Vanoise: France's First National Park from Pralognan
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France
Badge Unlock
Lac des Vaches Crosser
Complete this challenge to add this badge to your collection.
400
XP
+100 France
= 500 total
2 days
Vanoise: France's First National Park from Pralognan
400 + 100 XP
The Vanoise, created by decree on 6 July 1963, was France's first national park, set up because the Alpine ibex had all but disappeared from the massif; there are about 2,100 in the park now, alongside some 6,000 chamois. Pralognan-la-Vanoise, at about 1,400 m, put roughly 70 per cent of its land into the park's core in 1963, and it is the classic start for the walk to the Lac des Vaches and the Col de la Vanoise.
Required Activities
1
of 4
Hike the GR 55 from the Fontanettes above Pralognan, at about 1,400 m, past the Refuge des Barmettes towards the Lac des Vaches, or take the Mont Bochor cable car — opened in 1953 as the fastest in the world at the time and still running in summer — to cut out the first climb
2
of 4
Walk the 210 m of stone slabs laid across the Lac des Vaches in 1949 and relaid in 2018 after they sank into the silt, and look back along the causeway at the Grande Casse reflected in the water
3
of 4
Follow the path past Lac Long to the Col de la Vanoise at 2,517 m and the refuge on the pass, below the north face of the Grande Casse, and work out from there how the Bronze Age route crossed into the Maurienne
4
of 4
Look for Alpine ibex and chamois on the slopes above the path
Hike the GR 55 from the Fontanettes above Pralognan, at about 1,400 m, past the Refuge des Barmettes towards the Lac des Vaches, or take the Mont Bochor cable car — opened in 1953 as the fastest in the world at the time and still running in summer — to cut out the first climb
Walk the 210 m of stone slabs laid across the Lac des Vaches in 1949 and relaid in 2018 after they sank into the silt, and look back along the causeway at the Grande Casse reflected in the water
Follow the path past Lac Long to the Col de la Vanoise at 2,517 m and the refuge on the pass, below the north face of the Grande Casse, and work out from there how the Bronze Age route crossed into the Maurienne
Look for Alpine ibex and chamois on the slopes above the path
Before you go
This is a 1,100 m climb from Pralognan to the Col de la Vanoise and back, on snow-free ground roughly late June to September; the Mont Bochor cable car runs in the summer season only. Most of the route is inside the park's core zone, where dogs, drones, camping and picking plants are not allowed.
Finding nearby campsites...
About Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Loading region info…
Explore more about Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes:
Challenge Location
XP Breakdown
Challenge XP
400 XP
France country bonus
+100 XP
Potential total
500 XP
Country bonus earned on completion of your first challenge in France.
More challenges nearby
within 100km
Tignes: The Village Under the Lake
France · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
history
easy
1d
21 km away
Val-d'Isère and the Col de l'Iseran: The Highest Road Pass in the Alps
France · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
sports
hard
1d
21 km away
The Col de la Madeleine: Maurienne to Tarentaise
France · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
scenic
medium
1d
28 km away
The Lacets de Montvernier: Eighteen Hairpins Built by Hand
France · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
sports
medium
1d
31 km away
Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne: The Opinel Knife and the Cathedral's Walnut Stalls
France · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
cultural
easy
1d
32 km away
Valloire and the Télégraphe: The Galibier's North Side
France · Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
scenic
medium
1d
33 km away