Ring around Bionaz

Description

Park the car in Cretes, above Dzovenno and follow path no. 4, which is also well indicated by signs for the Snowshoe Trail. Climb until you come to a farmhouse where you keep to the left, following a comfortable path that, after passing a little more through the forest, rejoins a comfortable track that leads below the Berrier alp where, near a beautiful hut, the path for the Crete Seche Refuge branches off. Path no. 3, on the other hand, continues to the right until reaching the modern Alpe Berrier meadow and then continues eastwards, never too steeply uphill, with wide open views of the surrounding area. Interesting signs along the entire route give information on the local fauna, the geological formation of the Valpelline and the names of the surrounding mountains. At the junction with trail no. 3A, we stayed to the left and continued on trail no. 3, passing the ruins of Tsa Marmottin until we reached La Tsa. If you wish to shorten the hike, from here you can take trail no. 3A back to Cretes. The difficulty up to this point is E We, on the other hand, continued on path 3. After passing Pas des Feuilles, a section equipped with chains and metal steps begins. On the descent, the only passage that is a little trickier is towards the end of the equipment, where you have to take a couple of steps on the rock, holding on to the rock as the chains are at ankle height. The trail then continues to the Grand Charmen pasture and then, still downhill through the forest, to the road to the dam. At the bend, the road to the huts and the chapel of St. Barbara branches off. Behind the houses is the signpost for Path 16. You can also see the bridge over the Buthier, our 'crossing point'. Unfortunately, when we passed through, (July 2012) the path between the two points was non-existent, covered by marshland alternating between 1.5m clumps of vegetation with inevitable nettles, and muddy areas. Fortunately, the section is short and with a bit of attention one arrives on the other side. The track on the left side of the river is always evident. We cross a few streams until we reach the Madonna del Carmine chapel. From here, continue on the path until you reach Bionaz, where, after the road that passes outside the tunnel, you will find the sign for path 4, which leads back to Cretes. ATTENTION: Path 16 from Pouillayes to Quelloud is still closed, although the barrier may have been moved. This is because the bridge over the Buthier is unsafe. Don't be fooled by the first bridge, which is perfectly serviceable, over the Montagnaya stream; the bridge over the Buthier is much further on and is not in good condition. Hopefully it will be put back in place as it would be a shame to close this beautiful path along the river.