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Malpasset
Description
Starting from Villargondran, this accessible route offers superb panoramic views over the valley and the Vanoise massif. Entirely wooded, it is particularly pleasant in hot summer weather.
This intermediate-level route enables even inexperienced hikers to get a bird's eye view of the valley and admire it from a new angle. The Plan du Raplas lookout invites you to take a closer look at the landscape. The forest passages take on brilliant colors in autumn, offering an exceptional natural spectacle.
Technical Information
Altimetric profile
Starting point
Additional information
Updated by
Office de tourisme Intercommunal Cœur de Maurienne - 24/02/2026
drone-de-regard.fr/vr/mcm-2/saint-jean/
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Open period
All year round daily.
Subject to favorable weather.
Contact
Phone : 04 79 83 51 51
Location complements
Parking at the town hall and Saint-Alban de Villargondran church.
Topo guides and map references
Topo guides references :
Topoguide Pays des Aiguilles d'Arves, €5, available from our Explore Maurienne tourist offices during opening hours.
Map references :
TOP 25 IGN 3433 and 3435
Guidebook with maps/step-by-step
Start: At the church.
1/ Cross the parking lot and climb the stairs opposite. Then turn left into the narrow streets of the Chef-lieu.
2/ At the intersection with path L03, turn right up rue du Cochard for loop B13.
3/ At the crossroads, continue up the street towards the D80. After crossing it, follow the path into the forest. You'll then begin a shady climb through a magnificent beech forest.
4/ Turn right at the fork in the forest. The path becomes narrower in the beech forest (take care to follow the markings, as the path is not always well marked with the foliage on the ground).
5/ Turn right at the sign. The climb continues for another 300 m or so before reaching a forest track.
6/ Follow the forest track to the right, which runs flat over the beech forest for about 800 m.
7/ At the junction with the D80 road, in the bend, leave the track and descend onto the road for a few metres.
8/ Crossing between the B13 loop and the S17 path (towards Albiez-le-Jeune). To continue on the B13, leave the road and turn right. From this point onwards, as far as the village of Villargondran, you descend into the forest, following the bends in the road.
9/ At the bend in the road, take the path opposite. There's another 1 km or so of descent before the Plan du Replat lookout.
10/ At the roadside, this lookout offers a superb view of the valley floor and its heights, with an orientation table to help you read the landscape. To go back down to the village, take the path on the left of the road after the orientation table.
11/ At the intersection, follow the path to the right. For a quicker return to the parking lot, you can also take the left-hand path (S16 and L03).
12/ End of path. Go back up the road for a few metres, then turn left into rue de la Vie Plaine. Go back down the rue du Cochard to the town hall parking lot and Saint-Alban church.
Animals
Yes. Pets allowed on leash only.
Data author
