Stage 8: Champex-Lac → Trient
16 km from Champex-Lac (1466 m) to Trient (1279 m), with 918 m of ascent and 1098 m of descent.
Walking time by fitness profile
| Fitness profile | Walking time |
|---|---|
| Trail runner (fast & light, long days) | 3h13 |
| Fit / sportive (strong hiker, big days) | 4h34 |
| Multiday hiker (classic Tour du Mont Blanc pace) | 6h00 |
| Relaxed (steady, shorter days) | 7h12 |
Times computed with the RandoNav planning algorithm. Breaks not included.
On the trail
The one stage where the Tour genuinely forks, and the choice matters. The standard route is the Bovine: a long forested climb to the Alp Bovine at 1987 m, where a farm restaurant has been feeding walkers for generations and the view opens abruptly down the Rhône valley towards Martigny, then a descent to the Col de la Forclaz and Trient. Six hours, no difficulty, and a pleasant day.
The alternative is the Fenêtre d'Arpette — 1200 m to a narrow notch at 2665 m through pasture, moraine and finally a long boulder field, with the Trient glacier filling the far side. It is the hardest day on the Tour and, in clear weather, the best. It also holds snow into July, has no shelter and no easy escape once committed, and should not be attempted if the forecast is doubtful. Ask at Champex in the morning. Taking Bovine because the weather is wrong is judgement, not defeat.
Start / end
A lakeside resort at 1466 m — flowers, boats, restaurants and a bakery, which after five days of refuges feels almost unreal.
A tiny village at 1279 m with a distinctive pink church, in the bowl below the Col de Balme.
Stops along the way
These places between the endpoints let you split the stage into shorter days:
About this stage
Stage 8 links Champex-Lac (1466 m) with Trient (1279 m) over 16 km, climbing 918 m and descending 1098 m. This stage is in the eastern half of the Tour, after Courmayeur — the Italian balcony, Switzerland, and the Aiguilles Rouges finale above Chamonix. 4 stops punctuate the route, so you can split this stage into shorter days. Water is available at every stop on this stage. Along the way only snacks and meals are available — no full resupply until the end of the stage.
Walk this stage your way
The free RandoNav planner splits the Tour into realistic days for YOUR fitness level — with live hut availability, offline maps and daily briefings.
Plan my Tour du Mont Blanc →