The Désert d’en haut
Moutain chalets at the heart of your activities
It is not necessary to take a car. The chalets "1898" and "1904" which are located a little beyond Valmeinier (www.valmeinier.com), are on the hiking trail that leads to the gates of the Neuvache valley. From here you can always take beautiful walks of varying lengths, from Lac vert to Notre Dame des Neiges, then to the Refuge de Terre Rouge, to Lac de Curthales, to Lac de la Roche Noire ... Beautiful natural landscape in the high mountains. No particular difficulties. You only need good footwear. You can also circumnavigate Mont Thabor (3178 m) in three days by staying in the mountain huts of the Cerces massif or, if you are a good hiker, you can walk there and back from the Chalet in one day. Over 150 km of hiking trails in the unique Natura 2000 protected area.
The Valmeinier ski resort has developed a wide range of activities and animation programmes for the summer months: Obstacle courses, play equipment and playgrounds, climbing and flying, cycling, animal encounters, trail ... . There is a wealth of sports and play opportunities in the surrounding area, from the high ropes course to the largest cycling area in the world. Valmeinier is an intermediate starting point to tackle the ascent of the legendary Galibier Pass. On the mountain side, the Mont Thabor area, a protected nature reserve, is a wonderful area for discovering wild fauna and flora with all the elements of the alpine environment: heath, grass, scree, rocks and some 30 lakes spread over an altitude of more than 2000 metres. This area is registered in Natura-2000 and offers the hiker an exceptional natural space. The Désert d'en-Haut is at the starting point of the major hikes around Mont Thabor - 3,178 m -; these are lined with numerous high mountain huts, including the recently built Refuge de Terre Rouge in the commune of Valmeinier.
The Neuvache valley in Valmeinier is a witness to the agropastoral history of the Alps, with its numerous alpine huts and Notre Dame des Neiges, which hosts a small pilgrimage at the beginning of August. The Mont Thabor farm between Valmeinier 1500 and 1800 opens its doors at goat milking time. The Maurienne valley has many cultural sites and baroque churches, including that of Valloire. There are many museums: the Musée de l'Aluminium (Aluminium Museum) in Saint-Michel de Maurienne, the Musée Opinel in Saint-Jean de Maurienne ... If you have the chance, dine at the Clocher des Pères (* Michelin). Trips to Italy are easy with the Fréjus tunnel. Before Turin, don't miss the Museum of Contemporary Art in the Castello di Rivoli. In Modane, the ONERA wind tunnel will probably remind you of the film "The Crimson Rivers".