Tour du Mont Blanc
I recently completed the Tour Du Mont Blanc hike (TMB). It is a unique trek of 103 miles that circles the Mont Blanc massif passing through parts of Switzerland, Italy and France. I had never heard of it. It was not on my bucket list. It was simply an opportunity that I said yes to. I paused when my friends asked if I wanted to join them. I’ve never spent two weeks away from my family. I go on amazing hikes in Colorado, but there was something about this trek that called me and thankfully Jason and my family encouraged me to go for it.
I’m grateful to Tamara, Susan and Sarah for inviting me to join them - so happy we all said yes!
I knew the TMB would be a physical challenge. We hiked 6-12 miles for 11 days straight. Most days around 10 miles. I thought the consecutive days would become hard but there was magic in the routine making the consecutive days hiking doable. It was the steep inclines and declines that were the biggest challenge. The TMB is a very old trail, and it goes up and down unlike the switch backs I’m used to. I’m all in for physical challenges especially when the payoff includes views that make you stop in awe.
My favorite part of the hike was arriving at a new place every day. I love hiking to a destination and when the destination included a new country it was so fun. To see the landscape change while hiking was very satisfying and exciting. We were able to really experience and enjoy the changing scenery from the steep mountains to the rolling hills, to the charming villages and then back up the mountain. The mountain cows cheered us along most of the way with their bells.
We had plenty of time to talk about everything from our families to religion and even politics. Sometimes we put on our headphones to find a beat to help us climb. And other times we were quiet enjoying the sounds that surrounded us from rivers to waterfalls to cowbells. In the quiet I especially missed my family often wondering if they would enjoy it, or if I’ll come back with them someday.
We stayed in Rifugios and hotels along the way. At the bottom is our recap and rating of our accommodations and specific details about our route. Our goal was to stay close to the trail. We wanted to do the whole loop and didn’t want to end our days with shuttle rides which meant sometimes staying in dorm style rooms which wouldn’t be our first choice, but we made it work. This trip requires flexibility and an ability to roll with it. Fortunately, our whole group has those skills mixed with a lot of positivity making the whole trip enjoyable.
The food, wine and card games each night added to the fun. The Rifugios included a warm dinner and breakfast in the morning. When we stayed at hotels we enjoyed dinner at local restaurants. The cheese and wine were delicious! Our favorite spot was La Kabana coffee and crepe shop right on the trail.
I know now why this adventure called me. It reminded me of the importance of saying yes, of taking the risk, getting out of my comfort zone and doing something hard. In doing that there are endless opportunities for growth, connection and to be strong.
There is so much beauty in the world, it’s up to us to see it, share it and appreciate it.
Resources and reviews for planning a trip to the TMB -
We used Pygmy Elephant to plan our self-guided tour. We didn’t get all the private rooms we requested but overall, we were pleased. They provided maps that we were able to download into our phones that were helpful. The trail is well marked but there are many routes, so the maps were important. There are guided tours and there are highlight tours that don’t do the whole loop and stay in nice hotels. Lots of options to customize a tour.
We opted for the baggage transfer option. We carried our day packs and our duffle bags were delivered to most places. There were a couple days when our duffle bags couldn’t be delivered so we had to pack our day packs for two days. The trip requires a lot of organization, lots of packing and unpacking. And you do have to be ok with wearing clothes more than once. Wool was our friend as it is less likely to stink!
There is a section of the trail near Chamonix that includes steep ladders and ridges. (The ladder picture above is not from this section, that was minor compared.) I would recommend skipping that and taking the lower trail. The risk wasn’t worth it in my opinion.
Our accommodations:
HOTEL DE L'ARVE (Chamonix) - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Perfect spot to start and end our adventure. It was clean, charming, friendly staff, great location, beautiful breakfast and great coffee.
GITE MICHEL FAGOT- ⭐️⭐️ nice patio, private small room, and a bit dirty and crowded. Good food but not enough breakfast options.
REFUGE DE LA BALME - ⭐️⭐️⭐️ nice grassy location, well run, dorm sleeping should require no cell phones, a private room would make it much better which is available. It was clean, only a few bathrooms for a lot of people. A charming hut for meals and the food was good especially the vegetable soup with a big piece of local cheese in it.
AUBERGE DE LA NOVA - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 nice private rooms with bathroom. The Hamlet was charming with a coffee shop and store next door to enjoy. The only place we were served red meat. The community dining was fun providing an opportunity to talk to other hikers.
RIFUGIO ELISABETTA - ⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 beautiful setting, stunning views, and private rooms. Food to purchase was good, but the included meals were average.
HOTEL BOUTON D'OR (Courmayeur) ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ a very special spot with beautiful woodwork, historical charm, modern bathrooms, plenty of space with entry way, arched windows, comfortable beds, a fan, and a fun walk to dinner. Plus, a delicious breakfast!
RIFUGIO ELENA- ⭐️
Pretty location, but so BIG, too many people, like a factory, cafeteria style eating, big dorm with cubbies and dividers, paper sheets, so many smells, food and wine was subpar. For us it was our only option as we wanted to stay on the trail.
HOTEL DU COL DE FENETRE - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Charming, great location in a cute Hamlet, lots of cows nearby, included a nice grassy outdoor area for some yoga. It was quiet, clean, well-cared for, small, and the food was ok.
PENSION EN PLEIN AIR - ⭐️⭐️.5
Pretty deck, charming rooms, we lucked out with a quiet floor, five minutes from Champex-Lac, which was heavenly to dip in, but the worst food. There are newer hotels nearby.
HOTEL DU COL DE LA FORCLAZ -Yurt - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ charming, good location, outstanding staff, great breakfast, yurt was clean, quiet, colorful. Fun energy with fondu place, and shop. A local vibe drawing people on foot, bike and motorcycle.
HOTEL LE DAHU - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ clean bathrooms, comfortable beds, nice bathrooms, great hotel, just a bit off as the bathroom was across the hall (typical of older hotels). We’ve heard it’s been bought and will be remodeled.
Our route, time, distance and elevation:
Day 1 hike from Planpraz to Les Houches:
Time: 5.5 hours
Distance: 12.9 km / 8 mi
Elevation Gain: 499 m
Elevation Loss: 1,509 m
Day 2 hike from Lea Houches to Refuge de La Balme:
Time: 10.1 hours
Distance: 25.9 km / 16.1 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,815 m
Elevation Loss: 1,114 m
Day 3 hike from Refuge de la Balme to Les Chapieux:
Time: 4.5 hours
Distance: 11 km / 6.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 784 m
Elevation Loss: 936 m
Day 4 hike from Les Chapieux to Rifugio Elisabetta:
Time: 5 hours
Distance: 14.3 km / 8.9 mi
Elevation Gain: 994 m
Elevation Loss: 338 m
Day 5 hike from Rifugio Elisabetta to Courmayeur:
Time: 5.5 hours
Distance: 15.2 km / 9.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 513 m
Elevation Loss: 1,465 m
Day 6 hike from Courmayeur to Rifugio Elen:
Time: 7.5 hours
Distance: 19.4 km / 12.1 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,465 m
Elevation Loss: 621 m
Day 7 hike from Rifugio to Ferret:
Time: 3.5 hours
Distance: 8.7 km / 5.4 mi
Elevation Gain: 491 m
Elevation Loss: 832 m
Day 8 hike from Ferret to Champex-Lac:
Time: 5 hours
Distance: 16.9 km / 10.5 mi
Elevation Gain: 475 m
Elevation Loss: 710 m
Day 9 hike from Chamoex-Lac to Col del Forclaz via Alp Bovine:
Time: 5 hours
Distance: 14.2 km / 8.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 777 m
Elevation Loss: 696 m
Day 10 hike Col del Forclaz to Argentiere:
Time: 6 hours
Distance: 16.1 km / 10 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,073 m
Elevation Loss: 1,213 m
Hike from Argentiere to Planpraz, cable car to Chamonix:
Time: 6 hours
Distance: 14.2 km / 8.8 mi
Elevation Gain: 1,292 m
Elevation Loss: 533 m
this is the day I would recommend the alternate route to avoid the ladder section.
I hope this post inspires people to plan a trip and hike the Tour du Mont Blanc.
