Leonessa bivouac, from the Valnontey car park

Access

Road Navigation

At the motorway junction of Aosta West, enter the roundabout and take the second exit following the signs for / Cogne / Aymavilles. Continue on for 20.0km to the roundabout at the entrance to Cogne, where take the first exit onto Avenue G. F. Cavagnet. Continue on Via Bourgeois (350m, 20.35km), then turn right onto Rue Grand Paradis. Drive along Rue Grand Paradis for 2.4km (22.75km), continue on Frazione Valnontey for 260m (23.0km) and turn right to reach the car park.

Parking

At the end of the road is the 🅿️ car park in Valnontey, the access point to the Gran Paradiso National Park. Check on site for access conditions and any seasonal restrictions imposed by the park authority.

Access by public transport

The Valnontey car park can be reached by the Cogne urban circular line run by SVAP. The reference stop is Cogne Valnontey. The winter service runs every weekday and on holidays, except 25 December and the summer period; the runs serving the Valnontey stop depart from Cogne Revettaz at 09:00, 10:05, 11:10, 12:40 and 15:00, arriving in Valnontey at 09:25, 10:30, 11:35, 13:05 and 15:25 respectively. For up-to-date timetables see the timetable SVAP - Cogne Urban Line.

Distance and travel time

• 🕒 travel time: 33 minutes

• 📏 distance: 23.4km

GPS navigation

• 📍 how to get there with Google Maps

• 📍 how to get there with Apple Maps

Information note

The information provided has been verified as of the date of the survey of the itinerary. Before departure, it is recommended to check possible changes in the route or road conditions. Please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps for the latest information.

Introduction

Combined trip with mountain biking (not essential) plus trekking. The destination is a bivouac located in the Herbetet valley, at the base of the mountain of the same name (m 3778) and the pass of the same name (m 3263) that leads to Valsavarenche, rejoining the Alta Via no. 2. This is an extremely scenic spot on the Gran Paradiso glaciers and from where it is possible to "binocularly" observe the wildlife of the National Park. The characteristics of the route make it suitable for people in good physical-athletic condition.

Description

Leave the car in the square in Valnontey (1,666 m, ), just above the village of Cogne (Aosta West motorway + 25 km approx.) and put on your bicycles, set off along the dirt road that runs along the stream on the orographic right. In about 20 minutes, you will come to a fork in the road that heads towards the riverbed, where the structures of a bridge are evident, over which the cross-country ski track passes near its extreme point in winter.

Having left your bicycles properly padlocked and hidden from view, you will ascend the path, which is narrower but not at all steep. (Experienced bikers can continue further up to the crossing of the stream, but the road often narrows and the possible crowding in July and August leads us to advise against this choice, out of consideration for the safety and security of all).

Following the trail sign Trail No. 22G we cross the stream over a bridge. Now the slope becomes very steep, but the track draws wide hairpin bends, widely spaced, thus gaining height through a considerable lengthening of the distance to be covered. In 2h30' - 3h00' you reach the gamekeeper's house in the locality of (needless to say) Herbetetet (2435 m), where the path from the Sella refuge crosses. There is also a pleasant fountain here.

The path continues along a very steep slope, with the usual wide hairpin bends. Leaving the gamekeeper's house a good distance away, it is advisable to carefully scrutinise the ridge to the right of those ascending, where chamois and ibexes graze.

The path remains evident until the fork for the bivouac, well signposted in yellow paint Sentiero N° 22G. Then continue left into a scree slope, paying attention to the yellow markings and stone cairns. We soon reach our destination: a rather spartan wooden hut with 12 beds and two tables with benches; a handwritten sign warns us not to leave our rucksacks outside during the night, as foxes would think to empty them of provisions!

Time of ascent: 4h00' - 4h30' (including the bike section) Time of descent: 2h40' (including the bike section) Signpost sequence: Trail No. 22G Characteristics: Naturalistic Difficulty: Good walkers Easy (BCF) Recommended period July, August, September Height of the starting point: 1666 m Difference in altitude: Ascent 1224 m Height of the arrival point: 2910 m Access to the starting point: Water Exit: Aosta West -> Cogne -> Valnontey Introduction Combined trip with mountain bike (not essential) plus trekking. The destination is a bivouac located in the Herbetet valley, at the base of the mountain of the same name (m 3778) and the pass of the same name (m 3263) that leads to Valsavarenche, rejoining the Alta Via no. 2. This is an extremely scenic spot on the Gran Paradiso glaciers and from where it is possible to "binocularly" observe the wildlife of the National Park. The characteristics of the route make it suitable for people in good physical-athletic condition. Description Leaving the car in the forecourt of Valnontey (1666 m, ), just above the village of Cogne (Aosta West motorway + approx. 25 km) and mounting the bicycles, set off along the dirt road that runs along the stream on the orographic right. It takes about 20 minutes to reach a fork in the road that points towards the riverbed, where the structures of a bridge, over which the cross-country skiing track passes near its extreme point in winter, are evident. Leaving the bicycles duly padlocked and hidden from view, we ascend the narrower but not at all steep path. (Experienced bikers can continue further up to the stream crossing, but the small road often narrows and the possible crowding in July and August leads us to advise against this choice, out of respect for the safety and security of all). Following the trail marker Sentiero N° 22G we cross the stream over a bridge. We continue with ease to the fork separating Sentiero N° 22 and Sentiero N° 22G from the others. The slope now becomes very steep, but the track draws wide hairpin bends, widely spaced, thus gaining height through a considerable lengthening of the distance to be covered. In 2h30' - 3h00' you reach the gamekeeper's house in the locality of (needless to say) Herbetetet (2435 m), where the path from the Sella refuge crosses. There is also a pleasant fountain here. The path continues along a very steep slope, with the usual wide hairpin bends. Leaving the gamekeeper's house at a good distance, it is advisable to carefully scrutinise the ridge to the right of those ascending, where chamois and ibex graze. The path remains evident until the fork to the bivouac, which is well marked in yellow paint on Path No. 22G. Then continue left into a scree slope, paying attention to the yellow markings and stone cairns. We soon reach our destination: a wooden hut, rather spartan, with 12 beds and two tables with benches; a handwritten sign warns us not to leave our rucksacks outside during the night, as foxes would think to empty them of provisions!

Incursion time: 4h00' - 4h30' (including the bike ride)
Descent time: 2h40' (including the bike ride)
Trail signposts: Trail N° 22G
Features: Naturalistic

Recommended period: July, August, September
Tour of departure point: 1666 m
Difference in altitude: Ascent 1224 m
Tour of arrival point: 2910 m