Tour of Les Fiz - Stage 2 - Refuge Alfred Wills > Refuge des Fonts > Refuge de Sales (1877m)

Refuge located at the entrance of the wild Cirque des Fonts. The Fonts alpine pasture reveals itself as a jewel in a setting of unspoiled nature.A former alpine chalet, the refuge opened in 1926 is accessible to everyone in around an hour and a half of walking, we discover it overlooking a small hamlet of around forty alpine chalets, at the foot of Mont-Buet.

Explore the Alpine pastures in a superb natural environment, with architecture that is characteristic of the Giffre Valley mountain villages.

3 km after the Cascade du Rouget, come and eat in an authentic setting in the Nature Reserve Sixt.

The Sauffaz's waterfall is fed by the torrent of the small valley of Sales, low forming the Cascade du Rouget. The Pleureuse's waterfall owes its name with the fact that the water which feeds it, comes from the resurgences pointing out the flow of tears.Sauffraz waterfall gets its source from the torrent in the small valley of Sales, leading to Rouget waterfall lower down. The Pleureuse waterfall owes its name to its water source coming from seeping water that resembles tears (pleurer = 'to cry' in French).

It is a beautiful waterfall collecting the water of the whole small valley of Sales, which culminates with 2500m.

it is the resurgence of the underground river feeding the torrent of Sales, then penetrates in the moutain pastures.

Refuge located in a preserved valley in the heart of the Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval nature reserve. Family hike appreciated for its numerous waterfalls amidst ibex, chamois and marmots.Occupied by former alpine chalets, the Vallon de Sales is known for its access dotted with waterfalls, for the Dérochoir and its view of the Mont-Blanc massif and for the Platé Desert, geological curiosity. Roland and Elisabeth Mogenier created the refuge out of love for the mountains and nature in 1981, they were the guardians of the place for 32 years. Their children continued their family activity with the same values of simplicity, authenticity and respect for nature, while adding a touch of modernity, fantasy and dynamism.

Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval/Passy Nature Reserve, the biggest nature reserve in Haute-Savoie, covers a vast region and boasts two impressive glacier cirques (Fer à Cheval and Les Fonts), both bursting with spectacular waterfalls.Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval/Passy Nature Reserve, the biggest nature reserve in Haute-Savoie, is an exclusively limestone universe featuring a wide variety of forms sculpted by erosion: fissures, grooves, etc. It covers 9,000 hectares across different mountain levels: sub-alpine, alpine and nival, from the banks of the Giffre at 900 metres up to the top of Buet culminating at over 3,000 metres. This range of elevations and the diversity of terrains (wet zones, mixed forests, cliffs, grassy areas, etc., offer contrasting habitats that are richly populated with a wide variety of wildlife species. From the forests to the highest peaks, approximately 800 plant species have been recorded in the nature reserve, including 28 different orchids! Sixt forest is dominated by beech and spruce, but only the most compatible plants can be found in the mountain pastures. Because the habitat changes with the altitude, there is a huge diversity of animal species: deer, wild boar, marmot, mountain hare, etc.. Wild animals thrive in the tranquillity of the nature reserve: ibex, bearded vulture, rock ptarmigan and royal eagle. To view real-time car park attendance, please click here: affluences.com/parking-de-sixt-fer-a-cheval