Money cottages, loop from the Valnontey car park

Access

Road navigation

At the motorway junction of Aosta West, enter the roundabout and take the second exit following the signs for / Cogne / Aymavilles. Continue on for 20.0km (20.0km) to the roundabout at the entrance to Cogne, where take the first exit onto Avenue G.F. Cavagnet (350m, 20.35km). Continue on Via Bourgeois (120m, 20.5km), then turn right onto Rue Grand Paradis. Follow Rue Grand Paradis for 2.4km (22.9km), continue on Frazione Valnontey for 210m (23.1km) and turn right to reach the car park.

Parking

At the end of the road is the 🅿️ car park in Valnontey, the access point to the Gran Paradiso National Park. Check on site for access conditions and any seasonal restrictions imposed by the park authority.

Access by public transport

The Valnontey car park can be reached by the Cogne urban circular line run by SVAP. The reference stop is Cogne Valnontey. The winter service runs every weekday and on public holidays, except 25 December and the summer period; the runs serving the Valnontey stop depart from Cogne Revettaz at 09:00, 10:05, 11:10, 12:40 and 15:00, arriving in Valnontey at 09:25, 10:30, 11:35, 13:05 and 15:25 respectively. For updated timetables please consult the timetable SVAP - Cogne Urban Line.

Distance and travel time

• 🕒Travel time: 35 minutes

• 📏 Distance: 23.5km

GPS navigation

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Information note

The information provided has been verified as of the date of the survey of the itinerary. Before departure, it is recommended to check possible changes in the route or road conditions. Please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps for the latest information.

Introduction

A beautiful walk, not too demanding, that allows you to get to know Valnontey and the amenities of the Gran Paradiso National Park better. Along the itinerary, it will be fairly easy to spot many of the animals in the park. The beautiful views of the Gran Paradiso, the Herbetetet and the backdrop of glaciers such as the Tribolazione glacier are other stimuli that invite you to walk on these trails.

Description

The first section of our itinerary, which is a path, runs on a comfortable carriage road following the orographic right of the Valnontey stream. We first pass a campsite, then a horse shed (always on our left) and enter the forest. Leaving a cottage clinging to the rock on our right, after about 0h15' we reach a first bridge: we leave it on our right and continue straight on. We come to a second bridge, again on the right, and reach the village of Valmianaz (1729 m , 0h30').

After a few minutes the path leaves the road and turns left; it continues for a few hundred metres and finally, after about 40 minutes of walking, we reach the junction for the bivouac. In the first section, the path winds its way up a slightly stony terrain. From a panoramic point of view, this section is not very impressive, as the narrow valley covers the surrounding peaks; however, it is not unlikely that you will meet some park guests! We continue to climb in the midst of a larch forest with a few alders scattered about; after about 1h10' the path begins to skirt a rock face, which we skirt leaving it to our left. We begin to enjoy the panorama with glimpses of the Tribolazione glacier and the Gran Paradiso. The larch woodland begins to thin out and at an altitude of about 2050 m, the path turns to the left, crossing a fairly airy but absolutely wide ledge. The stretch of path is now gentler: we continue over the ledge with a slight up and down until we turn right, following another rock face that we find on our left. At an altitude of around 2270 m, we trample over some scaled rock (the passage is nevertheless easy) and encounter some specimens of Astra Viola in our path. Having reached an altitude of 2320 m, the trail descends slightly, entering the Comba di Costaleina, crossing grassy slopes and descending towards the stream: after crossing it, the trail continues through a stretch of grassland alternating with scree. After 2h30' you reach the junction for the Money bivouac at 2340m. Continue on the right-hand path that continues to approach the Casolari with slight ups and downs, crossing some streams, a small waterfall with little water: after 0h10' from the crossroads, you reach the Casolari del Money bivouac at an altitude of 2325 m (2h40' total). Leaving the Casolari and the beautiful view of the Gran Paradiso and the Tribolazione Glacier, the path climbs slightly again: on our left we notice the obvious Money bivouac and the Punte Patry. After passing a small moraine and then a small stream (which can be easily forded), we reach an altitude of 2410 m where there is a large cairn of stones and from here the path begins its descent towards the bottom of the valley. The descent is not immediate; on the contrary, there is a series of ups and downs, passing more moraine stretches and crossing small streams. In this stretch, from the Casolari up to here, it is very easy to spot groups of chamois. At 0h20' from the Casolari del Money cottages (3h00' total), you reach a small wooden bridge, after which the path climbs slightly in a slightly exposed section. The descent is resumed, always halfway up the slope, crossing several streams (one of which has copious water loads in August) coming from the Torre Sant'Orso group. Slowly the path leaves the alpine meadow and begins to cross somewhat uneven stony stretches with some shrubs that do not make the descent very easy. At this point we reach a moraine ridge that we descend again to a small wooden bridge: evident on our left are the waterfalls located below the Martinotti bivouac. After 3h45' we reach the small wooden bridge and the path continues to descend steeply to the confluence of two streams that form the Valnontey torrent. On the left, the trail meets trail No. 22E, which leads to the Borghi and Martinotti bivouacs and finally, still on uneven ground, reaches a wooden bridge that crosses the Valnontey torrent at an altitude of approximately 2150 m (4h00' total). From here, the trail continues to descend on the orographic left of the stream on large boulders until it reaches the junction for the trail leading to the Pol and Gerard-Grappein bivouacs. From here, continue the descent on a path that is still uneven and made slippery by sand; cross an undergrowth of alders and after 4h15' you will reach the junction for the Bivacco Leonessa (path N° 22D) at an altitude of 2084 m. After the crossroads, walk along a wide, well-marked mule track, skirting a rocky outcrop that slowly loses height with a few bends; cross two small wooden and stone bridges that allow us to cross the waters coming from the Valle dell'Herbetetet valley and admire a beautiful waterfall on our left (1995 m). Looking on the other side of the valley, we can observe other beautiful waterfalls and the area around the Casolari. We continue our walk and our descent towards the departure point, passing the Pont de l'Erfaulet (1830 m) 4h30' from here, we return to the orographic right of the Valnontey stream and the path becomes a small farm track that in 10 minutes takes us to the junction with path No. 22D, the one taken to climb up to the Casolari. From here, the return journey is along an easy farm road, which can be a little crowded at times, and after passing through the village of Valmianaz (1729 m), takes us back to our starting point in about 40 minutes (5h 40' total).

Valnontey Photo gallery - Signposts at the start - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Signposts at the start A stretch of ascent The fork for the Money bivouac Alpe Money Gran Paradiso - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Glacier of the Tribolazione - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini Casolari del Money - (c) 2002 Massimo Martini The Grand Paradiso from the Casolari The Glacier of the Tribolazione Bridge over the Valnontey stream A waterfall on the way backCasolari del Money (2325 m) - © 2002 Massimo Martini Profile of the'excursion Time of ascent 2h40' Descent time: 2h40' Marking sequence: Trail N° 22D Characteristics: Circular loop - naturalistic, scenic Bibliography: * Luca Zavatta, Le valli del Gran Paradiso e la Valgrisenche, Rimini, 2003 Cartography: * Gran Paradiso - Cogne and Aymavilles - Hiking Map - 1:25000 - Hapax * IGC - Map 101 Difficulty: Hikers (E) Type of itinerary Round trip on the same path Recommended period: Exposure South-West - North - North-East Altitude of the starting point: 1666 m Difference in height: Ascent 659 m Descent 659 m Altitude of the arrival point: 1666 m