3-Pass Loop - Stage 5 - Goléon Mountain Hut / Valloire - Bonnenuit

This stage will take you back to the starting point in Valloire. Along the way, be sure to enjoy the calls of the marmots and the sight of birds of prey and vultures soaring overhead—all set against a majestic landscape.

A wild and spectacular stage, set amid high-mountain scenery. From the peaceful waters of Lake Goléon, the trail gradually climbs toward the Goléon Pass, at an elevation of nearly 2,900 meters, offering superb views of the surrounding peaks.

After crossing the pass, the atmosphere changes: the hike plunges into the vast, rocky Goléon valley before gradually returning to the alpine pastures and the torrent. The long descent then leads to the Valloirette Valley and the hamlet of Bonnenuit, just outside Valloire.

A demanding and distinctly alpine stage, featuring a high-altitude lake, a rocky pass, torrents, and wide-open spaces, this is one of the most memorable sections of the Tour des Aiguilles d’Arves.

Yellow paint, iron stakes for high-altitude alpine pastures, yellow markers on the Tour du Pays des Aiguilles d'Arves.

The IGN map 3435ET VALLOIRE – Aiguilles d’Arves / Col du Galibier is available for purchase in stores in Valloire, as is the Tour des Aiguilles d'Arves map

1. From the shelter, head down toward Lake Goléon and make your way to the metal footbridge located south of the lake.

2. Cross the footbridge, then turn right, moving slightly away from the lake to go around the wetland.

3. Continue on flat ground, slightly above the lake, for about 1 km.

4. When you reach a stream, turn right and head up a ridge to begin the ascent toward the Col du Goléon.

5. Climb while staying between the two streams and following the metal stakes marking the route.

6. Halfway up the slope, continue along the trail, which first crosses a grassy area and then rocky outcrops. A long traverse to the left leads to the Col du Goléon.

7. From the pass, head down into the Goléon valley. Descend first through rocky terrain, then through alpine meadows, carefully following the cairns.

8. Shortly after a ruined cabin, turn left, then right to continue the descent toward the Goléon stream.

9. Cross the first stream, then descend immediately to the right to reach the bottom of the valley.

10. Continue the descent to the first footbridge. Then stay on the left bank and follow the trail down into the Mortavieille valley.

11. The trail gradually becomes a dirt track. Follow it to a second footbridge.

12. Then walk along the right bank of the Valloirette, then head back up to the road.

13. Cross the road and take the trail that leads to and passes through the hamlet of Bonnenuit.

14. Cross another footbridge, then follow the paved road downhill until you reach the county road.