Hiking in Haute-Savoie? Go and get some fresh air on the mountainside by discovering the most beautiful hikes to do in Haute-Savoie!
Welcome to Haute-Savoie! This mountain department adjacent to Italy and Switzerland is one of the jewels of our natural heritage. Co-seat of the roof of Europe, Mont Blanc, and its 4,810 meters offers happy visitors a wide variety of landscapes!
Here, there is something for everyone: sparkling lakes, green alpine pastures, majestic forests, mineral peaks, or steep valleys punctuate the Upper Savoyard territory.
To see for yourself, Travelvibe offers you a selection of the most beautiful hikes to do in Haute-Savoie. Family, airy, sporty, or bucolic: which one will convince you to put on your boots?
You may be interested to read Best Hiking Trails in the Chartreuse Most Beautiful Hikes in Auvergne Best Beautiful Hiking in the Alps
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Hiking in Haute-Savoie: 12 most beautiful hikes to do in Haute-Savoie
1. Angon Waterfall Loop
Photo credit: Alltrails
To start this selection, we have chosen a safe bet among the hikes in Haute-Savoie! This hiking trail starts from the shores of Lake Annecy. It crosses, in turn, shady undergrowth, meadows, and small picturesque villages.
Your itinerary begins with a climb in the forest… Great, it will be the only one! You will have the opportunity to admire superb views of the lake and the Dents de Lanfon.
In summer, the shade will soothe the heat of the sun. She will also be helped by the freshness of the Angon waterfall, the star of the ride. A trail will take you to this spectacular waterfall.
Be careful; during summer weekends, attendance can be high. Our advice? Prefer autumn to appreciate the sublime colors of the surrounding forests.
2. La Tournette via the chemin du col de l’Aulp
Photo credit: Alltrails
Hiking in Haute-Savoie? The Bornes massif is full of great natural sites. To find out, why not go near Montmin? You can make a sublime hike in Haute-Savoie.
Its course begins at Les Prés Ronds and climbs to the top of La Tournette. It is nicknamed the throne of Annecy: it is the highest mountain adjacent to the city!
You will cross beautiful rocky areas requiring good rising shoes to access them. Some vertiginous parts promise exquisite aerial sensations up to the top. The view is then spectacular: the brilliance of the sunny Lake Annecy would make Mont Blanc almost jealous, in the distance to the East…
3. Green Lake Loop from Plaine Joux
Photo credit: Alltrails
This hike in Haute-Savoie is aimed at a broad audience because of its ease. It aims to take you to the Green Lake (which, for the anecdote, is part of the sets of the Kaamelott series). The trail is located on the foothills of the rocks of Fiz, above the town of Passy.
In any season but especially in spring, you will have the chance to contemplate the Mont Blanc massif about twenty kilometers away.
This classified natural site (it is forbidden to swim in the lake) will be perfect for a refreshing picnic. The taste sees a local farmer’s reblochon, a pure delight!
4. Aiguillette d’Argentière
Photo credit: Alltrails
Argentière is a commune located near Chamonix. The Aiguilles rouges nature reserve is a jewel of the sector: that’s good; this hike in Haute-Savoie crosses it.
The route merges with the GR of the Tour du Mont-Blanc. The Aiguillette d’Argentière is a remarkable mountainous site… But aerial. Delicate passages, scrap portions, and vertiginous paths forbid it to sensitive souls.
For the others, what a spectacle offered by this mineral itinerary! As you go, observe the narrow Chamonix valley that stretches from both sides to the foot of majestic Mont Blanc.
Moreover, we encourage you to discover this cradle of mountaineering if you like this experience!
5. The Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval
Photo credit: Alltrails
This hike in Haute-Savoie takes place in the Giffre valley near the town of Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval. The route begins under the cliffs of the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval (so-called because of their semi-circular shape). Some are nearly 700 meters high!
Well-marked, the trail, quite physically demanding, runs along the bubbling torrent of the Giffre. You will cross it at the level of the Giffrenant footbridge and reach the “End of the world.”
This locality designates where the waterfalls are at the origin of the torrent spring. We can count about thirty in the spring when the snow melts. In summer some of them allow a swim … Most refreshing!
6. The Blackhead Cross
Photo credit: Alltrails
Cordon is nicknamed the balcony of Mont Blanc. Facing the latter, the village offers a hike in Haute-Savoie that is steep and short. Your journey begins on tracks winding through the coniferous forest.
You will leave to discover beautiful mountain pastures that, in summer, belong only to cows. Turn around: amazing, this view! Leaning against the Aravis chain, the fiz rocks pierce the sky on your left. Below, the valley of the Arve stretches all its length.
And opposite, unmissable, it is the Mont-Blanc massif that toises you …
7. From Jettaz Wood to Mount Veyrier
Photo credit: Alltrails
We have chosen a most bucolic forest route: you will have to follow the ridges of Mont Veyrier to the top. What for? To enjoy one of the most beautiful views of the region, let’s see!
You will cross the Col du Pré Vernet and then climb the Col des Sauts following a path lazing in the forest. Its relative ease (the descent can be slippery; also, think of the water in summer!) attracts many walkers. The summit is already not very far away; you leave the forest trail and… Lake Annecy suddenly unfolds.
You can also contemplate the majesty of nearby Mount Baron. Considered the balcony of the prefecture of Haute-Savoie, Mont Veyrier is more welcoming in spring.
8. The loop of Lake Benit
Photo credit: Alltrails
Family-friendly, this route will make you discover the surroundings of Mont-Saxonnex. First, you have to reach the lake, located at the foot of the Bargy range, by walking wide paths. You walk along the ski slopes!
The climb continues in the pastures and then leads quite quickly to the lake you overlook when you arrive. Once there, dominated by impressive limestone cliffs, walkers will only have to turn around to admire an incredible panorama of the valley!
9. Lake Gers from Samoëns
Photo credit: Alltrails
Samoëns is known for its family ski resort in the heart of the Giffre massif. The Lake gers from the town are a pleasant hike in Haute-Savoie in summer.
We will enjoy the freshness felt on the forest trail that leads there during the hot summer days allowing your arrival at the Combe de Gers, a bucolic alpine meadow, and you can bask in the grass in the middle of a mountain setting that has remained entirely wild.
The water is particularly cool at 1,537 meters above sea level, but bathing in such an environment is well worth a few thrills!
10. The Cher Rock Trail
Photo credit: Alltrails
Located in Charvines between Menthon-Saint-Bernard and Talloires, the Cher rock trail is a route overlooking Lake Annecy. Classified as a nature reserve in the 1990s, the place has nice undergrowth.
Richly marked and well shaded, it will attract walkers wishing to avoid the bites of the sun in summer … The course will cross the forest and then walk along a golf course.
You will have the opportunity to stretch out admiring beautiful views of the lake. The two viewpoints placed halfway through are there for that! This hike in Haute-Savoie is enjoyable and easy, even in rainy weather.
11. Mont Charvin by the Col des Porthets
Photo credit: Alltrails
Here is a sporty and vertiginous hike in Haute-Savoie for experienced hikers. After parking at the car park at the exit of the hamlet of Tournance, they will attack the ascent of Mont Charvin.
The path zigzags through steep mountain pastures to the lake of Mont Charvin. You can get there before reaching the Col des Porthets and then the summit of Mont Charvin.
What a splendid view of Mont Blanc, pointe d’Orsière, and the Tête de l’Aulp!
12. Lac Blanc via La Flégère
Photo credit: Alltrails
This hike in Haute-Savoie crosses the Aiguilles Rouges Nature Reserve of Chamonix. The route starts at La Flègère from the Praz cable car.
It crosses piers and cliffs to Lac Blanc, passes through the Tête Aubuy to the Index de la Glière and finally descends to the Flégère.
Ibex, chamois, and marmots are part of the party in summer! This hike is deserved but offers unique panoramas of the Alps. Good shoes, water in quantity, and walking sticks are recommended!
Excited to do hiking in Haute-Savoie? Which one do you think is the most beautiful hike to do in Haute-Savoie?
