Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the car park at Pravieux, 1,834 m, in the Valsavarenche, path 5 crosses the Savara torrent and climbs through larch and stone pine to the Alpe Lavassey, where the park rangers have a hut. Above the trees it zigzags up the meadows to Rifugio Federico Chabod, 2,710 m, which looks straight across at the north-west face of the Gran Paradiso and its glaciers. Return the same way.
It is 7.7 km there and back with 865 m of ascent; allow about 5½ hours. The grade is Hard: a well-made mule track, but a steady climb of almost 900 m to a hut at over 2,700 m.
This is a summer walk: the national park recommends June to September. The hut's summer season in 2026 ran from 28 May to 20 September, and only its winter room is open now. The hut, with 85 beds, is the base for the normal route up the Gran Paradiso and is run by the Valsavarenche mountain guides. Dogs are allowed on this path only from 15 July to 15 September. Snow can cover the upper path from autumn.
The car park at Pravieux is free, and there is a bus stop there on the Valsavarenche road.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Up through larch and stone pine to a hut at 2,710 m facing the north-west face of the Gran Paradiso
- Past the park rangers' hut at the Alpe Lavassey
- The hut is a base for the normal route up the Gran Paradiso and is run by the Valsavarenche guides
- Dogs are allowed on this path only from 15 July to 15 September
Getting there
Start: Pravieux car park · Free parking. 45.54440, 7.21217
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Gran Paradiso: Booking.com → Expedia →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.
