HotelCH
1,472 m
Hôtel Splendide
Champex-Lac · TMB km 111.5
A three-star Belle Époque-style hotel opened in 1938 and run for four generations by the same family, on the heights…
Elevation profile
1,250 m1,500 m1,750 m2,000 m2,250 m0 km2 km4 km6 km8 km10 km12 km14 kmAlpage de Bovine 1,987 m
| Waypoint | Altitude | Km |
|---|---|---|
| Champex-Lac | 1,466 m | 0 km |
| Alpage de Bovine | 1,987 m | 8.9 km |
| Col de la Forclaz | 1,526 m | 13.4 km |
| Trient | 1,279 m | 15.5 km |
The route
The main route leaves Champex via Plan de l'Au, then climbs through forest to the Bovine alpine pasture (1,987 m). The trail, stony and rooty in places, offers a plunging view down to Martigny and the Rhône valley, with the Bernese Alps on the horizon. The Bovine refreshment hut is a popular stop.
The descent leads to the Col de la Forclaz (1,526 m), which has a hotel, a shop and a bus stop for Martigny. All that remains is a short descent to Trient, a hamlet overlooked by its pink church and by the glacier of the same name.
The Fenêtre d'Arpette, the high-mountain alternative
In settled weather, and for hikers who are comfortable on boulder fields, the Fenêtre d'Arpette (2,665 m) is one of the finest days on the TMB, with a close-up view of the Trient Glacier. It is considerably longer and more technical.
Practical tips
- The Fenêtre d'Arpette is not recommended in uncertain weather, when there is snow, or for anyone prone to vertigo.
- The Col de la Forclaz offers an escape route by bus to Martigny.
- In Trient, book your dinner too: the hamlet has no restaurant that stays open late.
Variants on this stage
Stage map
Where to stay on stage 8?
Accommodation along the stage, at the finish or on its variants, in walking order.
Champex-Lac 11 places to stay
HotelCHbuilding works
1,470 m
Hôtel-Restaurant Le Belvédère
Champex-Lac · TMB km 111.5
A small chalet-style hotel-restaurant on the route du Signal, a few hundred metres from the lake. According to the…
HotelCH
1,478 m
Hôtel Alpina
Champex-Lac · TMB km 111.6
A small three-star hotel on the route du Signal, above the village, with balcony rooms facing the mountains. The…
HotelCH
1,473 m
Hôtel Mont-Lac
Champex-Lac · TMB km 111.8
A chalet-style hotel on the lakeshore, whose guests enjoy a free indoor pool and sauna. The rooms look out over the…
InnCH
1,468 m
Auberge Le Rendez-Vous
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.2
An inn completely renovated and reopened at the end of May 2025, right at the water's edge on Lake Champex. It has…
HotelCH
1,468 m
Au Club Alpin
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.3
A former lakeside address rebuilt as a boutique hotel with six rooms and two suites, a spa and a gourmet restaurant…
HotelCH
1,469 m
Hôtel-Restaurant Au Vieux-Champex
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.3
A hotel-restaurant on the lakeshore that rents apartments with a bedroom, living room, kitchenette and private terrace…
B&BCH
1,468 m
Le Cabanon (B&B)
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.3
A lakeside café-restaurant that rents four rooms on a bed & breakfast basis. A simple solution for sleeping in the…
HotelCH
1,472 m
Hôtel du Glacier
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.5
A three-star hotel run by the Biselx family for five generations, on the shore of Lake Champex, whose origins go back…
GîteCH
1,467 m
Pension en Plein Air
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.6
A large guesthouse for hikers on Champex's main road, about 200 m from the lake and right on the TMB route. With more…
CampsiteCH
1,480 m
Camping Les Rocailles
Champex-Lac · TMB km 112.9
A campsite on grassy terraces to the west of the village of Champex-Lac, a few minutes from the lake. The pitches are…
Val d'Arpette 5 places to stay
CampsiteCHvariant
1,627 m
©Camping du Val d'Arpette
Val d'Arpette (Champex d'Arpette) · TMB km 113.9
A natural campsite attached to the Relais d'Arpette, between a mountain stream and forest, at the start of the Fenêtre…
InnCHvariant
1,627 m
Relais d'Arpette
Val d'Arpette (Champex d'Arpette) · TMB km 113.9
A large mountain inn at the entrance to the Val d'Arpette, half an hour's walk from Champex along the bisse, at the…
HotelCH
1,446 m
Hôtel Sunways
Champex d'en Haut (Champex valley) · TMB km 114
A hotel nestled in a large private park in the Champex valley, about ten minutes' walk from the lake, on the path…
GîteCH
1,444 m
Auberge-Gîte Bon Abri
Champex d'en Haut (Champex valley) · TMB km 114.1
An inn and gîte in the Champex valley, 1.2 km from the lake, on the paths leading towards Bovine and the Val…
GîteCH
1,443 m
Chalet La Grange (B&B La Grange)
Champex d'en Haut (Champex valley) · TMB km 114.1
A barn from the 1890s renovated in 2018, this small 14-bed gîte is in the Champex valley, about 1 km from the lake…
Trient and Col de la Forclaz 6 places to stay
CampsiteCH
1,527 m
Camping de l'Arpille
Col de la Forclaz · TMB km 126.2
A small campsite next to the Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz, where tents are welcome without a reservation. Campers have a…
HotelCH
1,527 m
©Hôtel du Col de la Forclaz
Col de la Forclaz · TMB km 126.2
A hotel run by the Gay-Crosier family since around the 1830s (now the sixth generation), at the Col de la Forclaz road…
InnCH
1,276 m
Auberge du Mont-Blanc
Trient · TMB km 128.4
The largest capacity in Trient, the inn stands at the entrance to the village, on the Martigny – Chamonix road and on…
InnCH
1,275 m
Auberge La Grande Ourse
Trient · TMB km 128.4
A family-run inn in the village of Trient, at the foot of the Col de la Forclaz and two glaciers, renting rooms…
Mountain hutCH
1,327 m
©Refuge Le Peuty
Le Peuty (Trient) · TMB km 129.5
A small private hut in the hamlet of Le Peuty, on the edge of the village of Trient, on the path to the Col de Balme…
CampsiteCH
1,330 m
©Aire de camping du Peuty (place de repos)
Le Peuty (Trient) · TMB km 129.6
A municipal camping area set up on the Peuty meadow, next to the hut, which operates without reservations on a…