Easy walks in Chamonix: six routes without a lift

In Chamonix, it's easy to get the impression that everything happens up high, at the top of a cable car. Yet the valley is full of gentle walks that start from the village, take anything from an hour to half a day and work very well for children. Here are six, from the easiest to the most energetic. For more ideas, see our guide to things to do in Chamonix, season by season.

Five of them are graded easy by the valley's tourist office, and the sixth, the Floria, is graded moderate. We took the distances, ascents and times from the tourist office. You can reach them all by bus or train, with no lift ticket to pay for. With children, breaks and a snack, allow a little longer than the times given. And as paths change with the weather, it never hurts to check their condition before you set off.

If you're after the big high-altitude classics instead, such as Lac Blanc or Lac Bleu, we've gathered them in our 10 best walks in Chamonix.

The Argentière moraine

This is the easiest of the lot, and one you can do with small children: a 3 km loop with just 46 m of ascent, roughly 15 floors, and three quarters of an hour's walking. From Argentière, you go under the railway line, enter the Moraine forest, cross the torrent and arrive facing the glacier gorge. The path stops at the Lognan torrent: beyond it the terrain becomes dangerous, so that's where you turn back. Argentière station and the Argentière FIS bus stop are very close by.

Lac des Gaillands

This isn't really a hike: you walk around a lake on the valley floor, a few minutes from the centre, with Mont Blanc and the Bossons glacier right opposite and almost no climbing. It's the perfect end-of-day outing. Children will also find climbing and a treetop adventure course, and anglers have their own spot. You can get there by bus (Les Gaillands stop), by train (Les Pèlerins station) or by car, as the car park is right next to it.

The sources of the Arveyron

This is our favourite way to see the Mer de Glace without taking the little Montenvers train. The path starts from the village of Le Bois and follows the Arveyron gorges up through a forest of spruce and larch, to a rock from where you can see the end of the glacier and the Rocher des Mottets. It's 4 km each way, with 180 m of ascent, around 60 floors, and takes an hour's walking. On the way back, you can vary the route by going via the Pierre à Orthaz or through the Bagna and Bouchet woods. The path is usually open from April to mid-November; the bus stops at Les Bois and the train at Les Praz.

Lac Vert, in Servoz

A small lake created by a landslide, at the foot of the Rochers des Fiz, reached by a woodland path from the La Côte car park, above Servoz. The round trip is 2.4 km, with 188 m of ascent, around 60 floors, and takes 1 h 35 in all. There's a chalet restaurant next door for a break. Servoz has its own station, and the bus stops at La Côte.

The Petit Balcon Sud, from Les Tines to Les Bossons

For those who fancy walking for longer without anything technical. This path runs along the mountainside, at roughly 1,000 to 1,300 m altitude, over 10 km with 300 m of ascent, about a hundred floors spread across the whole walk: allow three hours. As it doesn't loop back to the start, the easiest option is to set off from Les Tines and come home from Les Bossons by bus or train. It's usually open from May to mid-November. Please note that not every section of the Petit Balcon Sud is as easy: the one from Les Bossons to Merlet, for example, is steeper.

And if you'd like a bit more: the Floria

The climb to the Floria chalet is a notch up, but it's still doable as a family. The path starts from the Belvédère, on the route des Nants, and climbs in the shade to a terrace facing the Aiguilles de Chamonix, where you can have a drink. The round trip is 4.2 km with about 300 m of ascent, and takes 1 h 45 of walking. Dogs are welcome on a lead.

In your rucksack

Even if you're only heading out for a short walk in the mountains, it's important to take a rucksack with water, sun cream, cereal bars and a little sugar in case you need a boost. And above all, set off in a good pair of shoes. So you don't forget anything, our list of the 10 rucksack essentials is there to help.

With a mountain leader

You can do all of these walks on your own. With a mountain leader, though, the outing takes on a whole other dimension: they tell you about the plants, the animals and the history of the places you pass, and they adapt the pace to the children. We explain what they bring in Guided hiking in Chamonix: why go with a mountain leader?. In Chamonix, Alex Bruneau, for example, offers À la découverte des écosystèmes de nos montagnes: 1 hour, all levels. The price is shown on the outing's page, service fees included. With children, Valérie Dubois Delplanque also offers Sur les traces des animaux de montagne in Passy (3 hours), to learn how to spot tracks and signs of wildlife. You'll find the guided outings in Chamonix on our Hiking page: you can message the professional from their listing.

Photo credit: Lac des Gaillands, Florian Pépellin (CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons).