Rifugio Elena to Courmayeur: Hiking the Tour du Mont Blanc
This post covers section 6 of our clockwise hike of the Tour du Mont Blanc, starting in Rifugio Elena, Italy and ending in Courmayeur.
Start: Rifugio Elena, Italy
End: Courmayeur, Italy
Mileage: 14.7 mi / 23.6 km
Elevation Gain: 3550 ft / 1082 m
Elevation Loss: 6000 ft / 1829 m
Auberge: n/a
Section 6 of our TMB had us leaving Rifugio Elena and making our way to Courmayeur, the “big” city on our route, where we had a rest day at an animal hotel—right up our alley.
Like the last few days, today started in fog. We conquered the 1000 foot descent from Rifugio Elena, then the uphill battle to Rifugio Bonatti, a beloved spot by hikers. When originally planning our route, Bonatti was fully booked, so if you want to stay there, book early!
It being foggy and we being optimistic, we opted for the longer variant to Col Sapine and hoped the cloud gods were feeling generous (spoiler: they weren’t). I’m sure the views are outstanding, but unfortuntely I can’t speak from experience as we were shrouded in fog. Even so, we enjoyed walking through idyllic pastures filled with cows and sheep, taking in the solitude and remoteness the variant provided.
Eventually, we were plopped at the doorstep of Courmayeur, a classic village of stone buildings, abundant of flowers, quaint pubs, and, to our absolute delight, glacier views. We happened to be there as an ultramarathon was happening and we cheered on runners as they finished their races. Then it was off to our animal hotel and an accidental fancy dinner.
Refugio Elena means business when getting hikers out and they don’t mess around. If you book here, be ready to be packed, fed, and on your merry way by the 8am exit time. We had a long day ahead of us so we were happy to oblige.
It was a brutal first mile with 1000 feet of descent in a total white-out. From there it was a smidgen of road-walking and then uphill to Rifugio Bonatti for our coffee stop. We stumbled on old stone ruins along the way that looked eerie in the fog. Allegedly, there are phenomenal views from Bonatti; we wouldn’t know. No, I’m not bitter. But hey, the biscotti was good and there was a spigot to fill up water, so not all was lost.
After Bonatti, we opted to lean into optimism and hope for clear skies. We took the Col Sapine variant, which is about 6 miles, and even in the fog it was lovely. Cows were sprinkled like confetti throughout the green valley pastures and it made it all the better. With its serrated peaks and expansive views, I can only imagine what it looks like with clear skies. If you see it, let me know, will you?
As we walked, we saw the occasional runner. Odd, we thought. Being in the middle of nowhere in crap weather didn’t lend itself to a good running day. One crazy runner? Maybe. Three? That was pushing it. But we posited that the Italians were just that dedicated to their running routine. A bit later, breathing heavily after cresting a tough hill, we noticed a group of people cheering us on. Well, isn’t this nice, we thought as we approached. Cheerleaders! And the happy people had a table of cookies!
When we got closer, their enthusiasm visibly waned as they took us ragged hikers in, our layers of hiking clothes and backpacks giving us away. From there, things quickly clicked into place: there was a race happening through the Col that day. As much as I liked to believe we were being cheered on by strangers in the middle of a pasture, it did seem a bit bizarre and too good to be true. And with that, we said brief hellos and went on our merry way, continuing through the fog toward Courmayeur.
It felt a bit strange to be around people and stores after several days in the remote mountains, but it was not unwelcome. Courmayeur is a cute little thing with its stone buildings, flower boxes, tiny bars, and glacier views. It was also the end point for the race we happened upon in the mountains and we sipped Aperol spritzes at a sidewalk pub and cheered them on as they crossed the finished line.
At this point in our adventure, we’d reached the halfway point and had a rest day ahead of us. We booked an animal hotel for the night and made our way a bit past the hubbub of the city to reach it. On the way, we enjoyed beer and snacks at the quaintest bar we ever did see, Bar de la Maison.
Animal Chic Hotel La Grange is an absolute treasure. I mean, the name itself says everything you need to know. It’s home to goats, rabbits, pigs, chickens, dogs, llamas—the works. At one point someone placed a chicken with a fabulous haircut on my shoulder and everything felt right in the world. We had the most delightful time hanging out with them all and simply enjoying the ambiance.
There isn’t much in the way of restaurants to choose from and we wandered until we saw a place that was open. We told them we were there for dinner and they very politely ushered us through a very empty dining room, down a set of stairs and into a cellar-like area, to which we were very confused but silently compliant. We walked past a wall of wine and emerged into an ambiant dining room lit with candles and decorated with paintings of the surrounding mountains. It was a tad more romantic than we had planned for, but we dutifully sat down, feeling that it was too late to back out now. Plus, we were the only one’s there and the servers looked eager to please. Leaning in to our circumstances, we ordered a bottle of wine and enjoyed our impromptu fancy dinner.
All in a day’s work.
