Sport Itineraries: Champdepraz

To reach the mining site of Herin, you go beyond the locality called Barbustel and you meet a crossroads from which you continue to the locality Capiron. From here, take path 8a which leads to the Hérin mine. The mine can also be identified from the valley floor due to the yellow-orange route. Here we find some rundown buildings testifying the exploitation of the deposit, a fountain dated “1913”, the departure of the cableway that transported the ore to the washery in locality Fabbrica and an old explosive deposit. At the end of the 19th century, the Hérin mine became Piedmont’s largest copper supplier. Later, pyrite started to be extracted for the agricultural industry. In 1957 the Hérin field was abandoned.

At Fabrique, within the municipality of Champdepraz, take trail 102, which crosses the paved road several times and leads to Gettaz. From here, go along the same path as far as Quicord and then Panaz. At a crossroad not far from the residential area, ignore trails 102 and 3 which go to Panaz Pass and Vesey, in the municipality of Issogne, and take the route 3C on the right, which soon takes you to Lake Panaz.

After Veulla, where the paved road from Champdepraz ends, take the farm road on foot, as far as Magazzino and Serva Désot. From the mountain pasture, you take the footpath on the left, no. 5C, which crosses a conifer wood and takes you to the Lago di Serva plateau area. You walk past it on the right and then climb to the ruins on the Serva Damon mountain pasture and then on to the Cousse pastures. Go past the left branch, route no. 5A, and continue to the right along 5C and passing between the rocks carved into shapes by the glaciers you come to the Barbustel refuge after touching Lac Blanc.

After Veulla, where the paved road from Champdepraz ends, take private road no. 5C on foot, as far as Magazzino. From here, take mule track 6 on the right of the road, which goes up through the conifer wood and goes along the orographic left bank of the valley, through which the Lac Gélé stream flows. After reaching the mines, you soon get to the guard’s lodge, near which you find Lac Gélé at the foot of Mont Iverta.

After Veulla, where the paved road from Champdepraz ends, take the farm road on foot, as far as Magazzino and Serva Désot. From the mountain pasture, you take the footpath on the left, no. 5C, which crosses a conifer wood and takes you to the Lago di Serva plateau area. You walk past it on the right and then climb to the ruins on the Serva Damon mountain pasture and then on to the Cousse pastures. You ignore the left branch, route no. 5A, and continue to the right along 5C and passing between the rocks carved into shapes by the glaciers you come to the Barbustel refuge after touching Lac Blanc. Continue your walk from the refuge going right and after crossing a bridge that connects Lac Blanc to Lac Noir, the path continues diagonally up over Lago Cornuto (2172 m) and reaches the Pisonnet mountain pasture and with a final steep section it climbs up to the Gran Lago (2492 m).

The lakes along the route are the heart of the Mont Avic regional park.

From Champdepraz, take the road that leads to the hamlet of Barbustel. Near a left-hand bend, the road goes off towards Crétaz, which is closed to vehicle traffic, hence can only be reached on foot. Now take trail 8, which breaks off at the village and goes up to Arp pasture, after touching Hérin. From Arp, the trail continues towards the top of Mount Barbeston.

Leave the car in the locality called Veulla: the route begins on a beautiful paved road that runs alongside the characteristic church of the village of Veulla; after a few hundred meters the road becomes unpaved and continues westwards. After crossing a wooden bridge, go up a short stretch of road until you reach Crest. Proceed along the road lined with illustrative panels and enter the pine wood until you reach the locality called Magazzino. Turn left following the signs for Servaz. You immediately begin to go up the beautiful paved mule track, pass a small walkway and enter the coniferous forest until you reach the crossroads with the path to the Servaz blast furnace.

Take the snow-covered path that quickly climbs towards the Veulla church. The path flattens out near the church and, following the wooden fence, continues towards the rugged profile of Mont Avic. After crossing the wooden bridge, climb the road to reach Crest: path 7 that leads to Praz Orsie starts here. Ignore this path and continue straight along the road bordered by the signs installed by the Park institute to provide information on the details of the ecosystem in the protected area. Slowly enter the woods populated by confers and the particular uncinate pine: the absolute predominance of this specie is rare in the Alps. After crossing another wooden bridge, the path becomes steeper until you reach the site called Magazzino: the small field includes an information panel with a map of the Park routes. Turn to your left following the directions for Servaz and Coucy on path 5C. After a short flat segment, the path turns downwards and only starts to climb after crossing the wooden bridge over the Chalamy stream. After another wooden bridge that crosses a crystal clear mountain stream, continue under a rock ledge to the base of the pasture. The road turns a few times before reaching Servaz desot.
Pass under the rural mountain buildings to the signpost that points to the right heading for the lake. The path immediately climbs the snow-covered slope: the gradient significantly changes. The route continues along rather varied ground with some quite steep segments. At about 1700 m, the path slightly flattens crossing a small group of rocks to then climb the last push. The end is near and the path starts to flatten to reach lake Servaz in just a couple of minutes (1806 m).