Mont Thabor
3,178 m
France
Also known as monte ThaborAlso known as
monte Thabor
- Elevation
- 3,178 m
- Prominence
- 97 m
- Difficulty
- 2/10
- Hike
- Best Season
- Jul–Aug
- Routes
- 3
Routes
3Sources differ: T3 (Camptocamp (SW side via the Clarée))
The classic way up: a long but technically easy walk of about 1,400 m from the hamlet of Les Granges in the Vallée Étroite, through the Vallon du Dîner to the Col des Méandes (2,727 m), then steep zigzags past the stations of the cross to the chapel and the broad summit plateau of Mont Thabor (3,178 m). About 18 km and 8 hours return.
Elevation Profile
- Distance
- 9.1 km
- one way
- Ascent
- +1,425 m
- start → summit
- High Point
- 3,178 m
- Time Up
- 5h 54m
- DIN 33466
- Time Down
- 4h 01m
- DIN 33466 · same way back
From the car park at Les Granges de la Vallée Étroite (about 1,760 m) follow the wide track through the hamlet on the GR5/GR57 for about 2 km to the fork just before the Fonderie bridge. Bear left towards Mont Thabor and the Maison des Chamois (the junction above the annexe is confusing; follow the 'Mont Thabor' signs), then climb through pasture to the footbridge at the Prat du Plan (about 2,210 m), a partly marshy flat below the Petit and Grand Séru. Cross it, climb beside the stream to the Plan du Dîner and follow the Vallon du Dîner, ignoring the GR57 branch left towards the Col des Muandes, to the Col des Méandes (2,727 m). Do not confuse it with the Col des Muandes (2,828 m) further west. At the col turn left (west) and climb steeply in tight zigzags over stony, almost lunar ground past the Pied du Désert (about 3,063 m) and three crosses to the chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs. The summit plateau (3,178 m) is about 100 m beyond it to the west; the higher, rocky Pic du Thabor (3,207 m) rises 500 m to the north. Signposts give about 1¼ hours from the col to the top. Descend the same way, or loop back left of the Grand Séru on the Tour du Mont Thabor path. The summit is in sight for most of the day, but the length (about 18 km return) is the main difficulty. Snowfields can persist well into summer; tourism guidance advises going from July onwards and checking snow conditions early in the season. Livestock and guard dogs may be present in the pastures.
Start
Les Granges de la Vallée Étroite1,755 m
- Train to Bardonecchia (Italy); in summer a local bus to Pian del Colle and a seasonal shuttle up the Vallée Étroite to Les Granges have run in recent years (check current timetables).
- Parking at the trailhead
Stages
| Day | Stage | km | m ascent | m descent | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Les Granges de la Vallée Étroite → Mont Thabor | 9.1 | 1,425 | 6 | 5h 54m |
Waypoints
- Parking: Les Granges de la Vallée Étroite1,755 m
- Col: Col des Méandes2,718 m
- Summit: Mont Thabor3,178 m
Key Passages
- Junction at the Maison des Chamois
- Col des Méandes (not the Col des Muandes)
- Steep zigzags from the col to the chapel
Equipment
0/6 packedDownloads
Route confidence 85%Overview
A broad, chapel-topped 3,000 m summit between the Maurienne and the Clarée, reached by a long but technically easy path: one of the most accessible 3,000 m summits in the French Alps. Its rocky twin, the Pic du Thabor (3,207 m), is the true high point.
Mont Thabor rises at the junction of the Maurienne (Savoie) and the Vallée Étroite and Clarée (Hautes-Alpes) and gives its name to the Cerces-Thabor massif. The hikers' summit, Mont Thabor proper, is a wide stony plateau at 3,178 m with a small stone chapel just below it; 500 m to the north and 29 m higher stands the Pic du Thabor (3,207 m), a small rock pyramid separated from it by the Col du Thabor (3,109 m) and the remnant Thabor glacier on the Orelle side. The elevation shown for this peak is that of the Pic.
The usual way up is a waymarked path of about 1,400 m from the Vallée Étroite through the Vallon du Dîner and the Col des Méandes, with no technical difficulty but 18 km of walking. From the Maurienne side the FFCAM Refuge du Mont Thabor makes a two-day trip; the Pic du Thabor needs a short rock chimney (PD-, II–III) and is climbed by far fewer people.
The summit panorama takes in the Écrins (Meije, Barre des Écrins), the Aiguilles d'Arves, the Vanoise and Monviso. The rock is mostly Triassic quartzite and pink conglomerate, which gives the upper slopes their bare, almost lunar look. In winter and spring Mont Thabor is a classic ski tour.
Climbing Notes
Mont Thabor needs fitness rather than skill: about 1,400 m of ascent and 18 km in a day from the Vallée Étroite, or two easier days via the Refuge du Mont Thabor from Valfréjus. Altitude can be felt by those coming straight from sea level but is rarely a problem. Good boots and poles are enough in high summer; snowfields often persist into July, and tourism guidance recommends going from July onwards and checking snow conditions before that.
The Pic du Thabor is a short scramble-climb (PD-, II–III) with steep scree or a snow slope below the Col du Thabor and a loose chimney; carry a helmet and a short rope for belaying and abseiling, and crampons if the snow is hard. Early summer, with snow still covering the scree, is the best time for it.
Typical plans: a single long day from Les Granges in the Vallée Étroite; or Le Lavoir to the Refuge du Mont Thabor (2 hours) on day one, summit and return on day two. Start early in summer as storms can build in the afternoon, and watch for livestock guard dogs in the pastures.
History
The summit was long known locally as the 'Moine' (Ad monachum Bissorte in 1317); the name Thabor, perhaps after the biblical Mount Tabor or a Modane family name, appears in the late 18th century. The chapel of Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs was built by people of the Melezet valley near Bardonecchia; a path dated 1694 and a 1680 map marking a cross on the summit show it was already old by then. Until the Treaty of Paris of 1947 the summit lay on the Franco-Italian border; the border now runs about 5 km further east, leaving the Vallée Étroite in France. The first recorded winter ascent was on 20 January 1884 and the first ski ascent on 20 February 1901, by Adolfo Kind's party via the Vallée Étroite. The Pic du Thabor was first climbed by W. A. B. Coolidge with Christian Almer father and son on 18 August 1878.
Season
Best Jul–Aug- January: Not advisable
- February: Possible
- March: Possible
- April: Possible
- May: Not advisable
- June: Possible
- July: Best (best window)
- August: Best (best window)
- September: Good
- October: Possible
- November: Not advisable
- December: Not advisable
- Jan
- Winter; ski tourers only; roads to Le Lavoir and the Vallée Étroite not cleared
- Feb
- Classic ski tour; refuge guarded from early February (2026: from 2 February)
- Mar
- Ski touring season; avalanche risk must be assessed
- Apr
- Spring ski touring; refuge guarded until mid-April
- May
- Transition: wet snow, refuge unguarded
- Jun
- Refuge guarded from mid-June; extensive snowfields on the upper route
- Jul
- Main hiking season; snow patches early in the month
- Aug
- Main hiking season; busy at weekends; afternoon storms possible
- Sep
- Often settled; refuge guarded until mid-September
- Oct
- Refuge open but unguarded; first snow possible
- Nov
- Early winter conditions
- Dec
- Winter; refuge winter room only until guarding resumes
Access & Permits
- Hut Booking
- Refuge du Mont Thabor (FFCAM): book online via refugedumontthabor.ffcam.fr; bookings for each season open in November. Out of the guarded season a 24-place room with blankets is open on a first-come basis.
- Fees
- Refuge du Mont Thabor overnight fees, with reductions for alpine club members; unguarded nights can be paid afterwards online
- Summer parking in the Vallée Étroite has been charged in recent years (EUR 3 per day in 2022)
- Rules
- The summit chapel can no longer be entered because it is in danger of collapse (Hautes Vallées tourist office)
- Livestock and protection dogs in the summer pastures: keep your distance and walk around flocks
- Getting There
Modane (Maurienne); Bardonecchia (Italy) for the Vallée Étroite; Névache (Clarée)
Turin (TRN); Chambéry (CMF) and Grenoble (GNB) are alternatives
- Vallée Étroite: by road from Bardonecchia (Italy), or from Névache over the Col de l'Échelle (not cleared in winter), to the car parks at Les Granges (about 1,760 m)
- Bardonecchia has a railway station on the Turin–Modane line; summer buses and seasonal shuttles have run to Pian del Colle and Les Granges
- Valfréjus side: train to Modane, road (or seasonal shuttle) to Valfréjus, then 4 km of unpaved track to the Le Lavoir car park (not cleared in winter)
Hazards
- Weather
- Rockfall
- Avalanche
Huts & Shelters
1- 2,502 m
Refuge du Mont ThaborRefugeStaffedBooking required
46 beds · Guarded 2 February – 11 April and 13 June – 19 September 2026; open unguarded (24 places, blankets, small cooking room) outside these periods