Testa di Pian Fret, from the Valle di Clavalité car park

Access

Road directions

Leave the [A5] motorway at the Nus junction and continue for 220m (0.22km). At the roundabout, take the second exit and join the towards Fénis, continuing for 500m (0.72km) until the next roundabout, where you should again take the second exit. Keep right towards Località Chez Sapin and turn into it after 199m (0.92km). Continue along Località Chez Croiset for 500m (1.42km) and along Località Chez Machet for 300m (1.72km). After 160m (1.88km), turn right onto Frazione Cors, continue straight on for 99m (1.98km), then continue along Barche for 240m (2.22km) and along Località Miseregne for 400m (2.62km). Turn right to stay on the ‘Località Miseregne’ road and continue for 220m (2.84km). Turn left and drive the remaining 9.6km (12.4km) to the car park, situated on the right.

Car park

At the end of the road is the free 🅿️ car park in the Clavalité Valley, 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 Clavalité Valley is not served by public transport.

Distance and walking time

• 🕒 Walking time: 24 minutes

• 📏 Distance: 12.4 km

GPS navigation

• 📍 How to get there with Google Maps

• 📍 How to get there with Apple Maps

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

A climb to Testa di Pian Fret (2,715 m), ascending the Val Clavalité valley in the municipality of Fénis. The return journey follows the same route as the outward journey. From the car park, the route follows the dirt track at the valley floor through the larch trees to the Robioz fork, then passes through the hamlet of Le Chapieux and climbs steeply through a dense larch forest. Once past the tree line, the route winds through pastures, rhododendrons, junipers, Swiss stone pines and a few isolated birches, up to the Pian Fret area; from here it climbs to a saddle marked by a cairn at 2,424m and continues along the summit ridge to the final plateau, over scree and grassy steps, near a pass of broken rocks.

Along the ascent, you’ll come across a vantage point overlooking Punta Tersiva, Becca di Vio and Mont Rafray, with views of the plateau and the small lake below, a votive chapel near Robioz and a wooden drinking trough at theLe Chapieux. Beyond the tree line, amongst the high pastures, the view opens out onto the peaks of the surrounding Alpine range.

The recommended time of year is June, when the final stretch across the summit plateau is generally free of residual snow and the milder temperatures make the long, exposed upper section of the route – which lacks tree cover – easier to tackle. The route remains on hiking terrain for almost its entire length; the final seventy metres of ascent, on the summit plateau, require greater care due to the scree and grassy steps near the rocky outcrops of the final pass. This is a long ascent with a sustained elevation gain, suitable for hikers with experience of high-altitude walking on mixed terrain.

Description

0h00' 0.00km From the Valle di Clavalité car park, take the dirt track that climbs up the valley. The first section winds through a cool larch forest (Larix decidua), with a few barely noticeable ups and downs. Next, a left-hand bend leads to a short downhill stretch to a vantage point offering views of Punta Tersiva, Becca di Vio, Mont Rafray, the plateau and the small lake below. A little further on, after passing a small votive chapel on the left, you come to a fork marked by a signpost (1,513m), in the hamlet of Robioz.

0h05' 0.30km Take the dirt track on the left which, after a gentle climb, passes through the houses of Robioz until it reaches a beautiful meadow, a prelude to the hamlet of Le Chapieux (1,545m), where a signpost marks thejunction with path coming from the Marqueron car park.

0h15' 0.79km Keep to the right, passing along the edge of the houses, and, near a wooden drinking trough 💧, take the path which immediately leads into the dense larch forest. The gradient becomes steep almost immediately and you gain altitude quickly, whilst sporadic panoramic views of the central valley open up through the trees. Continue the ascent, keeping to the left, until you reach the junction with paths and coming from Marqueron.

0h50' 1.84 km Keep to the right, heading east-south-east, until the woodland begins to thin out, giving way to a mosaic of pasture, rhododendrons (Rhododendron ferrugineum), junipers (Juniperus communis subsp. nana) and scattered larch trees (Larix decidua) and Swiss stone pines (Pinus cembra) and a few solitary birch trees (Betula pendula). The ascent alternates between steeper and gentler sections; in the background, the distant peaks of the Alps can be seen. After a left-hand bend, the path continues in a fairly straight line, alternating between short wooded sections and grassy stretches, with a brief flat section, until it reaches the small valley that precedes a scree slope and the fork leading to the Petit Ballalanaz mountain pasture.

[1h50’T2] 3.41km At the junction, keep to the right heading south, leaving the clearly visible path to the mountain pasture on your left. Continue on a moderate climb halfway up the slope amongst low-growing vegetation, rhododendrons and junipers, crossing Pian Fret until you reach a small saddle marked by a small cairn at an altitude of 2,424m.

2h15' 4.07km From the cairn, turn right and follow the easy ridge, with the summit already visible. Once you reach the next cairn, head for a small pass of broken rocks situated to the left of a minor secondary summit; just before reaching it, begin the ascent of the final slope, keeping to the left and finding the best route through scree and grassy steps, up to the ridge, which you follow for a few metres to the right to reach Testa di Pian Fret (2,715m) [2h50’T3] 5.15km (1,197mD+) .

The return journey follows the same route taken on the ascent [1h45’T3] 5.15km (1,197mD-).

Places of Interest

• Testa di Pian Fret

• Fénis

Collections

• hikes starting from the Valle di Clavalité car park | list - map

• excursions in Fénis | list - map

• hikes in Val Clavalité | list - map

• hikes in the 2000s of the Valle d'Aosta | list - map