Excursion to the Lago delle Rane (Frog Lake)
Resorts: Saint-Pierre
The itinerary leads to the Frog Lake, located at the foot of Mont Fallère (3059 metres above sea level). The route is characterised by a long uphill stretch on a dirt road that is a challenge for cyclists’ legs. The fantastic view followed by a great descent on a very technical and scenic path for more expert cyclists makes up for the uphill struggle.
Technical information
Description of the route
Technical difficulty: varies from easy to difficult
Physical difficulty: medium/difficult
Bike-friendly: 100%
Type of Route: dirt road, path
On leaving the Aosta Ovest (Aosta west) motorway exit, follow the directions to Saint-Pierre and then to Vetan.
From the square to the Notre Maison hotel (1760 metres above sea level) you descend along the asphalt road for around 200 metres and then turn right onto the dirt path in Vetan Villette. Take the uphill dirt path that crosses wide fields before arriving at the Châtelanaz Alpine Pasture (1857 metres above sea level) and continue to the right always rising in the direction of the Or alpine pasture. On arrival at the Or alpine pasture (2120 metres above sea level) turn to the right and follow path no. 13. After having followed this route for a while, you arrive at the Mont Fallère mountain hut (2350 metres above sea level).
Then you come to the Frog Lake that can be found about 100 metres from the hut, taking care when crossing the often boggy meadows. Less expert cyclist-excursionists are advised to return via the route used for the ascent, while those with more expertise who want to get stuck into a spectacular and technical descent on the path should find route no.11 that begins on the right of the lake and leads to Tsa de la Comba alpine pasture (2250 metres above sea level), before continuing to the right on path no.10 that after having crossed a flat meadow, continues downwards on the south side of the Becca France. You continue descending, ignoring the detours on the left until you come to a farm track. From here, continue to the left (path 11B) on the farm track until you arrive at the Loé alpine pasture (1987 metres above sea level), turning left on the descent. After crossing the stream, follow path no. 12 that crosses the entire Vetan basin. On arriving at the Châtelanaz alpine pasture (1857 metres above sea level) continue to the left downhill until you reach the start point.