Vanoise National Park, Val d’Isère | Hiking in Vanoise Park, Alps, Savoie

A preserved space Between the high valleys of Tarentaise and Maurienne

There’s not a hillside, lake or landscape in Val d’Isère that isn’t worth a look.
Here, every summit is an encounter.

Val d’Isère allows you to enter a totally preserved natural space. Animals and flowers are more plentiful; you’ll come close to marmots and ibex. You’ll probably see a few chamois, or a golden eagle in flight. Glaciers, green valleys, rivers, lakes and waterfalls.

This protected area between the high valleys of the Tarentaise and Maurienne is a dream come true for hikers and mountaineers.

Vannoise National Park website

Key figures The Vanoise National Park is :

– A park core area of 535 km2

– 400 km of marked trails

– 5 nature reserves close to the Park

– 1,400 plant species, including 65 protected species

– 40 refuges

– France’s largest ibex colony

France's first National Park created in 1963

Parc National de la Vanoise is an authentic “green diamond in the rough” nestled in the heart of Savoie. France’s first National Park, created in 1963 in response to the near-disappearance of the ibex in the Alps, and following the Italian example of the creation of the Gran Paradiso Royal Reserve in 1856 (and twinned since 1972), they form Western Europe’s largest protected area of 1250 km2 with maximum preservation: fauna, flora and the mineral world. The area is home to a prodigious wealth and diversity of species, both fauna and flora, thanks to the variety of environments, exposures and soils. A place of discovery and infinite wonder!

Created to protect nature, the Park’s main mission today is to safeguard its landscapes, the diversity of its plant and animal species, and its cultural heritage.

Its refuges to spend an unusual night

To discover the Park, take your time and spend a night in a refuge, or stop off for a meal or a drink. You’ll be able to soak up the scenery, share time with family and friends and meet the refuge wardens. As well as offering you accommodation and food, the warden is there to ensure your safety in the mountains. Most refuges are manned in summer, and some in spring for ski tourers and snowshoers. Don’t hesitate to ask the warden any questions you may have before you leave or when you arrive at the hut: he’s an experienced mountaineer who’ll be able to advise you and talk to you about a wide range of subjects.

On your way to or from Val d’Isère, you’ll find two refuges in the Vanoise National Park:

Wildlife you'll come across

The wealth of wildlife in the Parc National de la Vanoise is undeniable. Here are just a few of the animals living in the Park:

You’ll find game such as deer, roe deer, chamois and ibex, rodents such as the variable hare, which changes color with the seasons, the marmot and various voles including the snow vole and the collared field mouse.

You may also spot foxes, badgers, martens, weasels, ermines, bats and insectivores such as the water shrew.

Then look up to meet one of the 125 species of bird that nest in the Vanoise. These include golden eagle, crossbill, nutcracker, Tengmalm’s owl, black flycatcher, great horned owl, rock blackbird, black grouse, rock partridge, rock ptarmigan, black woodpecker, three-toed woodpecker and tichodrome.

Its flora breathtaking beauty

From the pink of the rhododendron to the blue of the Alpine thistle or the gentian to the white of the Edelweiss, open your eyes and you’ll be amazed.

In 2014, 5,000 plant species were recorded in mainland France. The Vanoise massif is home to 1,700 species, representing a third of France’s flora in less than 0.5% of the national territory! This exceptional diversity can be explained by the variety of environments present, linked to the wide variation in temperature according to altitude, the range of exposures and the marked differences in the chemical composition of the rocks and soils.

Would you like to know more about edible plants? Follow Franck for a stroll and be surprised by the number of edible plants and flowers in the area! I’d like to book this outing.