A nature reserve
Quieter and less developed than the main Chamonix sites.
Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tiia Monto — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Rémih — CC BY-SA 4.0
A waterfall in the Bérard valley near the village of Vallorcine north of Chamonix, dropping into a narrow rock gorge and reached by a short walk from a car park on the road. The valley is a nature reserve, which means the surroundings are less developed and quieter than the main Chamonix sites. The path from the mountain restaurant at the valley entrance to the fall takes about twenty to thirty minutes of gentle climbing through woodland, and can be continued further up the valley for a longer walk. The place has a strange historical layer: a hermit named Michel Simon lived in the valley in the nineteenth century, taking a nearby cave as his dwelling and becoming one of the local curiosities visited by British walkers of the day. Alongside the walk, a via ferrata route runs in the gorge with fixed cables and metal ladders, needing equipment and experience or a guide — it is not a stroll. Practical points: the walk to the fall is free and seasonal, and the path may be closed or dangerous with snow outside summer. Reach it by train from Chamonix to Vallorcine then on foot, which works without a car.
Quieter and less developed than the main Chamonix sites.
Michel Simon lived in a cave here and became a local curiosity.
A cabled route in the gorge — equipment and experience or a guide.
Bérard valley, Vallorcine, north of Chamonix
A mountain route fitted with steel cables, ladders and metal rungs anchored in the rock, followed using a climbing harness and a short lanyard clipped to the cable. The idea is to let non-expert climbers cross rock sections with relative safety, but it remains an activity needing equipment, basic instruction and a head for heights. Do not enter one without gear or a guide.
The path to the fall is short and not strenuous and suits children who can walk. But mind the gorge edge and the slippery rocks near the water, and hold small ones. The via ferrata is an entirely different thing and is not suitable for children at all without specialist organisation.
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