Snowshoeing

Allein Alpine pastures ring

Along the Ru d’Allein towards Arp du Praz

Details

La Ville

Departure location

Allein

Municipality

average

Effort

Difficulty

625 m

Ascent vertical drop

4h 30m

Total time

Description

The Allein hillside on the slopes of Mont Saron is dotted with alpine pastures in a very sunny location, which makes the hike pleasant even on cold winter days due to the special microclimate of the area.The hike is easy but quite long and requires good training and habit of walking with snowshoes on your feet. The environment is always very varied and scenic, between sunny meadows and areas of coniferous forests.In winters poor in snow, the lower part of the trail may be bare, so you can start ...

Services in the surroundings

Allein City Hall

Allein 524 m

Allein Post Office

Allein 524 m

Nearby attractions

Medieval house of Ayez

Allein 1.189 m

Parish Church of St. Andrew

Allein 524 m

Details

La Ville

Departure location

Allein

Municipality

average

Effort

Difficulty

2h 30m

Ascent time

2h 0m

Descent time

4h 30m

Total time

1.420 m

Starting elevation

2.048 m

Arrival elevation

625 m

Ascent vertical drop

14.200 m

Total length

Dec - Jan - Feb

Best period

medium

Crowding

Overview

Reaching the start

From the Aosta East tollbooth, take the tunnel along the E27 road leading into the Great St. Bernard Valley, at the end of which you meet the SS27 coming from the center of Aosta. Continue along it, passing the village of Gignod. Continue for another 4 km along the E27, to abandon it in favor of the detour to the right for Allein, Doues, Valpelline.On reaching Allein continue upstream reaching the hamlet of La Ville, where you park just above the village. In the absence of snow, it is possible to continue by car on the road to the right until reaching the hamlet of Comba.

The route

The hike starts from the pretty village of La Ville, just above the houses you meet on the right the road (paved or snow-covered) that climbs the grassy slope reaching first Ronc 1608 m, and then Comba 1698 m, where there is a nice fountain with a stone basin.You continue on the usually snow-covered track passing by a couple of huts, pass two hairpin bends before entering for a stretch inside the Bois de Baravex, before reaching the beautiful alpine pasture of Baravex Damon 1925 m, located at the edge of the forest in an extremely panoramic position over the middle Valley of the Great St. Bernard, and the Pointe de Chaligne just in front.Continuing in a westerly direction just above the alpine pasture, you meet the marker of trail 24A, which leaves the track to enter with a short steeper section into the pine forest. At about 2,000 m you again meet a track under which the Ru d'Allein flows. The small road should be followed to the northeast slightly uphill, passing on the slope overlooking the territory of Doues, and between clearings and wooded belts you arrive at the plateau with the Arp du Praz 2048 m, the destination of the hike.You return back from the same route following the Ru d'Allein, but you do not descend along trail 24A, but continue flat on the road that flanks the wooded slope of Mont Saron, arriving at the alpine pasture Parc 2020 m, hidden in a clearing among large larches.Now you descend in a southerly direction, following the trail markers of trail 24 between snowy meadows and sparse larches, until you reach Fontaines 1894 m, in a beautiful location.You follow the trail, numbered 24 that descends below the alpine pasture along a wide mule track reaching the Ru de Menouve trail in the vicinity of Berrouard 1708 m. Here it is necessary to descend immediately along the small road below, which after a series of hairpin bends leads to the always inhabited houses of Bruson 1475 m, where it meets the paved road. Following the road on the flat, one returns to La Ville, from where the panoramic position in which the beautiful hamlet stands can be appreciated.