Lake Litteran, from the Fénillettaz car park

Access

Leave the motorway at the Verrès exit, enter the roundabout and take the second exit. Proceed in the direction of the town centre and, after 300 metres, turn left onto the regional road for Val d'Ayas. Follow the regional road for 16.5 kilometres, passing the villages of Challand-Saint-Victor and Challand-Saint-Anselme, before reaching Brusson. Pass the village and, just before the junction for Col de Joux, turn right to take the communal road to Estoul. Continue on the communal road for about 7 kilometres, passing the village of Estoul, before reaching a large car park 🅿️ where you can leave your car.

[0h38'] - [23km]
How to get there with GMaps
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The starting point of the route is not reachable by public transport.

The directions provided were carefully checked on the date the route was taken. However, you are strongly advised to check any changes that may have occurred since then, especially regarding the access route to the starting point. Before embarking on your journey, it is advisable to consult up-to-date navigation tools for accurate and up-to-date directions. We recommend the use of satellite navigation apps, such as Google Maps or Apple Maps, to ensure the most accurate and safe route.

Introduction

An easy walk for everyone. Its simplicity and not excessive length make it a very attractive hike for hiking novices.

Description

0h00' 0.00km From the signposts showing the main paths in the area, take a farm road which, after about 50 metres, meets a fork.

0h01' 0.05km Continue straight on, ignoring the signs for the Moucherolaz mountain pasture (1925m), and proceed on the level, leaving the isolated house of Prapitou (1886m) on your right, until you come to a fork. Keep to the right and begin the ascent in the presence of the antecedent of Mont Bieteron, leaving the pasture to enter the larch forest (Larix decidua). After a bend to the left, you reach a shelf with a fountain 💧 and a new fork. Continue straight on, following the signs for Rifugio Arp along the path. A little further on, near Fontaine (1903m), leave the farm road to take a path to the right that crosses the larch forest and leads to the right-hand edge of the ski slope. The path becomes a mule track as the gradient increases slightly and you soon reach a fork in the path.

0h20' 0.85km Keep to the left and continue up the slope along the mule track to the right of the ski slope until you join the dirt road again, where you will come to a new signpost with directions to the hut.

0h30' 1.10km Turn left and follow the road, which soon passes above the hamlets of Chanlochère (2012m), offering interesting views of the lower Val d'Ayas and the peaks of the Glacier-Mont Avic group. The road follows a few hairpin bends and leads onto the grassy slope crossed by the ski lifts and, a little further on, the hamlets of Chavanne (2107m). After a short flat section, the road begins to climb again until it reaches a hairpin bend, where a signpost is located (2107m).

0h55' 2.14km Disregard the path for the Lacs de Palasinaz and continue on the dirt road that, after a couple of turns, continues on the orographic left of the Messonère stream. Proceed slightly uphill between a few sparse larch trees, with the imposing mass of the Punta Valfredda in the background, until you come to a new signpost (2172m). 

1h10' 2.80km Cross the small hamlet and, shortly afterwards, the road turns right into the valley that precedes the hut. The road climbs up the valley, gains height with a few hairpin bends and reaches the crossroads to Lake Litteran and Mont Bieteron (2165m, 0h45'): turn right and follow the signpost (6). The road climbs quite steeply and in three hairpin bends leads to Lake Litteran, which we will find on our left (2226m, 1h15'). Lake Litteran, located at the foot of Mont Bieteron, is a natural lake with excellent fishing and a beautiful dark green colour.