To get up the Tournette, you will have to be reasonably fit as there are no roads or cable cars to make the trip up any easier. The closest you get is the alpine village of Montmin, just behind the Col de la Forclaz. But don’t despair I have seen people as old as 90 years making the hike up this great view point.

I climb the Tournette at least once every two year,  if I can. Just because there are other great things to do around lake Annecy and I am not here all year around … and there is work too.

Yesterday was one of those days. I drove up the Col de la Forclaz (a previous mountain climb during past Tour de France), and headed to the car park just above Montmin. Early morning and early afternoon are the best times to go. Late afternoon would be even better but depending on your condition it might not leave you enough time to get up and down before dawn. I started my hike just after two to avoid the worst of the heat although I love the sun. The hike up Tournette is sun blessed, which translates in a lot of sweat and pain climbing it during a hot summer day.

The track up is signposted 4.5 hours from the car park but I regularly manage to get up there in 2.5 hours. Having said though, the terrain is not the easiest and the views over lake Annecy are great from almost anywhere along the hike. It is really best to take your time,` have a few mini breaks and enjoy the views.

There is also wildlife to be seen such as eagles and Capricorns. Yesterday I encountered a whole family of Capricorns at close range, less that a few feet away. Trapped on a rock they had to pose for photos with lake Annecy in the background. I could not believe my luck.

I reached the top along some very steep drops and some rocky terrain to find the views, over lake Annecy on one side and Mont Blanc and the Chamonix valley on the other side, short of sensational. The rewards for the physical demands the hike up Tournette put on you are exceptional and you truly have a birds eye view of the entire region. You really can’t stop long enough to take it all in.

I am never in any rush for the decent, but you can they up there for ever. Sadly I said goodbye and started my decent along the south ridge. Beware, I know the area well but I still managed to get lost which made the decent almost as long as the ascent.

A not of caution, the hike up and down Tournette can be as long as 7 – 8 hours not catering for extensive breaks. It really is a day trip, start early in the morning and take plenty of water and some food. The climb up is not dangerous but you should not be afraid of heights, walking boots and walking poles are essential. I only recommend this mountain tour if you have done some alpine hiking before. It is strenuous!! However the views are well, well worth it.

lake Annecy views

Tournette - views over lake Annecy

top of the Tournette lake Annecy

Here is what I got.  A challenging hike, spectacular views over lake Annecy, 4 passes and one peak. 15km in 4.5 hours.

Lake Annecy view from tournette

I left my house just before 5pm and headed up to the Clo De Forclaz. It was warm but very windy when I left my house. Luckily when i arrived at the car park above le Bois (Montmin) there was hardly any wind. Looked like an inversion of some sort.  I headed straight up to Cal. de l’Aulp, signposted 40 min. but I was in a rush so I did it in a lot less. There is catered chalet Cal. de l’Aulp with great views across the Tournette.   The trail from the car park uphill but easily doable even if you more into a gentle Sunday afternoon walk. Worthwhile investing the 40 min of effort.

From Cal. de l’Aulp I enjoyed my first views over lake Annecy, keenly aware that my destination peak was still another one and a half hours away I continued hiking without a prolonged stop.  After all hiking is a sport and I can enjoy the lake views later from the peak or tomorrow from my house.

The trail headed into the woods, down and up the valley to the Col des Nantets, where the views trruly opened up. My target peaks ahead of me, the light blue of lake Annecy to my left, the ever present Tournette behind me and the Aravis mountains and Thones to my right. This view takes a beating. I have been hiking and climbing all over the Alps, the Rockies, Asia and Central America.  Few of the hikes I have done anywhere compare and even fewer are so easily accessible.

Onwards and upwards towards Roc Lancrenaz and Cal. de Aulp Riant where I climbed up the top of the peak just under 1700m. It sound low but the drops down to the valley and lake Annecy are steep and breathtaking. From here you can see the nearby Dents de Lanfon, Lanfonnet and the spectacular Les Grandes Lanches.

7.30pm on the peak enjoying every minute of the views (and the rst of the water in my bottle). Acutely aware that I needed to be back at the car park for 9.30pm I headed off.  To add a little extra challenge I decented the west face of the Roc Lancrenaz. It is not a climb, more like a challenging hike but it gave me a different route back, altough a little longer. My reward:  some dear grassing along my path. My punishment: a dark cloud came in and it started to drissle. I uped the tempo and made it back in time to the car park.

Just enough time for a pizza take-away on my drive home and a couple of hours on the Internet before I fell asleep thinking about how much you can enoy life when you organise yourself.