Cyclo
Aravis pass - Arpettaz pass
with Marie BochetThe charm of the Col de l'Arpettaz
A small protected area at the foot of the Mont Charvin, this pass is wonderful for admiring beautiful landscapes
and for cycling in a peaceful setting.
We will leave from just near La Giettaz, more precisely in the Col des Aravis.
Let’s go !
Marie Bochet’s favorite route
Follow me, I’ll take you to discover the Val d’Arly with this circuit that I particularly like in the autumn.
Easy, we start by going downhill !
From the Col des Aravis, we wind our way down to the village of La Giett’ to quickly find ourselves in the gorges where we can enjoy the warm autumn colors.
Here we are in Flumet, the crossroads of the Val d’Arly, a pretty village filled with history.
This is where we start the climb… The Germandière road, well known by the Tour de France riders for its endless hairpins.
Here we are up in Notre Dame de Bellecombe, just before heading back down to the Nant Rouge and up towards Crest-Voland / Cohennoz.
Crossing this peaceful village brings back memories of lazy, autumn days.
When cycling, the heat can quickly become an additional difficulty, which is why, when leaving Crest-Voland, I’ll guide you onto a shady, forested road, with little traffic as far as the small village of Cohennoz, perched above the Gorges of Arly.
This cooling descent continues until Ugine.
From there, we’ll quickly go through a more urbanized area to find the small track that will lead us to the Col de l’Arpettaz!
Watch out, here we go for 1000m of ascent over 16km with an average of 7% incline. Welcome to the road of 100 bends!
The sequence of hairpins makes the ascent easier and the landscape over the valley opens up little by little .
Here we are at the Col de l’Arpettaz at 1581m, what an awesome view!
Here, we also find a refuge – perfect for a break!
Fresh drinks, traditional food and homemade desserts, enough to fill up the batteries.
The refuge Auberge du Col de l’Arpettaz is open from early June to early October.
Feeling reenergised, it is time for us to head towards Héry sur Ugine.
On this mountain road we are treated to a view of the Mont Blanc range, especially beautiful during the autumn, it’s just magical!
Back on the main roads, it’s time for the final ascent. Here we are again in Flumet: we’ve completed our loop!
We still have the last 11 km with 600m of ascent to get back to our starting point: the Col des Aravis.
The atmosphere of the autumn colors at the end of the day is so relaxing and almost makes us forget that our legs are seriously starting to drag!
Finally, here we are! We’ve deserved our cold beer under the watchful gaze of the Mont-Blanc at the Col des Aravis!
Have a go
and discover this experience
Practice period
From 01/05 to 30/10
Think Nature Shuttles that run in July and August!
Free shuttle with bike door between Col des Aravis and Col des Saisies.
Itinerary
– Difficult –
Col des Aravis / La Giettaz / Flumet / Notre Dame de Bellecombe / Crest-Voland / Cohennoz / Ugine / Col de l’Arpettaz / Héry / Ugine / Flumet / La Giettaz / Col des Aravis.
Distance / Elevation gain
A loop of82 km
with 2300m D+
Possibility to do it by VAE with recharging point at the Col de l’Arpettaz
Practical information
– Find the itinerary on our Alpine Tracks App with geoguiding.
– Free shuttle with bike rack in July and August that allows you to go up to the Col des Aravis from Flumet.
– The refuge Auberge du Col de l’Arpettaz is open from June to October.
– There is plenty to drink at the Col des Aravis all year round.
