The 20 most beautiful hikes in the French Alps in summer: panoramas, lakes, and summits

Photo & Hiking Guide by AluArtMountains — Last updated: June 2026 — Reading time: 18 to 22 minutes

Pierre Thiaville has been photographing mountain landscapes since 2017 and explores the French Alps in search of beautiful routes, strong light, and panoramas that linger long after the hike. Summer is an ideal season: trails are open, high-altitude lakes regain their reflections, alpine pastures are in bloom, and peaks often remain snow-capped in the background.

In this guide, we offer a selection of 20 of the most beautiful hikes in the French Alps in summer, with a particular focus on landscapes, lakes, Mont Blanc views, and the photographic potential of each route.

Also find our selection of photo prints of the Alps on Dibond aluminium to bring these alpine landscapes into your home.

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Summary Table of the 20 Hikes

Distances, durations, and elevation gains are indicative. They may vary depending on the exact starting point, chosen variations, weather, and your fitness level.

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The Most Beautiful Hikes Facing Mont Blanc

The Mont Blanc massif boasts some of the most spectacular hikes in the French Alps. These are the routes we prioritize if you're looking for powerful views, glaciers, peaks, and unforgettable late-day light.

1. Lac Blanc — Chamonix's Iconic Hike

Lac Blanc is probably the most famous hike in Chamonix. The trail climbs above the valley, crosses the Aiguilles Rouges, and leads to one of the most beautiful reflections of Mont Blanc. In summer, it's busy, but the magic always works, especially early morning or late afternoon.

📍 GPS: 45.9742, 6.8889 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 4h to 5h depending on the route
🚗 Parking: Flégère parking, Les Praz-de-Chamonix
🥾 Elevation: +350 m from Index, more from the valley
📷 Photo Tip: Prioritize sunrise for reflections, ideally with no wind

→ Also read: The 15 Most Beautiful Lakes in the French Alps

2. Brévent – Planpraz — The Frontal View of Mont Blanc

Brévent offers one of the most direct views of Mont Blanc. It's a flexible hike: you can use cable cars to reduce the effort, or hike up from Chamonix for a more strenuous day. For photography, late afternoon is often exceptional.

📍 GPS: 45.9333, 6.8333 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 2h30 from Planpraz, full day from Chamonix
🚗 Parking: Brévent cable car parking, Chamonix
🥾 Elevation: variable depending on starting point
📷 Photo Tip: Sunset and alpenglow on the massif

→ View related photo: Mont-Blanc and Brévent cable car

3. Aiguillette des Houches — One of the Massif's Most Beautiful Balconies

The Aiguillette des Houches is a more demanding hike, but it offers a magnificent perspective on the entire Mont Blanc range. We particularly like this route for its balance: quite wild, very panoramic, and less crowded than the Chamonix classics.

📍 GPS: 45.8917, 6.7833 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 5h to 6h
🚗 Parking: Les Houches or Prarion area depending on the route
🥾 Elevation: up to +1,100 m depending on starting point
📷 Photo Tip: excellent spot to show Mont Blanc with the valley in the foreground

4. Plan de l'Aiguille – Montenvers — The Grand Panoramic Classic

This traverse between Plan de l'Aiguille and Montenvers is one of the most accessible and beautiful hikes in Chamonix. It allows you to walk facing the peaks, above the valley, with constant views of glaciers and high mountains.

📍 GPS Start: 45.8900, 6.8750 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 3h to 4h
🚗 Parking: Aiguille du Midi parking, Chamonix
🥾 Elevation: moderate, balcony route
📷 Photo Tip: bring a telephoto lens to isolate glaciers and peaks

→ More info: The 20 Most Beautiful Mont Blanc Panoramas

5. Les Lacs de Chéserys — Reflections and Alpine Atmosphere

The Lacs de Chéserys are less known than Lac Blanc, but often offer a more intimate atmosphere. The reflections of the massif, rocky slabs, and small bodies of water allow for very graphic compositions.

📍 GPS: 45.9700, 6.8800 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: Approx. 4h depending on the route
🚗 Parking: Flégère parking, Les Praz-de-Chamonix
🥾 Elevation: Approx. +600 m
📷 Photo Tip: Perfect at the beginning or end of the day, when the water is calm

→ View our photo: Mont-Blanc Reflection in Lac de Chéserys

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Hikes with the Most Beautiful Lakes

6. Lac d'Anterne — One of the Most Beautiful Wild Landscapes in Haute-Savoie

Lake Anterne is a magnificent hike, featuring mountain pastures, waterfalls, lapies, and vast open spaces. What we love here is the sense of remoteness. The lake appears as a reward after a long ascent, with the Rochers des Fiz in the background.

📍 GPS: 46.0167, 6.7833 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: Approx. 5h
🚗 Parking: Salvagny or Sixt-Fer-à-Cheval depending on the itinerary
🥾 Elevation gain: +850 to +900 m
📷 Photo tip: superb at sunrise or late in the day, excellent spot for regulated bivouac

7. Lake Crozet — the mirror of Belledonne

Lake Crozet is one of the best spots in Belledonne for reflections. The water, the mineral walls, and the surrounding peaks create a very alpine atmosphere, almost austere at times, but extremely photogenic.

📍 GPS: 45.2167, 6.0833 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 4h to 5h round trip
🚗 Parking: Pré Raymond / Freydières sector depending on access
🥾 Elevation gain: +700 to +800 m
📷 Photo tip: go early, before the wind breaks up the reflections

→ See related prints: Lake Crozet, Belledonne | Reflection of Lake Crozet

8. Lake Allos — the giant of Mercantour

Lake Allos is one of the most impressive lakes in the Southern Alps. Its relatively easy access makes it an ideal hike to enjoy a grand high-altitude landscape without embarking on an overly demanding day.

📍 GPS: 44.2333, 6.7167 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 2h to 3h depending on the chosen route
🚗 Parking: Laus / Lake Allos car park depending on seasonal opening
🥾 Elevation gain: +200 to +300 m
📷 Photo tip: favor the soft light of morning or evening

→ See our photo: Lake Allos, Mercantour

9. Lake Trécolpas — wild atmosphere in Mercantour

Lake Trécolpas is more secluded. It requires a bit more effort, but the atmosphere is superb: pines, rocks, dark water, and the peaks of Mercantour. It's the kind of hike that makes you want to slow down.

📍 GPS: 44.1000, 7.3167 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 4h to 5h round trip
🚗 Parking: Madone de Fenestre, Saint-Martin-Vésubie
🥾 Elevation gain: +600 to +700 m
📷 Photo tip: late afternoon for warm light on the walls

→ See our photo: Lake Trécolpas, Mercantour

10. Lake Muzelle — a powerful alpine hike

Lake Muzelle is a demanding hike, but it's one of the great routes in the Écrins. The scenery is mineral, high, and impressive. Here, you truly feel the high mountains.

📍 GPS: 44.9833, 6.1167 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: Approx. 6h
🚗 Parking: Venosc / Bourg-d'Arud
🥾 Elevation gain: +1,000 to +1,100 m
📷 Photo tip: plan to arrive early or stay overnight in a refuge to enjoy the best light

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Grand Alpine Panoramas

11. Lake Lauvitel — forest, water, and Écrins peaks

Lake Lauvitel is less mineral than Muzelle, but very photogenic. The forests, wild slopes, and deep waters create a softer atmosphere, perfect for autumn but also very pleasant in summer.

📍 GPS: 44.9667, 6.1500 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 4h to 5h depending on the route
🚗 Parking: Bourg-d'Arud, Vénéon valley
🥾 Elevation gain: +450 m minimum, more depending on variation
📷 Photo tip: play with reflections and forest foregrounds

12. The Grand Balcon Nord — walking facing the glaciers

The Grand Balcon Nord connects Chamonix's major points of interest with continuous views of the massif. It's a perfect hike for photographers who want to vary their shots without necessarily seeking a summit.

📍 Starting GPS: 45.8900, 6.8750 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 4h to 5h
🚗 Parking: Chamonix, depending on starting point Plan de l'Aiguille or Montenvers
🥾 Elevation gain: moderate, balcony route
📷 Photo tip: very good terrain for alternating wide-angle and telephoto lenses

13. Col de la Seigne — the spirit of the Tour du Mont Blanc

The Col de la Seigne marks a spectacular transition between France and Italy. The view opens up to immense landscapes, with a sense of journey that we really appreciate. It's a hike that appeals as much to trek lovers as to photographers.

📍 GPS: 45.7500, 6.8000 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: Approx. 5h depending on starting point
🚗 Parking: Les Chapieux / Ville des Glaciers depending on conditions
🥾 Elevation gain: +900 to +1,000 m
📷 Photo tip: ideal for wide compositions and trekking atmospheres

14. Lake Lou — large high-altitude lake in Vanoise

Lake Lou is a beautiful high-altitude lake, accessible from the Belleville valley. It offers a more open atmosphere than some enclosed lakes, with soft reflections and light late in the day.

📍 GPS: 45.2800, 6.5200 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 5h to 6h depending on variation
🚗 Parking: Les Menuires / Plan de l'Eau des Bruyères
🥾 Elevation gain: +700 to +900 m
📷 Photo tip: late afternoon, when the light becomes softer on the slopes

15. Pic du Lac Blanc — panoramic Belledonne version

The Pic du Lac Blanc is a more challenging hike, but the view of Belledonne is superb. This route is recommended for experienced hikers, especially if snowfields persist early in the season.

📍 Indicative GPS: 45.1700, 6.0900 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 5h30 to 6h30
🚗 Parking: depending on chosen access in Belledonne
🥾 Elevation gain: around +1,000 m
📷 Photo tip: very good route for mineral views and ridges

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Accessible, Wild Hikes and Valley Lakes

16. Green Lake of Passy — short, accessible, and very photogenic

Lac Vert (Green Lake) is a short hike, perfect if you want a beautiful photo subject without committing to a long day. Its green color, trees, and views of Mont Blanc make it a very effective spot.

📍 GPS: 45.9333, 6.6833 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: Approx. 1h for a simple stroll
🚗 Parking: Lac Vert car park, Passy
🥾 Elevation gain: low
📷 Photo tip: very interesting after rain or in soft light

→ See related prints: Lac Vert, Passy | Lac Vert under snow

17. Lake Roselend — the colors of Beaufortain

Lake Roselend is a reservoir lake, but it fully deserves its place in a photo selection. Between the alpine pastures, mountain roads, and blue waters, it's a very graphic setting, especially at sunrise.

📍 GPS: 45.7167, 6.6833 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 2h to 3h depending on loop or viewpoints
🚗 Parking: Roselend Dam / Beaufortain
🥾 Elevation gain: low to moderate depending on variation
📷 Photo tip: play with the roads, alpine pastures, and curves of the lake

18. Lake Annecy tour — hiking version and viewpoints

Lake Annecy isn't a high-altitude hike, but its viewpoints offer extraordinary views. For a photo version, we favor the heights: Semnoz, Talloires, Roc de Chère, or Col de la Forclaz.

📍 GPS: 45.8667, 6.1667 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: variable depending on the chosen viewpoint
🚗 Parking: numerous car parks around the lake
🥾 Elevation gain: variable
📷 Photo tip: morning mist and sunset from the heights

→ See related prints: Lake Annecy | Lake Annecy at sunset

19. Vanoise Refuge — accessible high mountain

The hike to the Vanoise Refuge is a classic for understanding the beauty of the Vanoise National Park: lakes, alpine pastures, glacial peaks, and refuge atmosphere. It's a great option if you're looking for a complete hike without going to extremes.

📍 Indicative GPS: 45.3900, 6.7800 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: 5h to 6h depending on the route
🚗 Parking: Pralognan-la-Vanoise / Pont du Châtelard depending on access
🥾 Elevation gain: +800 to +900 m
📷 Photo tip: excellent for refuge atmospheres, lakes, and glacial peaks

20. Valette Refuge — for lovers of wide open spaces

The Valette Refuge is a more demanding hike, but it offers a true sense of altitude and isolation. It's a route we would recommend to experienced hikers looking for a wilder atmosphere.

📍 Indicative GPS: 45.3500, 6.7000 — View on Google Maps
🚶 Time: Approx. 6h
🚗 Parking: Pralognan-la-Vanoise depending on itinerary
🥾 Elevation gain: around +1,000 m
📷 Photo tip: ideal at sunrise or sunset if you sleep in a refuge

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Photo tips for hiking in the Alps in summer

A summer hike can be beautiful to the eye but difficult to photograph if the light is too harsh. Here are the tips we most often apply in the field.

• Start early: the light is softer, the trails are quieter, and the lakes offer better reflections.
• Allow extra time: in the mountains, the weather changes quickly. An easy hike can become arduous in the heat or during a thunderstorm.
• Compose with a foreground: rocks, flowers, grasses, trails, cairns, or silhouettes add depth.
• Don't neglect the telephoto lens: it allows you to isolate peaks, glaciers, ibexes, or ridge details.
• Respect the trails: alpine environments are fragile, especially around lakes and wetlands.

Which hike to choose based on your objective?

Which season to choose for hiking in the Alps?

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To go further

• → The 20 most beautiful panoramas of Mont Blanc
• → The 15 most beautiful lakes in the French Alps
• → Chamonix photo prints

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FAQ — Hiking in the Alps in summer

What is the most beautiful hike in the French Alps in summer?

For us, Lac Blanc remains one of the most beautiful summer hikes in the French Alps. The view of Mont Blanc, the reflections, and the atmosphere of the Aiguilles Rouges make it an exceptional itinerary.

Which hike to take to see Mont Blanc?

Brévent, Aiguillette des Houches, Lac Blanc, and Lacs de Chéserys are among the best options to see and photograph Mont Blanc.

What easy hike can you do in the Alps in summer?

Lac Vert de Passy, Lac d'Allos, or the viewpoints of Lake Annecy are excellent options for an easy hike with great scenic potential.

What is the best time to hike in the Alps?

From June to October, depending on the altitude. July-August are the easiest for access, but September and October are often the most beautiful for photography.

Do I need to book refuges in summer?

Yes. For refuges in Vanoise, Écrins, Mont Blanc, or Mercantour, booking is highly recommended during high season.

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Article written by Pierre Thiaville, mountain photographer since 2017 and founder of AluArtMountains, a gallery created in 2024.