Mont Fallère Mountain Hut, from the Vétan Villette car park
Edited by:
Massimo Martini
Updated at: 05/08/2026
Access
Road directions
Exit the motorway toll booth at Aosta Ovest and, after 450m (0.45km), take the junction for the regional road towards the state road . At the next roundabout, after a further 400m (0.85km), take the second exit to join the state road in the Aosta Valley. Follow the for approximately 3 km (3.85 km), passing through the village of Saint-Pierre until you reach the village of Luboz.
Turn right onto Via Corrado Gex and follow it for 300m (4.15km), then turn right again onto the regional road , which you should follow for approximately 7.7 km (11.85 km) to Saint-Nicolas. Just past the centre, at a junction, carry on straight ahead onto the regional road , following the signs for Vétan, for 1.0 km (12.85 km) to Petit Sarriod.
Once in Petit Sarriod, leave the and turn left onto the local road that passes through the villages of Person, Grand-Sarriod and Gerbore. Follow this for 4.2 km (17.05 km) to Vétan Villette, where the road ends at a large car park.
Car park
In Vétan Villette, there is a free 🅿️ car park at the end of the local road, in front of the Hotel Notre Maison — the starting point of the route.
Access by public transport
To reach the starting point of the route, you will need a private vehicle, as the village is not served by public transport.
Distance and journey time
🕒 Journey time: 29 minutes
📏 Distance: 18.2 km
GPS navigation
Important information
The directions provided were verified on the date the route was mapped. Before setting off, we recommend checking for any changes to the route or road conditions. For up-to-date information, please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps.
Introduction
From the Vétan Villette valley, a hamlet of Saint-Pierre, a signposted path climbs the hillside up to the Mont Fallère mountain hut, passing through larch forests, high-altitude pastures and the Verrogne valley. Throughout its entire length, the route is lined with wooden sculptures by Siro Vierin, dotted along the way: walking to the refuge is like passing through an open-air museum, with works depicting animals and scenes of alpine life interspersed with the natural landscape.
Along the way, you’ll come across the Thoules mountain pasture and the statue dedicated to Abbé Cerlogne, a leading figure in Franco-Provençal poetry from the Aosta Valley; just above the starting point, a detour leads to the chapel dedicated to John Paul II, which can be visited on the way back. After passing through a steeply sloping wooded section — the most challenging part of theentire ascent — the path emerges from the trees and opens up to sweeping views of the Château Blanc glacier and the surrounding peaks, before heading into the Verrogne valley which leads to the mountain hut.
The path is fairly well-used and has no specific peak season: it remains accessible in good conditions throughout the summer. The route follows almost entirely well-signposted paths and farm tracks marked with yellow posts; the return journey follows the same route as the outward journey.
Description
0h00' 0.00 km Head towards the yellow signposts, which indicate the main routes in the area, and take the path. After a few metres, the path runs alongside a refreshment point selling fresh cheeses. Continue up the steep climb through the small larch forest (Larix decidua), ignoring the turn-off on the left for the chapel dedicated to John Paul II – which you can visit on your way back if you wish – and reach the large pasture, where you’ll find another signpost.
0h05' 0.16km Ignore the Cammino Balteo on the left and take the path on the right, immediately after the first of the many wooden structures that accompany walkers to the Mont Fallère refuge. Cross the Vétan stream via a wooden footbridge and continue along the pastures, with a few short ascents and descents. Then turn left and tackle a short climb, skirting a stream until you reach a new signpost at an altitude of 1,890m, just below the Thoules mountain pasture, situated at 1,929m.
0h20' 0.88 km (110 m ascent) (0 m descent) Keep to the right and follow the level path, which crosses the first moraine ridge descending from Punta Leysser and marks the boundary of the Méod valley. Cross the watershed, looking out for Siro Vierin’s works amongst the branches and along the path, then follow the second ridge until you reach another signpost.
[0h45’T2] 2.04km Ignore the path to Alpe Loé on the right and climb up the wooded slope, which is quite steep: this is the steepest section of the ascent to the refuge. Towards the end of the climb, the woodland thins out, offering views of the Château Blanc glacier and the surrounding peaks. Once out of the woodland, you reach the farm track near a bench.
[1h30’T2] 3.15 km (436 m elevation gain) (1 m elevation loss) Turn right and follow the farm track, which, with a moderate gradient, leads into the Verrogne valley. Deer, wolves, wild boars and other woodland animals, depicted in a series of wooden sculptures, line the path alongside the statue of Abbé Cerlogne, the father of Franco-Provençal poetry in the Aosta Valley. The track then leaves the mountainside and overlooks the valley near a signpost, at an altitude of 2,299m.
1h50' 4.16 km (530 m ascent) (1 m descent) Continue along the dirt track, which winds its way up the Verrogne valley in a series of wide bends, until the refuge comes into view. Then turn right and take a path which, after a few minutes’ climb, leads to the Mont Fallère refuge, at an altitude of 2,385m. 2h00' 4.82km
The return journey follows the same route as the outward journey. [1h15’T2] 4.82 km
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