Mountain tour up La Tournette at Lake Annecy

The rocky summit structure of the freestanding Tournette (2,351 m) towers visibly over Lake Annecy. For experienced hikers with a head for heights, the ascent to the summit is considered one of the most beautiful tours in the region, rewarding you at the top with a panoramic view down to the lake and such evocative mountain regions as Bauges, Aravis, Belledonne, Beaufort, and across to Mont Blanc.

Paths lead to the summit from several sides; the shortest and most popular route starts at the alpine pasture with the Chalet de l’Aulp (which is managed in summer, or at the lower car park before the gravel track leading to the pasture). It leads first through a sweat-inducing series of zig-zags over grassy slopes and some karst outcrops, already offering magnificent views of Lake Annecy some 1,900 m below, until the seemingly impenetrable rock faces below the summit are reached.

However, via short scrambling sections, partly secured with cables, and traverses on airy rock ledges, the path winds its way up to the saddle below the final summit structure—known as the ‘Fauteuil’ (armchair)—which is often still covered with snowfields in early summer. Finally, secured again with chains and airy ladders, you pass through a rock chimney to the highest point and the summit cross.