Rifugio Vittorio Sella from Valnontey
The classic Gran Paradiso hike: an even mule track leads from Valnontey to the Lauson pastures, where in the evening ibex and chamois graze a few metres from the hut.
- Difficulty
- E Hiking
- Length
- 10.1 km
- Elevation gain
- +900 m / −900 m
- Time
- 5–6 hours
- Route
- Out and back
- Altitude
- 1668–2571 m
- Season
- Summer
Download the GPXDirections to the start ↗
Saved. You'll find everything in My trip, where you can split it into days and see it on the map.
Saved on this device: you can open it even without a connection. All your saved pages are in Offline guides.
The topographic map loads OpenTopoMap tiles (an external server) only when you open it.
The story
The hut grew out of the hunting lodge of King Victor Emmanuel II, who in the mid-19th century reserved these mountains for ibex hunting. It was the royal reserve that saved the ibex from extinction, and in 1922 it became Italy's first national park.
Why go
Because it is the easiest way to see ibex up close, in the park that saved them, with Gran Paradiso and the Valnontey glaciers in front of you.
Practical information
- Start
- Valnontey (Cogne)
- Finish
- Rifugio Vittorio Sella (2,584 m), back the same way
- Best time
- Mid-June–September
- Parking
- Pay car park at the entrance to Valnontey.
- By public transport
- Bus from Aosta to Cogne, then the summer shuttle or 3 km on foot to Valnontey.
- Water
- Fountains in Valnontey and at the hut; along the way only streams (best not to drink without filtering).
- Shade
- Larch woods for the first hour, then open pastures.
- Huts and refreshments
- Rifugio Vittorio Sella (open in summer, booking recommended).
- With children
- Yes, with fit children: the climb is long but has no difficult passages.
Weather at the start
The forecast for the next 7 days at this spot: sky, temperatures, rain and wind.
Forecast by Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), from the models of national weather services. Your browser downloads it directly from Open-Meteo, and only when you ask. In the mountains and at sea the weather changes quickly: check the official forecast as well before you set off.
What to see on the route and nearby
More hikes in Aosta Valley
- 2★ Lago di Loie from LillazE 7.1 km · +810 m · 4 hours · out and back
- 3Rifugio Bonatti in Val FerretE 2.9 km · +320 m · 2–2.5 hours · out and back
- 4★ Ru MarseillerT 11.5 km · +510 m · 3–3.5 hours · point to point
- 5★ Lago di Miserin and Finestra di ChamporcherE 13 km · +720 m · 4–5 hours · out and back
- 6★ On foot to Chamois, the car-free villageE 4.9 km · +460 m · 2.5 hours · point to point
- 7★ Rifugio Oriondé and Croce CarrelEE 9.5 km · +880 m · 5 hours · out and back
- 8Rutor Waterfalls and Rifugio Deffeyes from La ThuileE 10.4 km · +880 m · 5–5.5 hours round trip · out and back
- 9Lago Blu, the Matterhorn's mirrorT 3.3 km · +20 m · 1 hour round trip · out and back
- 10Rifugio Elisabetta and Lac Combal in Val VenyE 12.4 km · +560 m · 4.5–5 hours round trip · out and back
- 11★ Lago d'Arpy from Colle San CarloT 6.4 km · +130 m · 1.5–2 hours round trip · out and back
Routes © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via Waymarked Trails and BRouter; elevations from a digital terrain model. Times and elevation gains are indicative: waymarks on the ground and closure orders always take precedence.