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Chamonix valley · France
Les Houches → Col de Voza → Les Contamines
The first day of the TMB. Rise out of Chamonix on the old tram-trail to Col de Voza, drop into the Bionnassay valley beneath its hanging glacier, and finish on the meadowed lanes of Les Contamines.
Soul Signature
Exceptional · Les Houches → Col de Voza → Les Contamines
Best for a walk that lingers long after it ends — just know that arriving without a car takes planning.
You get a day you will still be describing next year; the cost is that 6 hours and 910 m of climbing rule out small legs.
At its best in first light, the long light of September.
- Soul93 · Exceptional
How deeply the walk stays with you. A walk people plan a year around. Give it a whole, unhurried day.
Stays with people longer than only 22% of the 236 walks we've measured.
- 17 km · 910 m of ascent
- 6 h on foot
- serenity 90 · beauty 92
- Serenity90 · Exceptional
How quiet the trail feels — crowds, traffic noise, remoteness. Expect long stretches entirely to yourself.
Quieter than only 24% of the 236 walks we've measured.
- crowd-calm 90/100
- long enough to thin the crowd
- Regenerative85 · Strong
Wild ground and low-impact access — how gently you can arrive and walk. Good public-transport access; stay on the marked line.
Gentler on the ground than only 9% of the 236 walks we've measured.
- 17 km of mostly natural ground
- trailhead reachable without a car
- Joy & beauty92 · Exceptional
Views, water, light and variety along the way. Continuous reward — allow extra hours simply for stopping.
More generous to look at than only 24% of the 236 walks we've measured.
- 910 m of ascent buys the view
- soul 93 · serenity 90
The verdict
Walk this one on your best day
Give it 6 h and start early; the quiet is the point, and it does not survive midday.
Who this walk suits
- Plan it as a full adult hiking day.
- Quiet enough to hear the weather change.
- Reachable without a car — check the station links.
Every dimension is measured from the route's real GPX shape — distance, ascent and time on foot — then ranked against the whole PureSoul library, and read the same way on hiking, walking and running. The chips under each bar are the raw inputs, so you can check the number yourself. Nothing here is sponsored.
Trail at a glance
- Distance17 km
- Elevation+910 m / −790 m
- Duration6 h
- DifficultyStrenuous
- Serenity90 / 100
Xymove · terrain map
LiveRollingMap key
- Hiking trail
- Start
- Finish
- Parking
Trail field guide
- Water
- Food
- Shelter / hut
- Viewpoint
- Trailhead
- Rest / picnic
- Stay
Tap any pin for hours, water & food details.
Soul & Serenity · how this path is felt
A path that returns you to yourself — slowly, kindly, completely.
Walked, sat with, scored honestly — strongest in nature.
Presence
92/100
How easily the mind quiets here
Nature
94/100
Wildness, water, light, living silence
Regeneration
88/100
What the body & nervous system bring home
Solitude
84/100
Space from crowds, kindly shared with locals
Take the path with you — full GPX track & offline map tiles for the whole route.
How to use offline · a soul-aware guide›
- Tap Download GPX & Offline Maps on Wi-Fi — your route, waypoints, elevation and soul notes are saved together.
- Import the
.gpxinto Garmin Connect, Komoot, Strava, AllTrails or Gaia GPS — same file works everywhere. - Open this page once before you leave signal. The map will replay from the cache, even on a plane.
- On the trail, breathe before you check the screen. The Emerald Guardian is already with you.
Live from OpenStreetMap
Along the trail — water, shelter, parking & food
Points within 1.5 km of the emerald ribbon, sourced live from the OSM community and cached for 30 days so they still appear when you’re offline in the field.
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Practical, gently arranged
Train from Geneva or St-Gervais to Les Houches (Mont Blanc Express). The Bellevue cable car cuts the first 700 m if legs are still finding their rhythm.
En route: Auberge de Bionnassay (family-run, mid-way). End of day: Refuge Nant Borrant or Refuge de la Balme above Les Contamines — book 3–4 months ahead for July / August (refuges.info & montourdumontblanc.com). In-town: Chalet-hotel Le Prieuré (Chamonix), La Ferme du Bon Papa (Les Contamines).
Best 15 Jul – 5 Sep. Afternoon thunderstorms build fast on Col de Voza — aim to be off the col by 14:00. Check meteofrance.com/montagne (Massif Mont-Blanc) the night before; refuge wardens confirm at breakfast.
Follow the white-red GR TMB flashes throughout. Download the day's GPX below for offline use in Xymove, OsmAnd or Gaia. Cellular is patchy above Col de Voza — carry the offline pack.
Long day but never technical. Buses run back to Chamonix from Les Contamines if the descent is enough. Carry sunscreen — the Col de Voza is exposed.
Arrive by train
Nearest station & walking connector
- 0–2 kmFrance
Les Houches (Mont-Blanc-Express)
→ Les Houches church square — TMB km 0·Short walk
- Walk
- 0.4 km
- Ascent
- 6 m · 1.5%
- Time
- 6 min
- Operator
- SNCF Mont-Blanc-Express (TER)
TER Léman-Express connections at Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet from Geneva/Lyon.
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