Two days. One family. A playground the size of Haut Val de Bagnes.

Two active days as a family in Haut Val de Bagnes

Our ambassador Xavier De Le Rue has swapped his snowboard for a mountain bike and a via ferrata set. On the menu : climbing, a night in a tipi, an e-bike ride up to the Cabane de Chanrion and a well-earned snack. Two days to discover Haut Val de Bagnes.

Route to the Saxifrage Via Ferrata at Mauvoisin

Day 1 : climbing above the Dranse, sleeping in a tipi

1. The Saxifrage via ferrata, from eight years old

It starts with a monkey bridge over the void. Below, the Dranse roars. Above, the kids move up rung after rung, eyes locked in focus.

The Saxifrage via ferrata was designed for young climbers from eight years old. A first monkey bridge, a crossing on cables and rungs, and the gorge rushing by right beneath your feet. Enough to feel the adrenaline rise, without ever putting yourself in danger.

Via Ferrata Mauvoisin - Saxifrage (blue)

With any activity like this one with the kids, I find it’s always good to have a few options up your sleeve and to be able to adapt : some extra gear, food, water, and above all no pressure on time. Either way, it was really enjoyable and truly beautiful. Until you’ve stepped into that gorge, you have no idea what it can hold inside.

Xavier De Le Rue

Practical info : you can rent the gear at the Fionnay tourist office or directly at the Hôtel de Mauvoisin. You reach the Hôtel de Mauvoisin, the starting point of the via ferrata, by bus, by bike or by car (free hotel car park). Check the bus timetable. Then head down the marked trail towards Madzeria, barely 10 minutes on foot.

New to via ferrata?

Bring a mountain guide along and take it on safely.

Discover the mountain guides

2. A night in a tipi, in nature

In the evening, head to Bonatchiesse and its tipi village, at 1,600 m.
In front of each tipi : a grill, a table, benches.
Inside : mattresses and breakfast waiting for the next morning.

Good to know : the campsite is also reachable by public transport, with a stop less than 500 m away. Check the bus timetable.
In July and August, it’s best to book your tipi ahead.

Discover the campsite

Sleeping at the Bonatchiesse campsite was super handy, and the girls loved spending the night among the larches in those giant tipis. A lovely way to really enjoy some quality time all together.

Xavier De Le Rue

Day 2 :
e-bike at the dam,
a break at the hut

1. From Mauvoisin to Chanrion, by e-bike

Wake up, breakfast, and into the saddle. Off to the Mauvoisin dam, the highest arch dam in Europe, standing 250 m tall.

From Mauvoisin to the Cabane de Chanrion

29.3km

4h 30minHard

We set off by bike with the girls, on e-bikes, up to the Cabane de Chanrion. It’s really great to be able to ride past the Mauvoisin dam and then carry on all the way to the far end of the valley.
We’ve used e-bikes a huge amount with the girls ever since they were little. We used to have an accessory to carry them on the bike, and now we tow them behind us. It’s a setup that works really well and opens up so many possibilities.

Xavier De Le Rue

Good to know : in the galleries, you ride up on even hours and down on odd hours, to avoid oncoming traffic. Two charging stations top up e-bike batteries for free, at Mauvoisin and at the hut.
The route is rated difficult : best kept for families already comfortable on a bike.

2. Lunch at the Cabane de Chanrion

Up there, the terrace faces the peaks.
You park the bikes, soak up the view and dig into a fondue.
The quiet, the altitude, and that feeling of being at the very end of the valley.

We’d set the hut as our goal, while knowing that if we didn’t make it, no big deal, we could always turn back. In the end it all went really smoothly, and reaching the hut was pretty mind-blowing.
There aren’t many places where you can find yourself almost on the edge of the high mountains, surrounded by glaciers, on an e-bike with the kids, and eat a fondue at that altitude. That really was a gift.
And then the descent is really mellow, with the lake looking gorgeous and that quite remarkable colour.

Xavier De Le Rue

3. An afternoon treat at the Hôtel de Mauvoisin

The descent brings heavy legs and wide smiles back down to Fionnay, to the Hôtel de Mauvoisin, at the foot of the dam.
A snack, a drink, and two days that wind down gently.

Hôtel de Mauvoisin

I’d say we actually know Val de Bagnes far too little. I’ve been in the area for 20 years, and every time I go, it feels like new opportunities open up. And this time, we truly spent two outstanding days.
We came home with the kids and a big smile on our faces. In just two days in Haut Val de Bagnes, it felt like a complete change of scenery, as if we’d been away far longer.
And above all, we came back with plenty of ideas for new adventures across this whole area.

Xavier De Le Rue