Alta Via n° 1

The giants path: high altitude trekking amidst Europe's highest summits

Alta Via Trail 1, known as the Alta Via dei Giganti, or “the giants’ trail”, is a trekking route through incomparable scenery, across the foothills of some of the highest peaks in Europe such as Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc.

This itinerary offers, alongside some superb examples of natural alpine architecture (including the elegant pyramid of the Matterhorn), matchless specimens of rural architecture that are inextricably linked with the life of the alpine pasturelands, such as the traditional Walser buildings in the Gressoney Valley and the upper reaches of the Ayas Valley. Tracing its path through the mountains to the left of the River Dora Baltea, Alta Via Trail 1 can be walked by anyone since it follows well-marked footpaths, with an average width of 80 cm, that are fully signposted. The trekker who is an experienced mountain walker will be able to walk its whole length, while those who wish to try out its footpaths as a first experience will also be able to walk the short, lower altitude stretches.

The route leads from Donnas to Courmayeur, with 17 daily stages that require 3-5 hours walking time each, offering stopping points for all needs: camping sites, huts, refuges, hotels and hostels. The routes descend into the valley at the end of almost every stage, where it is possible to use the services provided by each of the villages or interrupt your journey and return to the central valley by bus. The route can be walked in the summer months and crosses medium and high altitude mountain areas, through meadows and pasturelands, woodlands and rocky outcrops, maintaining an average altitude of around 2,000 m. and often touching almost 3,000 m (on Col Malatrà the route reaches 2,925 m.).

The immense natural beauty of these surroundings that bear witness to the respect and equilibrium of the local farming traditions in the use of territorial resources, and the superb backdrop of the high mountains whose names resound through the annals of history, provide a setting which the trekker can only admire and enjoy.

stage 1 stage 2 stage 3 stage 4 stage 5 stage 6 stage 7 stage 8 stage 9 stage 10 stage 11 stage 12 stage 13 stage 14 stage 15 stage 16 stage 17

 
Click on the stage number to go to the relevant info. file
 Stop off  Altitude   Time A-B   Time B-A
Information Point Bank Restaurant Ski lifts Post and Telegraph Camping Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
1 Donnas 330 2:25 1:55
Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
Perloz 663 3:35 2:45
Restaurant Grocery Bus Bed Church
Sassa 1430
Bed
      6:00   4:40  
2 Sassa 1430 3:50 3:10
Bed
Coda mountain hut 2280
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      3:50   3:10  
3 Coda mountain hut 2280 3:30 3:40
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Barma mountain hut 2062
Restaurant Bed
      3:30   3:40  
4 Barma mountain hut 2062 8:05 9:05
Restaurant Bed
Niel 1550
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      8:05   9:05  
5 Niel 1550 6:45 7:00
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Gressoney-Saint-Jean 1405
Information Point Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Camping Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
      6:45   7:00  
6 Gressoney-Saint-Jean 1405 1:40 1:15
Information Point Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Camping Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
Alpenzu Grande mountain hut 1770 4:50 4:35
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Vieux Crest mountain hut 1935
Restaurant Ski lifts Telephone or emergency call Bed
      6:30   5:50  
7 Vieux Crest mountain hut 1935 1:35 1:20
Restaurant Ski lifts Telephone or emergency call Bed
Guide Frachey - G.B. Ferraro mountain huts 2080 0:40 1:10
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
St. Jacques (Ayas) 1689 2:35 1:40
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
Grand Tournalin mountain hut 2535
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      4:50   4:10  
8 Grand Tournalin mountain hut 2535 2:10 2:45
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Cheneil 2105 1:05 1:45
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Valtournenche 1520
Information Point Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Camping Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
      3:15   4:30  
9 Valtournenche 1520 2:10 1:50
Information Point Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Camping Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
Barmasse mountain hut 2157
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      2:10   1:50  
10 Barmasse mountain hut 2.157 3:00 2:35
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Tsan bivouac 2.441 1:30 1:30
Bed
Reboulaz bivouac 2.585 1:45 1:40
Bed
Cunéy mountain hut 2652
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed Church
      6:15   5:45  
11 Cunéy mountain hut 2.652 1:40 1:30
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed Church
Rosaire Clermont bivouac 2.700 3:35 5:05
Bed
Oyace 1397
Restaurant Bus Bed Church
      5:15   6:35  
12 Oyace 1397 5:45 5:50
Restaurant Bus Bed Church
Rey (Ollomont) 1.393
Restaurant Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
September 2022 - due to the landslides in the months of July and August in the municipality of Oyace, part of the Alta Via n.1, from Eclevey to Col Brison, has now been closed. See the attached map with the provisional variant of the route.       5:45   5:50  
13 Rey (Ollomont) 1.393 3:05 1:55
Restaurant Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
Létey-Champillon mountain hut 2.465
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      3:05   1:55  
14 Létey-Champillon mountain hut 2.465 5:05 5:55
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses 1.600
Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
      5:05   5:55  
15 Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses 1.600 0:40 0:35
Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
Couchepache 1.664 3:10 2:15
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed
Frassati mountain hut 2.540
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      3:50   2:50  
16 Frassati mountain hut 2.540 3:05 3:30
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Bonatti mountain hut 2.025
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
      3:05   3:30  
17 Bonatti mountain hut 2.025 2:15 2:15
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Bertone mountain hut 1.989 1:35 2:30
Restaurant Telephone or emergency call Bed
Courmayeur 1.223
Information Point Bank Restaurant Post and Telegraph Camping Pharmacy Physician Grocery Telephone or emergency call Bus Bed Church
      3:50   4:45  
Stop off 1 Stop off 2 Stop off 3 Stop off 4 Stop off 5 Stop off 6 Stop off 7 Stop off 8 Stop off 9 Stop off 10 Stop off 11 Stop off 12 Stop off 13 Stop off 14 Stop off 15 Stop off 16 Stop off 17
Meteo
Meteo

Details
Aosta
°C
°C
Tourist Areas
Tourist Areas

Mont Blanc

Gran Paradiso

Great Saint Bernard

Aosta and surroundings

Matterhorn

Monte Rosa

Central Valley

Alta Via Trail 1
Alta Via Trail 1