La Fouly to Rifugio Elena: Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc
This post covers section 5 of our clockwise hike of the Tour du Mont Blanc, starting in La Fouly, Switzerland and ending at Rifugio Elena, Italy.
Start: La Fouly, Switzerland
End: Rifugio Elena, Italy
Mileage: 7.8 mi / 12.5 km
Elevation Gain: 3400 ft / 1036 m
Elevation Loss: 1900 ft / 579 m
Auberge: Refugio Elena
View full route on Gaia
A misty morning (and a field of donkeys) greeted us as we began our walk to Rifugio Elena, a remote mountain hut tucked at the base of a glaciated mountain. This was a generally easy day that had some of my favorite scenery, thanks primarily to Col Ferret. We were even privy to a bit of sunshine, though we were racing against an incoming storm. Luckily, we made it to the hut before the brunt of it hit. And hit it did.
From La Fouly, we walked two miles through pastures to Ferret, where a small shop was thankfully open for coffee and a quick bite. It was uphill to La Peule where we had a ridiculously-sized plate of salad for lunch. From there, it was more uphill to reach Col Ferret, a gorgeous area with mountains in all directions and meandering trails through grassy hills. Grand Col Ferret, with its in-your-face glaciers, marked our high point for the day and our official crossing into Italy. The last part of the day was a steep descent to Elena.
When we arrived in La Fouly it was foggy and the mountains were shrouded in fog. It was so thick that if someone had tried to tell me there were no mountains around at all, I’d be easily convinced. Fortunately, it cleared up ever-so-briefly in the morning when we started out walk and there were indeed mountains. And they were a pretty sight to see.
A mile or so after starting, we realized we forgot to grab our picnic lunches so we scuttled back to grab them, which added a bit of mileage to the day. As it turns out, we probably didn’t need them since the hut at La Peule was open (and excellent), but since Rifguio Elena is remote it was nice to have snacks for later.
Once we were back in forest, picnics in hand, we were graced by the presence of donkeys, looking like the brilliant and ethereal creatures they are, and carefully side-stepped grazing cows who happen to like the grass by the trail the best it seems.
When we finally emerged from the forest, we continued uphill through pastures to Ferret, a tiny village where a small hotel was open for snacks and coffee with a cute garden to eat in. Once we got moving again, the uphill continued, as it is want to do around these parts.
We stopped for lunch at Alpage de La Peule which is not to be missed. The views from their outdoor common area are spectacular and it’s the perfect rest stop on a sunny day. Probably on any day, really. The hut itself is nice, if not a bit medieval in style, and we wouldn’t have minded overnighting there if we didn’t have further to walk. Instead, we enjoyed a massive salad, a delicious apple tart treat and a shot of the local spirit, to you know, keep our spirits up.
With bellies full of food and liquid, we continued hiking up and up. The going was more long and gradual as opposed to being steep, which made it all the more enjoyable. As we walked, the sun burned away the bit of fog that bathed Col Ferret. With the fog clearing, we were privy to some of the most beautiful scenery yet: an expansive landscape of grassy hills flanked by towering mountains on all sides.
We knew the weather was going to turn soon and it’d be ideal to be at the hut before then, but we couldn’t help but relish in this part of the trail, stopping for pictures and many, many, many moments of ooh-ing and ahh-ing.
After walking 6 miles or so, we finally reached Grand Col Ferret. This marked our highest point for the day as well as being our official crossing into Italy. From here, we could see the glacier that loomed over Rifugio Elena. There are small paths to viewpoints and, until the wind kicked in, served as a great snack spot. The wind was a not-so-subtle reminder that a storm was brewing, so we begrudgingly began our descent to the hut, a steep one-mile down, down, down.
Rifugio Elena is one of the larger huts on the TMB and has its system down. There is a common area with boxes for shoes and hanging racks to dry clothes, and the dorm room has ample space to place your things, plus hooks. It takes walking day after day, not wanting your things on the floor or sweaty clothes on the bed, to really appreciate small things like a well-placed hook. The bathrooms are great, too, though the showers are short and require a specific token and we had a comical snafu trying to get them to work.
The common area was cozy with a little bar and we made our way there after said shower snafu. The chef, resplendent in pajama pants and slippers, topped off our hot chocolates with whip cream and brought us complimentary cookies. How sweet of him. Dinner was a 4-course affair with (1) veggies and meat, (2) spaghetti with red sauce, (3) ham, polenta and veggies, and (4) yogurt, apples, and cookies.
They are pretty strict about bed time (no complaints here) and everyone was promptly shooed from the dining area at 8:45 pm. It was a shame that by the time we reached the hut the storm had began so we didn’t see much of the scenery, but the rain was a nice sound to fall asleep to.
Overall, it was a great day on the TMB! The mileage made for a more relaxing day, even if we were trying to beat an impending storm. Delicious food was had, donkeys in the mist were seen, sun was briefly basked in, and a comfortable hut awaited us—hot chocolate and all.
