Tour of the Vanoise Standard Itinerary HHT5-7

Accommodation

Accommodation for the Tour de la Vanoise is in traditional mountain huts.

While there’s a lot of variation from hut to hut, you can read our Staying in Mountain Huts Webpage for information about the hut experience.

The huts on this route are comfortable, but basic. They do not have private rooms, which is why neither our Classic or Comfort packages are available for this route.

Meals

Half-pension is included at the mountain huts. Half-pension includes a multi-course dinner that is a set menu (usually with a vegetarian and non-vegetarian option) and a breakfast that is based around bread. Drinks are not included (except for coffee at breakfast).

Read about dietary restrictions at the huts

It is possible to purchase a picnic lunch from the huts to bring with you. While we don’t recommend this for most hut-to-hut tours, the picnic lunches along this route are elaborate and are an absolute treat. You can either order these from us, or order these as you arrive at the huts. Please bring your own reusable container for the picnic lunches to minimize trash.

The Tour of the Vanoise is likely to have the best conditions between mid-July and the end of the August. Huts are generally open from mid-June until mid-September, which defines the hiking season for this route.

Here's what conditions to expect at different times of year:

Late June: Huts are open and routes from the valleys to the huts are clear. Problematic snow is likely on the passes and at high elevations. There is a high risk of not being able to complete the itinerary during this time. Even if the passes are clear in time for your hike, they usually clear at the very last minute, and June hikers always have a couple of stressful weeks leading up to their hike as they eagerly wait for the snow to melt in time for their hike. In almost every year, it is not possible to predict what trails are going to be like in June until one or two weeks before. This is true even after a winter with low snowfall.

July and August: Problematic snow can remain on the passes through the second week of July, but it is less likely than in June. Summer settles in and days are usually mostly sunny with an afternoon thunderstorm or two. These thunderstorms rarely interfere with hiking itineraries and are not usually problematic. Of course, thunderstorm safety should be practiced. The wildflowers at the higher elevations should be all out by mid-July. Hiking conditions during this time are often favorable, and it’s a great time to be on the trail.

Early September: The first snow of the winter usually falls in the first week of September. The snow rarely sticks around for more than a day, but the visibility can be very low, making navigation problematic, and maybe even impossible, on this one day. Most days in early September are beautiful and perfect, and the thunderstorms are less, but there is a higher risk of snowstorms and conditions that may prevent you from completing your hike during this time. Many hikers have incredible weather in September, but some do not. It’s simply a matter of luck. The later you push into September, the higher the risk that unfavorable conditions (usually snow, but sometimes extremely cold temperatures) can interfere with your hiking itinerary. We notice that customers who are on the trail beyond September 15^th are much more likely to quit their hike early due to conditions. In early September, the wildflower season is mostly over, with the exception of brilliant bursts of fireweed that mark the end of summer.

In all months, it’s reasonable to expect 1 to 2 rainy days on the trail.