many refuges and campsites so route planning is relatively easy.

From	To	Via	Mode of Travel	Ascent/m	Accomodation
Home	Paris	London	Train	N/A	Hotel In Paris
Paris	Ceresole Reale	Turin, Riverolo, Pont Canavese	Trains and Busses	N/A	Camping
Ceresole Reale	Rifugio Savoia	Rif. Muzio, Col de Nivolet	Bus and foot	1155	Rif. Savoia
Rifugio Savoia	Pont	Punta Violetta o Nivole	Foot	609	Camping
Pont	Rif. Vittoria Emmanuel	Rif. Tetras Lyre	Foot	773	Rif. Vittoria Emmanuel
Rif. Vittoria Emmanuel	Rif. Chabod	Slopes of La Tresenta, Rif. Vittoria Emmanuel, Rif Chabod	Foot	808	Rif. Chabod
Rif. Chabod	Pont		Foot	170	Camping
Pont	Rif. C. Chivasso	Gran Collette	Foot	1140	Rif. C. Chivasso
Rif. C. Chivasso	Rif. Benevolo	Col Rossett	Foot	780	Rif. Benevolo
Rif. Benevolo	Rif. Mario Buzzi	Col Bassac Dere	Foot	1007	Rif. Mario Buzzi
Rif. Mario Buzzi	Rhemes Notre Dame	Col Fenetre	Foot	500	Hotel
Rhemes Notre Dame	Bien	Col di Entrelor	Foot	1352	Camping
Bien	Rif. Vittoria Sella	Col Lauson	Foot	1700	Rif. Vittoria Sella
Rif. Vittoria Sella	Valnontey	Herbetet traverse, Biv Leonessa	Foot	780	Camping
Valnontey	Aosta	Gimillan, Col Tsa-Setze	Bus, Foot, Chairlift	1250	Camping
Valnontey	Valnontey	Lilaz	Bus and bicycle	N/A	Camping
Valnontey	Turin	Aosta	Bus and trains	N/A	Hotel in Turin
Turin	Home	Paris, London	Trains	N/A	Home

Gran Paradiso - Aosta and Turin

Roman Arch of Augustus 

Aosta is well worth visiting. We were on our way to Turin and spent the morning and early afternoon here before catching the train to Turin.

We caught the free bus from Valnontey to Cogne and then the service bus to Aosta.

Aosta is the principal city of the Aosta Valley.


The City has some fantastic Roman remains right in the heart of the town, so you can walk from the main streets into the historic parts in minutes.

Roman bridge, Pont d'Ael

Just beyond the end of the main street there is an Arch built to celebrate the return of Augustus after a victorious conquest.





Over the road there is an old bridge that once spanned the river, but it is now dry as the river has changed it's course.





















The main streets are largely pedestrianised and are lined with beautiful balconied buildings with flowers everywhere.








Archways lead to courtyards that you just have to explore.


On the Sunday 24th we caught the TGV back to Paris, then the Eurostar to London and the train to my sister-in-laws house to pick up the dogs.

They looked very happy.

The East gate to the walled city.

Gran Paradiso - Cogne and Valnontey

Cogne

The walking had come to an end for this holiday at least. 13 consecutive days walking with an average of over 1000m per day. We always find walking in the Alps easier than in the UK for some reason. Many of the paths take a zig zag route up the steep parts rather than going direct and this must make it easier.

Today we headed into Cogne and used the free electric bicycles that are available to borrow from the tourist information centres in the area. They are also available in Pont and Valsaverenche, they are probably available elsewhere but these are the ones I have seen.

Cogne

From Cogne we cycled SE to Lillaz, a pretty little village at the end of the valley.

In the afternoon we returned to Valnontey and visited the botanic gardens. It is best to visit earlier in the flowering season, we were too late to see it at its best.

Valnontey

Gran Paradiso - Gimillan (near Cogne) Aosta

Grivola from Pta di Mompers

We caught the first free bus of the day from Valnontey to Cogne, then another up to Gimillan which is north of Cogne. Gimillan is a lovely south facing village catching the best of the sun. We followed path 3 from the top of the village through fields and then into woodland. The path climbed easily to Arpisson (2294m). This lead us towards Plan di Bessey, but we turned NE on route 2a towards an un-named col at 2780m then on a fine grassy path to col Tsa-Setze.


A large group of mountain bikers came speeding down the narrow path.

Looking NW toward Mont Blanc

From the col we went on to Pte. de Mompers 2793m, where we stopped for lunch out of the cold wind.
Path 22 lead down to a farm at la Nouvaz and then onto a dusty track past a lake with a cafe and lots of people sunbathing. We must have tooked dusty and rough!

We then had a unpleasant ascent on a ski run\track to the top of the chair lift. We walked on to Lago di Chamole to avoid the shock of busy chairlift station.

On returning to the chairlift it was being used by mountain bikers riding a down hill route to Pila. The cafe was blasting heavy rock music that came as a shock to the system afer a couple of weeks of quiet mountain passes. The view of Mont Blanc was fantastic.

Dropping into Aosta from the cable car

We took the chairlift down to Pila, a large ski resort and then the cable car down to Aosta where we walked to the bus station to catch the bus back to Cogne and then the free bus to Valnontey.

Gran Paradiso - Rif. Vittoria Sella to Valnontey via Bivouac. Leonessa

 Rifugio Vittoria Sella (2588m)

Muesli, bread and jam with plenty of tea for breakfast at Rifugio Vittoria Sella (2588m). Well done to the family, good evening meal and breakfast makes you wanting to visit again. I wish all the refuges offered museli for breakfast, it keeps you going much longer than just bread and jam.

On the Herbetet traverse looking south 

We followed route 18b south from the refuge. The path remains at approximately 2600m following a balcony route called the Herbetet traverse above the Valnontey valley. In places the ground dropped steeply from a narrow path but a rope was provided for reassurance at the most exposed parts. If you manage Col de Entrelor you will be fine on this. We passed a couple of small lakes (L. del Lauson) and saw both chamois and ibex.

Looking up Vallone Herbetet to Herbetet

Looking SE from Biv. Leonessa

At the National Park hut (PNGP l'Herbetet) we chose to climb up the Vallone Herbetet instead of heading down into the valley. We headed up the route 22g to the magnificent Bivouac Leonessa (2910m). It sits high on a spur of Herbetet and is used as a overnight stop on its ascent. The hut was very nice with two dining tables new looking mattresses and blankets. The outside had large copper sheets on the walls so  it shone in the sun. We were were tempted to stay for the night but we had not brought enough food and the weather forecast was deteriorating.

Valnontey

We chose to head down the valley to Valnontey following the route 22d. It started to rain lightly but enough to require our jackets.


We pitched the tent at the large Stembecco campsite in Valnontey. The pitches are on terraces with excellent facilities. There are hot showers, washing up sinks and a cafe on site.





That evening we ate at the local Pizzeria Lou Talapen The food was really very good.
Later in the evening we took advantage of the cozy cafe on the campsite to sit and drink wine and look back on a lovely holiday.

Ascent 780m
Descent 1697m

Gran Paradiso - Bien in Valsavarenche to Rif. Vittoria Sella via. Col Lauson

The final few meters to Col Lauson looking west

The exposed part of the descent on the east
 side of of Col Lauson

We set the alarm for 6 but it was raining so we turned over and had another hour in bed. We left at 9 and it was still drizzling. The track opposite the campsite gave a link to route 10b that climbed through the forest to join the AV2 near a National Park chalet at 2303m (Casotto PNGP Levionaz). Once in the hanging valley of Costa de la Tsau the path climbed a grassy tongue with zig zags making the climbing gentle. Only the final 300m were steep on stony scree. A narrow gap formed Col de Entrelor (3299m) and from this height the other cols that we had grossed looked small and low in comparison.

Looking back to Col de Entrelor on the east side

The first part of the descent required a good head for heights as it took a narrow sloping path on loose gravel with a rope in some places for reassurance. After this the descent was much easier and took a short time for us to reach Rifugio Vittoria Sella (2588m).

The refuge was one of the hunting lodges used by Italian nobels in the past. It consists of two large blocks rather like military barracks and a small cafe with a sunny and sheltered outside seating area where we sat drinking tea and beer and eating cake. It was very quiet this late in the season so again we had a large and comfortable room to ourselves. The restaurant was in the other building and it was being run by a family with their children helping out.

We were served vegetable soup and a veggie burger with an excellent salad and potatoes.

Ascent 1700m
Descent 760m
Dist. 15km

Col Lauson

Gran Paradiso - Rhemes Notre Dame to Bien (in Valsavarenche) via Col di Entrelor

Looking back to Col Fenetre from Vallone di Entrelor

After the usual breakfast of bread and jam we set off across the river Dora di Rhemes, and up through  through the forest on route 10 climbing quickly as it was cold and the path took an easy but steady gradient. We emerged onto open meadow at about 2000m into the Vallone di Entrelor. The ascent continued past Alpage d'Entrelor and the fine arches of Alpage Plan des Freya.

Looking SW from the Col di Entrelor

The final approach to the col used some metal rungs bolted into into a rock that blocked the path. From here we had an eagle eyes view back down the route we had ascended. It makes the effort worthwhile and a certain feeling of self satisfaction.
The descent from Col di Entrelor (3007m) was an easy and pleasant gradient past Lac Noir (2666m) and Lac Djouan (2516m). The path headed NE on a high balcony path with fine views of Gran Paradiso and the route up from Rif Chabod that we had descended last Wednesday 13th Aug.

Col di Entrelor

We passed a large farm called Alpage Sopranaz at 2283m then a National park property before dropping into the forest for the final 600m of descent on route 7 to Creton and our campsite near Bien.
The campsite was camping Grivola at 1635m. It was next to a large hotel with a nice bar and restaurant and a small general store. The campsite facilities were excellent. After such a tough day we chose to eat in the hotel which was a good choice.
Lindsey had potato soup, followed by a quiche and walnut salad and a chocolate desert. I had a pancake for starter that had cheese and ham in it, followed by beef with roast potato then apple tart for desert. The meals cost 19euros each. One of the best meals we had this holiday.

Ascent 1352m
Descent 1435m
Dist. 15km

Looking east to Col Lauson

Looking SE from the col

Gran Paradiso

Gran Paradiso - Rif. Mario Bezzi to Rhemes Notre Dame via Col Fenetre

Looking west towards the French border above Rif. Mario Bezzi

We left Rifugio Mario Bezzi at 8.00am and climbed immediately on route 11 part of the Haute Route Glaciaire towards Rif Chalet d l'Epee. The path crossed a series of spurs and hanging valleys that remained high above Valgrisenche. We stopped at the refuge for some cake and fruit juice and sat on the patio as there was no room inside.

Morning
Ascent 770m
Descent 680m
Dist. 7km

Becca Refreita on the route 11

Having rested and refuelled with the cake, we left the Rif Chalet d l'Epee at 12.40 heading towards Col Fenetre (2849m) stopping for lunch at the last grassy point before the rock and scree to the col. The ascent was fairly gentle with numerous zig zags before reaching the narrow col that befits its name.

 Looking east to Gr de Rousse

On the east side the ground dropped alarmingly with very steep switch backs that tested the grip of our boots. The path dropped 1100m in 4km. Our knees were a little tender by the time we reached the valley. The route over Col Fenetre is on the AV2 and is described as suitable for most and on good paths! We passed a large herd of Ibex high up on the scree, a nun and someone running down!
Rhemes Notre Dame did not have the campsite that is described in the cicerone guide. It was washed away by the river and has not been replaced. All the hotels seemed to be full but we managed to get a B&B in a ski type apartment. After a good meal in one of the local hotels we slept well in our comfortable apartment with a bathroom; luxury. Rhemes Notre Dame is a pretty village geared towards winter sports rather than walkers. We could not seem to find a shop to stock up on provisions. The little alleyways beween the houses are worth exploring and there is a village square.

Afternoon
Ascent 500m
Descent 1100m
Dist. 7.5km

Valley to west of  Usellieres

Col de Fenetre

Steep descent on the east side of col de Fenetre

Gran Paradiso - Rif Benevolo to Rif. Mario Bezzi via Col Bassec Dere

We left Rif. Benevolo at 8.30am. following route 13d in a SW direction up the side of the alpine ridge with marmots alarm calling all the way. The path went past the abandoned Aplage de Soches then passed and over into Comba di Goletta (part of the HR6, Haute route Glacier.) As we topped over the spur we entered a stoney harsh rocky valley leading down to Lago di Goletta with a stone bridge and good photo opportunities of Ghiacciaio di Goletta and Granta Parei.

lago di Goletta with Granta Parei and the glacier Ghiaccoaaio di Goletta.

Col Bassac Dere 3082m

 After the flat area around the lake the path climbed steeply over glacial boulder moraine and snow to col Bassac Dere (3082m). There was a fresh layer of snow from last night covering the footprints from the previous day so we were the first to arrive today. The final 200m were very steep requiring pavement crampons to get enough grip to get over the cornice formed at the col.


From the col we headed up towards the Granta Parei to Col di Goletta (3117m) where we met up with the Glaswegians that we had sat with in Refugio Benevolo the prevoius night. They had just climbed the Granta Parei.
After lunch we headed back to Col Bassac Dere that had become quite busy witha large guided walking group, so we pressed on down on route 12c with spectacular views of Ghiacciaio di Gliairetta to Rif Mario Bezzi (2284m).
The weather had been good today with mostly blue skies and enough cloud to add to the look of the photos. There was still a cold wind and we had to put every piece of clothing on at the col to keep warm I was still wearing my spare socks as gloves.

Looking west beyond Col Bassac Dere to the French-Italian border

We had a five course evening meal. Ravioli soup, then a bowl of pasta, followed by a beef caserole with pickled artichoke, then cheese and finally a chocolate desert. The vegetarian option consisted of two fried eggs instead of the beef. Very few refuges cater for vegetarians.
The breakfast was good, museli at last with bread jam and tea.
The room was excellent, we had a 3 bedded room to ourselves, there were hot showers.

Looking back down our approach up Comba di Goletta and Lago di Goletta

Ascent 1007m
Descent 1023m
Dist 7km

Gran Paradiso - Rifugio Citta di Chivasso to Rifugio Benevolo via Col Rosset

La Tresenta and Ciarforon over Lago Rosset

We left the Rifugio Citta di Chivasso (2604m) nice and early, but 20 minutes into our walk I could not find my gloves. So I returned to the refuge to look for them, to no avail. By the time I got back it was 8.40am, not the early start we had hoped for.

High level route To Alpage Bassey

The walk through the Piani di Rosset on route 3c passed some beautiful lakes including lago Rosset and Lago Chanavey. We had the path to ourselves.













The final section up to Col Rosset (3023m) was steep and it started to gently snow as we reached the top. I had use my spare socks as gloves. The descent into Vallone della Gran Vaudalaz was very steep, on frozen gravel that some might find quite intimidating.

View down Val di Rhemes

We followed the route 12 down to Alpage la Grande Vaudala (2338m) then turned onto route 13a for a while before turning left onto a higher level route leading to Alpage Bassey. Again it was abondoned but in excellent condition witha turf covered roof making it invisible from above. From here we headed down into the main valley to Rifugio Benevolo (2285m). This was a large refuge with a modern extension. We had a room to ourselves with a double bed on the floor of the attic up a vertical ladder.

Alpage Bassey

It rained on and off later that afternoon so we stayed in drinking tea, eating jam tart and apple sponge cake.

 We sat with four Glaswegians at meal time and enjoyed exchanging holiday stories. We ate endless supplies of soup, chicken and mash. Lindsey had cheese and mash as a vegetarian alternative. The desert was Creme caramel. This was quite a disappointing meal especially the vegetarian option. Tea cost 5euros for a jug!
Breakfast include cereals bread and jam.



Ascent 780m
Descent 1050m
Dist. 9km