Tour du Mont Blanc Day 7: Reflections and Ruins on the Way to France

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Tour du Mont Blanc Day 7: Reflections and Ruins on the Way to France

On Friday, July 18th, our seventh day on the trail, we woke up on top of a mountain and spent the day walking one of the most scenic balcony trails of the entire trip before crossing back into France. [3 minute video recap]

A Balcony Trail with a View

Morning Views of the south face of Mont Blanc

Leaving our mountaintop accommodation at Gite le Randonneur, we were immediately treated to fantastic views. That's the benefit of sleeping high! We spent almost the entire day on a "balcony trail"—a path that traverses the side of a mountain without much elevation change—and the views were simply ridiculous. With clear skies, we could see for miles, even spotting our lunch spot from two days prior across the valley.

Looking down the Aosta Valley (our lunch spot 2 days ago is near center left)

The trail led us to a small alpine lake where the reflections were absolutely perfect. We spent a lot of time there taking photos, and it's where I realized we are failing as nature influencers— 😉 our hiking outfits were not color-coordinated with the environment at all!

A Historic Climb to the Border

After soaking in the views, we began our descent, passing through fields of beautiful wildflowers and by the ruins of an old farm. The trail then began to climb again, this time on an old military road leading to the Col de la Seigne, the pass that marks the border between Italy and France. The strategic value of this location was clear from the ruins of old military barracks that still stand near the top.

We made a quick stop at the famous Rifugio Elisabetta to fill up on water and buy some drinks. We had heard the food there is very good, but since we had brought our own lunch, we pressed on. Just before the summit, we paused for our now-traditional lunch of sardines, cheese, and bread, all while enjoying our fantastic lunchtime views. A few more minutes of climbing brought us to the pass itself. We had made it back to France! We commemorated the moment with a few goofy selfies before starting the long, gentle descent into a new valley.

One Last "Extra Credit" Climb

Towards the end of the day, we were faced with a choice: take a bus for the last three miles, walk down the road, or take a side path that avoided the road. We chose the side path, not looking carefully enough at the map to realize it involved another 400-500 feet of climbing before the final descent. It was a fun "extra credit" push at the end of a long day.

We finally hustled our way into the tiny hamlet of Les Chapieux, where we were greeted by a welcoming committee of cows. We checked into our hotel, the Chambres du Soleil, exhausted but happy after another incredible day.

Day 7 by the Numbers

Our longest day on the trail so far, with incredible views and another border crossing.