Family hiking in the Grand Massif: 3 easy routes with kids

Walking in the mountains with children isn't about fitness. It's about getting the dose right: the right distance, the right climb, and a destination worth walking towards. Here are three easy routes in the Grand Massif, with the real numbers and what to pack.

What makes a walk “doable” with children

A child of five or six will walk for one to two hours without complaining, as long as there's something to look at: water, marmots, a bridge, a snack bar. Above 250 to 300 m of ascent, things go downhill fast.

Three rules that save you from a bad day:

• Height gain matters more than distance. Six flat kilometres are fine. Three kilometres with 400 m of climbing are not.
• The heat in the valley. In August, you either start early or you go up high.
• The way back. A loop or a short there-and-back beats a route you can't cut short at the end.

The three walks below cover three different profiles: the high-altitude view, the mountain lake, the riverside stroll.

Route 1 — L'Odyssée face au Mont-Blanc, at the Grandes Platières (Flaine)

This is the most dramatic walk in the area and, oddly enough, one of the easiest: you take the gondola up, then walk for an hour there and back on ground with no real difficulty.

How it works. The Grandes Platières gondola (Flaine's DMC) climbs to around 2,500 m. At the top, two waymarked paths leave the arrival station. The one we're interested in is l'Odyssée face au Mont-Blanc: 1 hour there and back, easy grade, heading towards the Désert Blanc chairlift, through the cairns and facing the Mont-Blanc massif.

Don't confuse it with l'Odyssée des Fossiles, the 3-hour loop rated for experienced walkers. That one crosses the limestone pavement of the Désert de Platé, cracked ground with fissures several metres deep. It's no place for young children.

The numbers.

• Time: 1 hour there and back (l'Odyssée face au Mont-Blanc)
• Grade: easy
• Arrival altitude: around 2,500 m
• Grandes Platières gondola: open Saturday 4 July to Friday 28 August 2026, 9am to 5pm, weather permitting — closed for the whole day in bad weather
• Parking: P2, Flaine Forum
• Pedestrian ticket “Mont Blanc Experience — Flaine 2500”: 20 € return (ages 8-74), 19 € on presentation of the Pass Été Flaine at a sales point; free for under-8s and over-75s, with proof of age at a sales point

The detail that changes everything: at 2,500 m it's cold, even in August. A fleece is not optional, even when it's 30 °C down in the valley. Sunglasses and sun cream too — the glare off the limestone is strong. A mountain bistro is announced for this summer facing the Mont-Blanc, a 1 km walk from the arrival station. Check it's open on the day.

Route 2 — Lac de Vernant from the col de Pierre Carrée

The family classic around Flaine. You park at the col de Pierre Carrée (1,843 m), on the road linking Les Carroz to Flaine, and walk up to the lake on a mostly gentle path.

How it works. From the col, orange waymarks point towards Vernant. The climb is steady, with one slightly steep section just before you arrive. Allow around thirty minutes to reach the lake. Up there: open water, marmots late in the day, bilberries in August, and plenty of room to spread out a picnic.

Two ways to do it.

• Short version: there and back to the lake from the col, roughly 1 hour of actual walking. Ideal with children of four or five.
• Loop version: the Combe Enverse loop, heading on from the lake towards the Vernant car park (1,752 m), or coming back to the col through the forest and the clearings. Set aside the morning and follow the orange waymarks, which stay the most reliable markers in this area.

The numbers.

• Start: col de Pierre Carrée, 1,843 m
• Time: around 30 minutes of climbing to the lake
• Grade: easy, with one short steep section before the lake
• Access: the col sits on the access road to Flaine, between Les Carroz and the resort — you drive through it on the way up anyway

Worth knowing: the col de Pierre Carrée is an open starting point with no shade on the first section. In August, set off before 10am or after 4pm.

Route 3 — From the lacs aux Dames to the Lac Bleu de Morillon

This one works with a pushchair. Wide forest track, flat ground, riverbank: it's the walk to keep for a very hot day, or for a quiet end to the week.

How it works. Start from the free car park at the lacs aux Dames leisure park, 1.5 km from the centre of Samoëns. You follow the Giffre along a wide forest track, cross the R'Biolle footbridge — a single 17 m span over the river — then head through the Etelley woods to the Lac Bleu de Morillon.

The numbers.

• Time: 1 hour 30 there and back
• Height gain: flat
• Start: lacs aux Dames leisure park, Samoëns (free car park)
• Season: open 5 May to 10 November, weather permitting
• Supervised swimming at the lac aux Dames: from Saturday 5 July, 12pm to 6pm daily until 1 September. Beach access is free
• Getting there from Flaine: around 24 km by road, allow three quarters of an hour

The smart move: do the walk in the morning and the swim in the afternoon. The leisure park covers 10 hectares around the two lakes, with a playground, sports pitches and bars and restaurants.

Three routes, three forecasts

You don't plan a week's holiday in advance. You plan it each morning, by looking at the sky.

The Grandes Platières gondola closes for the whole day in bad weather. Check it's running before you set off.

Practical box

Getting there. All three starting points are reachable by car. The col de Pierre Carrée is on the access road to Flaine; Samoëns is reached along the valley.

Summer 2026 lifts (Grand Massif).

• Flaine: 4 July to 28 August (Grandes Platières gondola)
• Les Carroz: 20 June to 6 September (Kédeuze gondola), 4 July to 30 August (Gron chairlift)
• Morillon: 4 July to 30 August (Morillon gondola and Sairon chairlift)
• Samoëns: 27 June to 30 August (Grand Massif Express), 4 July to 30 August (Chariande Express)

Pedestrian prices (ages 8-74). Mont Blanc Experience Flaine 2500: 20 € return. Grand Massif day pass, all lifts: 33 €. Grand Massif season pass: 180 €. Free for under-8s and over-75s, with proof of age at a sales point.

What to pack. Water (1 litre per person minimum), closed walking shoes, a fleece for the altitude, a cap, sunglasses, sun cream, a picnic. In August, a picnic keeps you free of the mountain restaurants' opening hours.

Best time to go. July and August for lift access. September for the valley paths: fewer people, milder temperatures, but the lifts are closed.

Frequently asked questions

From what age can you take a child on these routes?

All three work as soon as a child can walk unaided for an hour, so from around four or five. The lacs aux Dames walk can be done with a pushchair from any age. At the Grandes Platières, hold young children by the hand: the limestone ground is full of fissures.

Do you need a lift pass to hike in the Grand Massif?

No. Lac de Vernant and the lacs aux Dames are free to access. The pedestrian pass is only for the lifts, as at the Grandes Platières.

Does the Grandes Platières gondola run all summer?

From 4 July to 28 August 2026, 9am to 5pm, and only in good weather. In bad weather it stays closed for the whole day.

Can you swim in the Grand Massif in summer?

Yes, at the lac aux Dames in Samoëns: supervised swimming from 12pm to 6pm, 5 July to 1 September, with free beach access.

How long is the drive between Flaine and Samoëns?

Around 24 km by road, so three quarters of an hour. The two resorts are linked by ski in winter, but separated by the valley in summer.

In short

Family hiking in the Grand Massif asks for no special kit and no particular fitness. It asks you to pick the right route on the right day. A high-altitude view when the sky is clear, a mountain lake when it's hot, a shaded path beside the Giffre when the forecast is uncertain. For the rest of the programme, see also what to do in Flaine in summer, our guide to the Cirque du Fer-à-Cheval with the family, and the guide to renting a chalet in Flaine with the family.