Hiking

Crête Sèche hut from Ruz

The cross in the plateau of the Berrier alpine pastures

The flags that signal arrival at the shelter

Details

Ruz

Departure location

Bionaz

Municipality

average

Effort

Difficulty

4.2

Rating

700 m

Ascent vertical drop

3h 50m

Total time

Description

Services in the surroundings

Berrier - Cheese Sale

Bionaz 546 m

Butcher Shop Barailler P.

Bionaz 391 m

Nearby attractions

Betenda Ravine (Betenda Bridge)

Oyace 1.760 m

Parish Church of St. Margaret

Bionaz 1.716 m

Reviews

10/07/2026

climbandtrek

Description

Salito col sentiero 2 e sceso dalla scorciatoia….nessun problema su entrambi i percorsi.

Comment

Gita mattutina. Incontrati 4 escursionisti che salivano ed un biker. Oggi da solo più info e foto su climbandtrek.it

More info

Road access: Parcheggio a Ruz

28/06/2026

giody54

Description

Gita LPV organizzata dal Cai Aosta.Percorso con alcune varianti :in salita seguendo il sentiero diretto e ritorno con anello per Alpe Berrier e Lago Lexert.

Comment

Gita ben organizzata dal Cai Aosta che festeggiava il 160°anno,con rinfresco finale e gadget.Il Cai di Mondovì era presente,pur con numero ridotto ,per concomitanza con altre gite.Un grazie a Enrico che ha messo a disposizione l'auto, eun un saluto agli oltre 180 partecipanti.

More info

Road access: ok

Details

Ruz

Departure location

Bionaz

Municipality

average

Effort

Difficulty

2h 20m

Ascent time

1h 30m

Descent time

3h 50m

Total time

1.695 m

Starting elevation

2.410 m

Arrival elevation

700 m

Ascent vertical drop

8.200 m

Total length

Signposts

May - Jun - Jul - Aug - Sep

Best period

high

Crowding

4.2

Rating

Overview

The Crête Sèche Refuge is located in upper Valpelline, in the territory of Bionaz, and takes its name from the ridge above it. It is located at the mouth of a narrow valley furrowed by the glacial stream coming from the Aroletta and Col du Chardonney glaciers; the environment is wild and it will be easy to meet ibex nearby.It is one of the historical refuges of Valle d'Aosta, built as early as 1892, a support point for mountaineers facing the ascent to the surrounding mountains (Mont Gelè in particular); today it is a very cozy and well-made structure with stone exteriors.The hike is suitable for all hikers who have a minimum of training, it is not long and not excessively tiring. In the first part the trail runs between the inter-pasture track leading to Alpe Berrier (not on the route) alternating with shortcuts, and then continues on an easy path to the hut.

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. Just before Gignod, immediately after the last tunnel, proceed to the right following the SR28 of Valpelline, reaching the capital. Continue for another 10 km along the SR28 passing Oyace and reaching Dzonvennoz, hamlet of Bionaz. Here you turn left to the hamlet Ruz, where you park in the paved parking lot before the houses.

The route

From the parking lot that precedes the small group of Ruz huts, continue following the road that crosses the pretty hamlet, and then continue on the same by facing a rapid succession of hairpin bends that allow you to immediately gain altitude without too much effort. The larch forest provides pleasant shade but at the same time leaves room for beautiful panoramic views.We overlook a secondary track on the right at about 1800 m, and after two more hairpin bends the trail takes a shortcut that allows us to shorten the route, heading north passing near the Primo alpine pasture 1857 m, after crossing a flow of boulders from an ancient landslide.At 2000 m you will again meet the dirt track leading to Alpe Berrier, which should be followed until almost within sight of the group of huts (a shortcut is also possible to avoid a wider loop along the road).Reaching the beginning of the Berrier comba, following the marker no. 2 left, leave the road and continue on the beautiful path that will lead to the hut passing a pulpit with a large wooden cross. A long traverse halfway up the hillside in a westerly direction allows you to go around the entire slope on the slopes of Mont Crête Sèche, gradually entering the slope-wall of the refuge. This stretch is very pleasant because it is gently sloping and extremely scenic.You are now out of the wooded belt, and you can admire the high peaks of Valpelline, especially the pyramid of Becca di Luseney, with glimpses also of Grivola and the glaciers of Testa del Rutor in Valgrisenche.As you pass a boulder from which a spring gushes, you face a short scree slope on the flat and arrive below the ascent slope to the hut, where the trail presents its most strenuous part as the last 100 m of elevation gain becomes a bit steeper. You walk along a ridge with some serpentines reaching a large boulder with the refuge's flags, and a little further on here is the small shelf with the Crête Sèche Refuge 2389 m. For those who wish to continue the hike, still following trail No. 2 entering the wild valley upstream of the refuge, you can reach the Spataro Bivouac at 2500 m (sheet metal construction) and the next Plan de la Sabbia that decades ago housed the now receding glaciers.

Services in the surroundings

Business activities

Berrier - Cheese Sale

Bionaz 546 m

Butcher Shop Barailler P.

Bionaz 391 m

Lac Lexert

Bionaz 830 m

Miciolan - Mountain Products and E Bike Rental

Bionaz 408 m

General services

City Hall of Bionaz

Bionaz 1.807 m

Sport

Cross-country trails Dzovennoz

Bionaz 547 m

Spataro Bivouac

Bionaz 1.965 m

Tourist services

Baby Snow Park

Bionaz 828 m

Equipped camper area - Lexert

Bionaz 773 m

Forest of Lexert

Bionaz 897 m

NaturaValp

Bionaz 836 m

Rental "Bionaz Claudia"

Bionaz 988 m

Point of interest presentation image: Rental

Rental Miciolan

Bionaz 421 m

Where to eat

Bar Dzovennoz

Bionaz 423 m

Des Amis Restaurant

Bionaz 554 m

Lac Lexert

Bionaz 859 m

Where to sleep

Clé du Paradis

Bionaz 663 m

Crête Sèche

Bionaz 1.332 m

Diocesan Institute for Clergy Support

Kaporo

La Baita

La Batise

La Maison d'Antan

La Selva

Lac Lexert

Luseney

Maison Constance

Valentino

Nearby attractions

Architecture

Betenda Ravine (Betenda Bridge)

Oyace 1.760 m

Churches and Sanctuaries

Parish Church of St. Margaret

Bionaz 1.716 m

Environment

Lake Lexert

Bionaz 856 m

Weather service by the RAVA Functional Centre

Open the site of the Functional Centre of the Aosta Valley Region

Avalanche bulletin by Aineva

Open the Aineva website

Reviews

10/07/2026

climbandtrek

Description

Salito col sentiero 2 e sceso dalla scorciatoia….nessun problema su entrambi i percorsi.

Comment

Gita mattutina. Incontrati 4 escursionisti che salivano ed un biker. Oggi da solo più info e foto su climbandtrek.it

More info

Road access: Parcheggio a Ruz

28/06/2026

giody54

Description

Gita LPV organizzata dal Cai Aosta.Percorso con alcune varianti :in salita seguendo il sentiero diretto e ritorno con anello per Alpe Berrier e Lago Lexert.

Comment

More info

Road access: ok

01/07/2025

priscilla

Description

Lasciata la macchina a Ruz, dove ci sono parecchi posti , sono salita sulla poderale tagliando i tornanti grazie alle scorciatoie. Ad un tornante ho notato un sentiero che saliva e l’ho preso pensando all’ennesima scorciatoia: era invece un drittone che mi ha portato dritta dritta al rifugio riducendo molto i tempi di percorrenza. Dal rifugio ho preso il sentiero n.4 che arriva all’alpeggio Le Chardonney, e da qui sono salita alla croce. Questo tratto di sentiero è facile e ben segnalato, ma passa attraverso lunghe pietraie. Discesa infine all’Alpe Berrier.

More info

Road access: Nulla da segnalare

19/06/2023

biella10

Description

Saliti da Ruz su n. 2 facendo scorciatoie. Proseguito fino a Plan de la Sabola su sentiero e pietraia per evitare la neve. Siamo arrivati in prossimità del Bivacco Spataro (a circa cinquanta metri); non ci siamo andati perché c’era troppa acqua nel Torrente de Crête Sèche e troppa neve. Scesi sul nevaio in fretta e furia perché incominciava a piovigginare. Siamo entrati nel locale invernale del rifugio in attesa che passasse il temporale. Il rifugio oggi era chiuso perché la Signora Sophie era dovuta scendere a Bionaz.

Comment

Anche oggi sole, un po' di pioggia e temporale. Buone escursioni. Francesca ed Alessandro (CAI Biella)

More info

Road access: Ottimo.

14/06/2023

climbandtrek

Description

Mordi e fuggi mattutino. Sentiero bagnato dalla ormai consueta pioggia notturna. Incontrati i gestori che scendevano lasciando il rifugio chiuso.

Comment

Salito quasi in mezzo alla nebbia e in discesa meteo con poche aperture che hanno consentito pochi scorci. Oltre ai gestori incontrati quattro escursionisti e due amici di Doues. Oggi in solitaria. più info e foto su climbandtrek.it