Description of the route

Technical difficulty: easy / medium
Physical difficulty: medium
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of Route: trails and unpaved footpaths – short section of asphalt road
Footpath signposts: 23 – 23D – 15B – 15 – 23B

From Cogne square, take the asphalt road towards the village of Valnontey. After about 1 km, turn left near the hamlet of Son-le-Prò and head down the unpaved footpath which leads into the forest along a short, steep uphill section, cross the bridge over the Alpine skiing slopes (the highest one) and after a series of short climbs you reach Sylvenoire glade (1686 m, with a Bar/Restaurant).

Continue along this flat section through the picturesque plateau and descend towards Champlong. At the final descent, before you reach the meadows, turn right and head down trail No 23D which crosses the Champlong geological site, a giant landslide caused by the floods of 2000, until you reach Valeille bridge (1630 m).

Descend towards Lillaz on the right-hand side and follow the signposts until you reach the falls along an easy stretch of flat unpaved road. Once you’ve returned to the village, cycle along the left-hand side of Urtier torrent towards Champlong and follow the Lillaz–Cogne footpath, continuing at walking pace until you reach the town of Cogne.

Alternatively, once you’ve crossed Champlong bridge and the house on the left and finished a section of the footpath, head uphill to the left along trail 23B; this route crosses through Sylvenoire forest again with a series of short uphill and downhill sections. Cross the bridge again over the Alpine skiing slopes (the lowest one this time) until you come to the hamlet of Son-le-Prò, where you join the road towards Cogne.