Loop trail of Chalets du Truc by Maison Neuve
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Loop trail of Chalets du Truc by Maison Neuve
Les Contamines-Montjoie

Loop trail of Chalets du Truc by Maison Neuve

Fauna
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Discovering a mysterious mountain forest
Undergrowth atmosphere with this forest loop offering a magnificent panorama since the mountain pastures.

5 points of interest
Fauna

The Black Woodpecker

It is a cave species, which means that it digs cavities in trees in order to install its nest and deposit its eggs! These cavities are called "lodges".
These lodges are often reused by other species, which are then called "host species", which can be birds, such as small mountain owls (Little Owl or Tengmalm), or mammals, such as the Pine Marten, a mustelid, cousin of the Weasel.
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Fauna

The Little Owl

Do you know the smallest nocturnal birds of prey in France? It's the Eurasian pygmy owl, a little mountain owl! It is an emblem of the nature reserve where it lives in particular in old coniferous forests. Its presence is linked to good forest management, preserving both its breeding areas (old trees where woodpeckers such as the Three-toed Woodpecker peck holes in which Pygmy Owls nest) and areas of forest clearings, where it can hunt mice, voles, tits and other passerines on which it feeds.
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Fauna

The Three-toed Woodpecker

As its name suggests, it has only three toes on each leg while the other woodpeckers have four toes!
It is however very agile in climbing trees, and is the nightmare of xylophagous insects, which feed on wood, and in particular the Spruce Bark Beetle, the main ingredient of its daily menu!
Be discreet, its drumming, a way of communicating by tapping its beak on the trunks or branches, is not very audible. The nature reserve is one of the few areas where this species is still present.
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Fauna

The Stoat or Short-tailed Weasel

A spindle-shaped apparition... A plain white body during the winter or a brown back and beige belly in the summer, with the tip of its tail black all year round... Guess who is playing hide-and-seek in the scree?

It is the Stoat, a small, fast and powerful mustelid, from the same family as Badgers and Martens. It actually doesn’t play but it hunts Voles, its favorite prey, thanks to its slender body which allows it to slip into the voles underground tunnels, where this prey unfortunately feels save.
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Fauna

European Spruce Bark Beetle

It is a small insect of nearly 5 millimeters, belonging to the order Coleoptera, which also includes scarabaeid beetles, ladybirds and other chafers.
It wreaks havoc, especially on its host tree, the spruce, because it is a xylophage, which means it feeds on wood. Its name refers to the small cavities it digs under the bark, in order to mate out of sight and deposit its eggs.
Woodpeckers, and in particular the Three-toed Woodpecker, are one of the best natural regulators for Spruce bark Beetles.
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Description

  1. At the intersection, turn left on the forest track to "Chalets du Truc".
  2. Leave the forest track and take the path on your right.
  3. Turn right and continue on the up going forest track.
  4. You have arrived at "Chalets du Truc". To continue to "Mont Truc", continue on the same path.
  5. At the bifurcation, turn left and follow the path on the slopes of "Mont Truc".
  6. You have arrived. The return is by the same route to point 7.
  7. Continue on the forest track.
  8. At the bifurcation, take the forest track on the left.
  9. At the intersection, continue on the down going track.
  10. At the bifurcation, turn left.
  11. Cross the paved road and take "Chemin du P'tou".
  12. Follow the path to the car park.
Departure : Parking « la Frasse », Les Contamines-Montjoie
Arrival : Parking la Frasse, Les Contamines-Montjoie
Towns crossed : Les Contamines-Montjoie, Saint-Gervais-les-Bains

Altimetric profile


Sensitive areas

Along your trek, you will go through sensitive areas related to the presence of a specific species or environment. In these areas, an appropriate behaviour allows to contribute to their preservation. For detailed information, specific forms are accessible for each area.
Impacted practices:
Aerial, , Land, Vertical
Contact:
Asters - Conservatoire d'espaces naturels de Haute-Savoie
contact@cen-haute-savoie.org

Recommandations

Always be careful and plan ahead when hiking. Asters, CEN 74 can not be held responsible for the occurrence of an accident or any inconvenience on this itinerary.

Access and parking

Go to the village of Contamines-Montjoie. In the center of the village, take the road on the left to "La Frasse" which leads to the hamlet of La Frasse. From the hamlet of La Frasse, continue to the end of the road and park at the parking lot of the same name.

Parking :

Parking la Frasse

Report a problem or an error

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