Money cottages, ring from Valnontey

Access

Leaving the motorway at the Aosta Ovest exit, turn right and take the Valle di Cogne. Drive through the village of Aymavilles and after 1.3 kilometres at a roundabout take the second exit. Go up the regional road for 19 kilometres passing through the villages of Vieyes, Epinel and Crétaz until you reach a roundabout: take the first exit onto Avenue G.F Cavagnet, to be followed for about 350m. Inside the village of Cogne turn right taking the small road that after about 2.7km reaches the village of Valnontey anticipated by the large car park on the right of the road.

[0h33'] - [23.3km]
* How to get there with GMAPS
* How to get there with Apple Maps

The information provided here has been verified at the date of the survey of the itinerary. Before setting off, you should make sure that no substantial changes have occurred on the route to the starting point. We therefore recommend the use of the satellite navigation apps provided by Google or Apple for up-to-date and detailed directions.

Introduction

A beautiful walk, not too demanding, that allows you to get to know Valnontey and the amenities of the Gran Paradiso National Park better. Along the itinerary, it will be quite easy to spot many of the animals present in the Park. The beautiful views of the Gran Paradiso, the Herbetetet and the backdrop of glaciers such as the Tribolazione glacier are other stimuli that invite you to walk along these paths. 

Description

The first section of our itinerary, which is a path, runs on a comfortable carriage road following the orographic right of the Valnontey stream. We first pass a campsite, then a horse shed (always on our left) and enter the forest. Leaving a cottage clinging to the rock on our right, after about 0h15' we reach a first bridge: we leave it on our right and continue straight on. We come to a second bridge, again on the right, and reach the village of Valmianaz (1729 m , 0h30'). 

After a few minutes the path leaves the road and turns left; it continues for a few hundred metres and finally after about 40 minutes' walk we reach the fork for the bivouac. In the first section, the path winds its way up a slightly stony terrain. From a panoramic point of view, this section is not very impressive, as the narrow valley covers the surrounding peaks; however, it is not unlikely that you will meet some park guests! We continue to climb in the midst of a larch forest with a few alders scattered about; after about 1h10' the trail begins to skirt a rock face, which we skirt, leaving it to our left. We begin to enjoy the panorama with glimpses of the Tribolazione glacier and the Gran Paradiso. The larch woodland begins to thin out and at an altitude of about 2050 m, the path turns to the left, crossing a fairly airy but absolutely wide ledge. The stretch of path is now gentler: we continue over the ledge with a slight up and down until we turn right, following another rock face that we find on our left. At an altitude of around 2270 m, we trample over some scaled rock (the passage is nevertheless easy) and encounter some specimens of Astra Viola in our path. Having reached an altitude of 2320 m, the path descends slightly into the Comba di Costaleina, crossing grassy slopes and descending towards the stream: after crossing it, the path continues through a stretch of grassland alternating with scree. After 2h30' you reach the junction for the Money bivouac at 2340 m. Continue along the right-hand path that continues to approach the cottages with slight ups and downs, crossing some streams and a small waterfall with little water: after 0h10' from the crossroads, you reach the Money cottages at an altitude of 2325 m (2h40' total). Leaving the Casolari and the beautiful panorama of the Gran Paradiso and the Tribolazione Glacier, the path climbs slightly again: on our left we notice the obvious Money Bivouac and the Punte Patry. After passing a small moraine and then a small stream (which can easily be forded), we reach an altitude of 2410 m where there is a large cairn of stones and from here the path begins its descent towards the valley floor. The descent is not immediate; on the contrary, there is a series of ups and downs, passing more moraine stretches and crossing small streams. In this stretch, from the Casolari up to here, it is very easy to spot groups of chamois. At 0h20' from the Casolari del Money cottages (3h00' in total) you reach a small wooden bridge, past it the path climbs slightly uphill in a slightly exposed section. The descent is resumed, always halfway up the slope, crossing several streams (one of which has copious water loads in August) coming from the Torre Sant'Orso group. Slowly the path leaves the alpine meadow and begins to cross somewhat uneven stony stretches with some shrubs that do not make the descent very easy. At this point you reach a moraine ridge, which you descend again to a small wooden bridge: evident to your left are the waterfalls located below the Martinotti Bivouac. After 3h45' you reach the small wooden bridge and the path continues to descend steeply to the confluence of two streams that form the Valnontey torrent. On the left, the trail meets trail No. 22E, which leads to the Borghi and Martinotti bivouacs and finally, still on uneven ground, reaches a wooden bridge that crosses the Valnontey stream at an altitude of about 2,150 m (4h00' total). From here the trail continues to descend on the orographic left of the stream over large boulders until it reaches the junction for the trail leading to the Pol and Gerard-Grappein bivouacs. From here, continue the descent on a path that is still uneven and trattu made slippery by sand; cross an undergrowth of alders and after 4h15' you will reach the junction for the Leonessa Bivouac (path N° 22D) at an altitude of 2084 m. After the crossroads, walk along a wide, well-marked mule track along a rocky outcrop that slowly loses height with a few bends; cross two small wooden and stone bridges that allow us to cross the waters coming from the Herbetetet valley and admire a beautiful waterfall on our left (1995 m). Looking at the other side of the valley, we can observe other beautiful waterfalls as well as the area around the Casolari. We continue our walk and our descent towards the start by passing the Pont de l'Erfaulet (1830 m) 4h30', from here we return to the orographic right of the Valnontey stream and the path becomes a small farm track that in 10 minutes takes us to the junction with path N° 22D, the one taken to go up to the Casolari. From here, the return journey takes place on a comfortable farm road, sometimes a little too crowded, which after passing through the village of Valmianaz (1729 m) takes us back to our starting point in about 40' (5h40' total). 

Valnontey photo gallery - Signposts at the start - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Signposts at the start A stretch of ascent The fork to the Money bivouac Alpe Money Gran Paradiso - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Glacier of the Tribolazione - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini The Grand Paradiso from the Casolari The Tribolazione Glacier Bridge over the Valnontey stream A waterfall on the way backCasolari del Money (2325 m) - © 2002 Massimo Martini Excursion profile Time of ascent 2h40' Descent time: 2h40' Marking sequence: Trail N° 22D Characteristics: Circular loop - naturalistic, landscape Bibliography: * Luca Zavatta, Le valli del Gran Paradiso e la Valgrisenche, Rimini, 2003 Cartography: * Gran Paradiso - Cogne and Aymavilles - Hiking Map - 1:25000 - Hapax * IGC - Map 101 Difficulty: Hikers (E) Type of itinerary Round trip on the same path Recommended period: Exposure South-West - North - North-East Altitude of the starting point: 1666 m Difference in altitude Ascent 659 m Descent 659 m Altitude of the arrival point: 1666 m 

General information

Signposts: -
Type of route: circular
Recommended period: July, August, September, October
Objective Danger: some early season snowfields are present
Sun exposure: south-west
Exposed sections: none
Water:Valnontey

General information

Signposts: -
Type route:circular
Recommended period:July, August, September, October
Objective Danger:some snowfields are present at the beginning of the season
Sun exposure:southwest
Exposed sections:none
Water:Valnontey