Randonnée pédestre
Salanfe - Emosson
Salvan - Les Marécottes
Stage 4 of the Tour du Ruan
From Auberge de Salanfe to Emosson (La Gueulaz) 1965 m, coord. 561.170/101.980.A little over seven hours for this last stage.
After a good night's sleep in a room or dormitory, we set off again for our last stage of the Tour with its 1300 metres of positive difference in altitude, which is not easy on our bodies. From the hostel, we cross the dam wall. Then follow the lake along an old road to the west. At the crossroads, take the Col d'Emaney road which climbs southwards and passes downstream of Lac des Ottans. Then follow the Combe du col. Shortly before the Col d'Emaney, several paths have been made because of the late and extremely variable snow cover from one summer to another.
It is important to observe and follow the red and white markings. To reach this point, there is an interesting alternative at the fork in the road: take the route that leads to the Col de la Golette (2469 m). This variant allows us to discover the old gold and arsenic mines of the Ottans while climbing. At around 2300 metres, we leave the path to join the path to the Emaney pass, going due west on the right. Be careful with the rocky bars. There are no clear routes to make this connection but a little common sense will give you a very practicable access. At the Col d'Emaney (2462 m), climb slightly to the east to admire the magnificent panorama that stretches from the Bernese Alps through the Valais Alps to Mont Blanc. The next part is a descent towards Belle Combe and the Emaney valley. The first part of the descent is quite steep. Opposite us is the Col de Barberine, which could be a possible variant to shorten the Tour at the end (about 1 hour). But our route follows the valley downstream (due east) from Belle Combe to the Emaney mountain pasture (1855 m).
A place not to be missed with its cheese factory and its authenticity of life on the mountain pasture. After sharing a glass of milk, we start the steady climb towards the Blantsin lake (2148 m) between the vines and the rocks that have been worn down by the glaciers. Up to this point the path is well marked, but keep an eye on the route as it weaves its way through ledges, combettes and even large whalebones polished by the glaciers. A last valley before you can see the col de Fénestral, situated at 2451 m, with the Dent de Fénestral or Beaumont (2579 m) on its left, topped by a beautiful cross.
On the flat side of the Marais and the Fénestral mountain pasture, on the other side of the pass, there are no less than 600 metres of descent that we will have to put in our knees. On our right the Rochers Rouges form a long ridge leading to the Bel Oiseau (2628 m), the summit overlooking the Emosson dam from where we left four days ago. Towards the Fénestral mountain pasture (1797 m), take the path on the right towards the south. This balcony path takes us back to the starting point, Emosson, and offers us a breathtaking view of the Mont Blanc massif and the upper Trient valley. And it is on this very old path that we finish this Tour du Ruan at the Col de la Gueulaz.
Technical information:
- 1 459m / ↘ 1 424m / ↔ 14.90km
- Walking time outward journey: 7h15
- Walking time return: 7h
Information to download:
Faune - Flore / Alpage / Géologie / ChasseTechnical information
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Distance 15.65 km
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Positive elevation 1'462 m
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Negative elevation 1'495 m
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Highest point 2'461 m
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Duration 7h00min
Contact
Location / Access
GPS coordinates :
46.14381954878381, 6.97010636329651
Environment :
Mountain
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