Walking route: Tour of Pointe d'Ardens from Prétairié

A lovely hike in the Abondance mountain pastures, with lovely views of Mont de Grange, the Valon de Pertuis and the Piron cliffs. You'll also reach the Cubourré site and the Plagnes lake, a Unesco Global Geopark geosite.

This hike takes you past alpine chalets and beautiful mountain scenery.

Starting from Prétairié, you climb through the undergrowth to reach the mountain pastures and chalets of Entre Deux Pertuis. The Pointe d'Ardens rises to an altitude of 1959 m.

After a good climb, you can then descend to the chalets d'Ardents, at the foot of the Pointe du Piron cliffs, where you may even spot marmots below!

You'll then descend to the Cubourré site and Lac des Plagnes, a UNESCO-listed Geopark. Didactic panels explain the geological evolution of the site.

At the end of the lake, you'll reach Prétairié via a path and then a forest trail.

Departmental markings called P.D.I.P.R. on beige metal panels with green lettering.

• Map guide to 65 walks and hikes in the Evian region and Abondance valley
• Map of walking routes in the Portes du Soleil area in France and Switzerland
• IGN TOP 25 No. 3528 ET Morzine Chablais Massif Portes du Soleil

0/ "Prétairié" parking lot.
1/ Follow signs for "Entre Deux Pertuis" on the left. Climb through the forest, ignoring all junctions. When you reach the mountain chalets, continue upwards, following the signs for "Col d'Entre Deux Pertuis".
2/ At the intersection before the pass, take the left-hand path and follow signs for "Les chalets d'Ardens". At the chalets, follow signs for "Cubourré". Descend the small mountain cirque, and at the intersection after the stream, take the left-hand path through the forest towards "Lac des Plagnes". Follow the lake on the left.
3/ At the end of the path, turn left at the intersection and follow the signs for "Pré Chapeau" and "Le Cazot". At a small clearing, turn left and head slightly uphill to an intersection. Then turn right and begin the descent into the woods.
4/ At the next junction, turn right again. Continue downhill to the next junction, then turn right to reach the starting point.