Sport Itineraries: Pontboset

From the parking square at the entrance to the built-up area of Pontboset, cross the Ayasse stream on a two-arched bridge and follow the asphalted road for a few meters, until you reach a mule track that passes to the right of a house with a source and reaches another stone bridge over the stream from La Manda, to join the paved road leading to the Sanctuary of Retempio. Continue right with large bends between the chestnut trees until the Creux houses, where the road turns left. Upon reaching the mouth of the Brenve valley, a couple of hairpin bends lead to the houses of Crest Désot. Inside the settlement, go up a steep path that takes you to Crest Damon in a few minutes.
You can hike as well with strollers suitable for trekking.

Leave the car in the car park in front of the town hall, and take the paved road the goes through the village and down across the Ayasse stream. Continue along the road that runs alongside the stream, then take the old mule track on the right, which rises smoothly to reach Creux and Crest di Sotto (in the last section, the old paved mule track gives way to the new road under construction). Just before you get to the houses of Crest di Sotto, take the trail on the left which follows a pipe of the ENEL company and reaches the valley floor, where you can cross the Brenve over a bridge. The climb up to the sanctuary begins just beyond this point, At the top of the steps, the trail continues along the path, and heads left at the crossroad. Go past the derelict cabins in Larsine, until you come to the pastures of Retempio (1474 , where there is a small sanctuary that dates back to the first half of the 19th century and is the destination of a pilgrimage tradition held on 2 July.
From here there is a beautiful view of Mount Rosa and Mount Cervino.

Go down to the lower part of the village centre and take the beautiful shaded path on your left that leads to the Ayasse at the locality called Frontière; reach the hamlet by crossing the stream on a wooden bridge and, after going through the village, follow the wide path first downhill then flat along the Ayasse. With a last short stretch slightly uphill, reach the long bridge that cuts the Brenve stream just downstream from the ravine. This ravine can be observed from two points: in the lower part, starting from the built-up area of Frontière and continuing up to a wooden bridge along the path towards Hône; in the upper part, leaving the car on the road to Crest, near the third bend and following the indications of the panel located at the beginning of the path reaching it. All directions can be found from the village centre (Capoluogo).

Car access
From Hône take the road to Champorcher and follow it until you have have gone through the village of Pontboset. On the left, take the road that goes down towards the village and park the car near the “Chez Isabel” hotel.

Walking itinerary
From the parking lot, enter the village, take the small road on the right that leads downhill towards the Ayasse stream.
Without crossing the stream, continue left along a beautiful mule track until you cross the stream on a bridge and reach the hamlet of Frontière.
Go past Frontière and on an initially flat stretch, you then go along an uphill stretch to reach the long bridge over the Brenve stream.

After admiring the clear water of the stream among the smooth rocks, go back for about ten metres and take a steep path on the left until you reach a forestry road.
This takes you to the paved road that leads to the village of Crest, and you follow it downhill to the road that goes to Frontière. Turn left and go along for a short distance and then immediately turn right and cross the bridge that spans the Manda stream.

Go down slightly and you reach the paved road; follow it for a while and then turn right and cross the beautiful stone bridge over the Ayasse and then you reach the starting point again.
Go up the paved road as far as the hairpin bend, turn left and cross the bridge that takes you across the Ayasse again. Immediately after the bridge, take the uphill path on the right that leads to the hamlet of Vareisa, where you cross the Ayasse over the bridge and return to the orographic left.
Return to the starting point following the wide path and then the paved road.

Technical difficulty: difficult
Physical difficulty: difficult
Cyclability: 100%
Type of route: mixed asphalt, dirt road, path

Imagine riding through a wild and uncontaminated valley, far from mass tourism, where nature and the landscape are the protagonists: you are on the Ciclovia della Valle di Champorcher, a cycling itinerary of about 22 km that takes you straight to the heart of one of the most authentic and spectacular corners of the Aosta Valley.

The route passes through the municipalities of Pontboset and Champorcher, and then climbs up to 2,593 meters of Col de Laris, where a memorable view opens up over the Piamprato valley, in Piedmont. As you pedal, you will discover that part of the route winds through the Mont Avic Natural Park, a true paradise for nature lovers with unique flora and fauna.

Between a coniferous forest and a narrow valley carved by glaciers, you will pedal on a route ideal for mountain biking where the paths alternate with farm roads and forest tracks, connected by sections of local roads. And if you love nature, prepare to be enchanted by the woods, pastures and alpine meadows, accompanied by the Ayasse stream that flows alongside a good part of the route.

But it is not only nature that tells you a story. Along the way, you will pass through villages that seem to have come from another era, such as Pontboset, famous for its ancient bridges. You will also follow part of the “royal road”, built by order of King Vittorio Emanuele II to reach his hunting reserve. Each pedal stroke will bring you a little closer to that ancient world that survives intertwining with the current warm welcome of this valley.

With a gap of 1,816 metres and high altitudes, this cycle path is a challenge for the most trained, but also a joy for those who choose to tackle it with an e-bike. The best time to experience it is from late spring to autumn, when the climate is more favorable.

So, if you are looking for an adventure between history and nature, jump on your bike and discover the Champorcher Valley!