Where to photograph the Aravis? Photo spots and field tips
The Aravis form an instantly recognizable limestone range between Annecy, the Arve Valley and the Val d’Arly. For photographers, their appeal lies in the variety of possible readings: a succession of combes opening mainly to the west, sharply cut peaks, alpine pastures that remain strongly present, and several distant viewpoints from which the range can be photographed as a whole.
This guide helps you choose the right subject before choosing the terrain. Pointe Percée, Vallon de Doran, the combes from Les Confins to Tardevant and Mont Charvin offer four distinct photographic experiences. The intermediate passes, alpine pastures and viewpoints complete the reading of the massif without automatically becoming separate guides.
Understand the Aravis massif before choosing a subject
In this guide, the main photographic reading runs from the Pointe Percée area in the north to Mont Charvin in the south; geographically, however, the Aravis range continues farther north towards Pointe d’Areu and the Chaîne du Reposoir. Its relief is organized around a long line of limestone peaks and a series of combes that descend mainly towards La Clusaz. This geography gives the massif a double photographic identity: you can enter the relief through its valleys, alpine pastures and combes, or step back to read the range as a single silhouette.
Pastoral landscapes remain very present, especially around Le Grand-Bornand, Les Confins, Col des Annes and the passes in the south of the massif. They are not a secondary backdrop: chalets, meadows and alpine pasture lines give scale to the cliffs and connect high mountain terrain with an inhabited landscape. By contrast, the areas around Gramusset, Tardevant and Lac du Charvin gradually shift the image towards a more mineral character.
This structure explains how the guide is organized: some photographic subjects have enough depth to be explored in a dedicated local guide; other places remain in this general guide when they mainly help explain the massif, vary the viewpoints or connect several subjects.
Which area should you choose to photograph the Aravis?
| Area | What you photograph first | Dominant photographic reading |
|---|---|---|
| Pointe Percée | Peak, alpine pastures, approach ridges, refuge | Follow the same peak from several distances |
| Vallon de Doran | Cirque, alpine pasture, chalets, chapel, refuge | An inhabited landscape framed by the relief |
| Les Confins, Paccaly, Tardevant | Combes, lakes, alpine pastures, ridgelines | Compare several combes within one coherent terrain unit |
| Mont Charvin | Peak, alpine pastures, cirque and Lac du Charvin | Move from pastoral landscape to the high-altitude cirque |
The right choice depends on the subject of the image. A specific peak, a valley, a succession of combes or a peak-and-lake ensemble do not require the same terrain or the same photographic construction.
Pointe Percée: the defining peak of the northern Aravis
Pointe Percée lends itself particularly well to a progressive approach. From the Vallée du Bouchet, it can be placed within a landscape of meadows and chalets. At Col des Annes, the relationship between alpine pasture and peak becomes more direct. As you move towards the Têtes des Annes, the Delevrets, Col de l’Oulettaz and then Gramusset, the silhouette changes and the limestone gradually takes over.
This continuity justifies a dedicated guide: the point is not to accumulate spots, but to understand how the same subject changes with distance and altitude.
Vallon de Doran: photograph a complete landscape
Doran should be distinguished from a simple viewpoint towards Pointe Percée. The valley combines alpine pastures, chalets, a chapel, a refuge and the surrounding relief that closes the cirque. This relationship between an inhabited space and the mountain is the main subject.
The dedicated guide therefore focuses on the depth of the valley itself and on deciding when a peak remains a contextual element rather than the true subject of the image.
Les Confins, Paccaly and Tardevant: read the combes as one photographic unit
The western combes of the Aravis form a coherent progression from Les Confins towards Paccaly and Tardevant. Alpine pastures, mineral lines, bodies of water and changing openings allow you to vary compositions without creating an article for every micro-location.
The Tardevant lakes and their associated viewpoints therefore remain part of this unit. Its coherence comes from the succession of photographable landscapes on the ground, not from turning a hiking route into editorial architecture.
→ Field guide: photographing the Aravis combes from Les Confins to Tardevant
Mont Charvin and Lac du Charvin: one visual ensemble
In the south of the massif, Mont Charvin can be photographed at several levels. The Manigod and Sous l’Aiguille areas make it possible to keep alpine pastures and the rural landscape in the frame. Higher in the cirque, the lake becomes a major compositional element facing the peak.
Lac du Charvin is therefore not artificially isolated in a second guide: the peak, cirque and lake form one photographic unit, with a clear progression from pastoral landscape to high altitude.
→ Field guide: photographing Mont Charvin and Lac du Charvin
Tête du Danay, Beauregard and Mont Lachat: photograph the range from a distance
Some of the best views of the Aravis are found outside the range itself. Tête du Danay, the Beauregard plateau and Mont Lachat above Le Grand-Bornand provide families of viewpoints from which several peaks can be read together and the length of the range becomes easier to understand.
These viewpoints complement the four field guides. They are not sufficiently rich autonomous subjects to justify their own pages. Instead, they help photograph the overall identity of the massif: the repetition of limestone peaks, their relationship with the alpine pastures and changing light across several successive planes.
Access conditions change with the seasons and with operating facilities. Check authorized access and local conditions before planning an outing, especially outside the summer season.
Col des Aravis, Étale, Merdassier and Croix-Fry: complete the reading of the massif
Col des Aravis gives direct access to the central part of the range and its alpine pasture landscapes. Étale strongly structures the southern side of La Clusaz, while Merdassier and Croix-Fry open other views towards the reliefs in the south of the massif. These areas have genuine photographic value, but they work better as options within the general guide than as artificially separate destinations.
Col de la Colombière occupies a more delicate position. It acts as an interface with the Bargy; subjects centered on Jallouvre, Lac de Peyre or the Bargy range are therefore not treated here as areas of the Aravis.
Light, season and conditions: adapt the area instead of following a recipe
The Aravis do not call for one single time of day. Raking light can reveal the limestone strata more clearly; a heavy sky can simplify a composition in a combe; softer light may suit alpine pastures or lake reflections better. The choice of area should therefore come before any rule about light.
Snow changes both the image and access. A road or trail known in summer should never be assumed to be equivalent in winter. Actual conditions, closures, weather and avalanche risk must be checked before any outing.
A beautiful viewpoint never makes access safe by itself. The information in this guide helps you choose a photographic subject; it does not replace route planning or local safety information.
Aravis photo prints
Photograph of the peaks of the Aravis massif at sunset
An overall view that shows exactly why distant viewpoints matter photographically: several peaks become readable within the same image.
Photography: Pierre Thiaville
Frequently asked questions
What are the best areas for photographing the Aravis?
Four units cover different photographic experiences: Pointe Percée for following the same peak from several distances, Doran for an inhabited alpine valley, the combes from Les Confins to Tardevant for a coherent succession of landscapes, and Mont Charvin with its lake for moving from alpine pastures to a high-altitude cirque.
Where can you photograph the whole Aravis range?
Distant viewpoints such as Tête du Danay, Beauregard and Mont Lachat make it possible to photograph several peaks together and read the length of the range more clearly.
Are Lac de Peyre and Jallouvre included in this Aravis guide?
No. These subjects belong to the Bargy/Bornes area. Col de la Colombière remains a geographical interface, but that does not justify artificially attaching Lac de Peyre or Jallouvre to the Aravis.
Do you need a separate guide for every pass or lake?
No. A dedicated page is useful when a photographic subject has enough depth and coherence. Passes, lakes and viewpoints remain in the general guide or within a broader terrain unit when they mainly enrich a primary subject.
Useful official sources
In summary
The Aravis are best photographed as a system of complementary subjects. The four field guides explore the richest units in depth; the general guide keeps the overview of the massif, its distant viewpoints and the areas that improve understanding of the range without artificially deserving their own page. The architecture is therefore guided first by photography, checked against the territory and only then organized around the realities of the terrain.