The giants path: high altitude trekking amidst Europe's highest summits

Alta Via trail 1, known as the Alta Via dei Giganti, or “the giants’ trail”, is a trekking route through incomparable scenery, across the foothills of some of the highest peaks in Europe such as Monte Rosa, the Matterhorn and Mont-Blanc.

This itinerary offers, alongside some superb examples of natural alpine architecture (including the elegant pyramid of the Matterhorn), matchless specimens of rural architecture that are inextricably linked with the life of the alpine pasturelands, such as the traditional Walser buildings in the Gressoney Valley and the upper reaches of the Ayas Valley. Tracing its path through the mountains to the left of the River Dora Baltea, Alta Via trail 1 can be walked by anyone since it follows well-marked footpaths, that are fully signposted. The trekker who is an experienced mountain walker will be able to walk its whole length, while those who wish to try out footpaths as a first experience will be able to walk just a few short sections, lower down.

The route leads from Donnas to Courmayeur, with 17 daily stages that require 3-5 hours walking time each, offering stopping points for all needs: camping sites, huts, refuges, hotels and hostels. The routes descend into the valley at the end of almost every stage, where it is possible to use the services provided by each of the villages or interrupt your journey and return to the central valley by bus. The route can be walked in the summer months and crosses medium and high altitude mountain areas, through meadows and pasturelands, woodlands and rocky outcrops, maintaining an average altitude of around 2,000 m. and often touching almost 3,000 m (on Col Malatrà the route reaches 2,925 m.).

The immense natural beauty of these surroundings that bear witness to the respect and equilibrium of the local farming traditions in the use of territorial resources, and the superb backdrop of the high mountains whose names resound through the annals of history, provide an unforgettable experience.

Find points of interest on the map:

The numbers on the map - and on the table below it - link to the detailed page of each trekking stage from which you can download the respective GPX and KML tracks.

At the top left, you can choose the map background:

  • "map" with or without “relief” (level curves) - showing toponyms and streets
  • “satellite” which presents the satellite image of the area.

At the top right, the funnel-shaped symbol allows you to choose the points of interest along the route, to be displayed on the map. Click on the funnel again to close the legend.
If you wish to find out more, by clicking on the identified point you can access the corresponding page.