Discovery trail, nature and heritage

An illustration of the trail and the various points of interest that will be presented during your walk.

You will walk together, from the center of the village to Notre Dame de la Gorge, the endstop of this route.
Who is it? Bon Nant, the torrent which source is located in the heart of the nature reserve of Contamines-Montjoie. To discover it, go to panel 2!

From Antiquity to the advent of tourism, discover all the main events in the history of Contamines-Montjoie. You will surely be able to answer this question: Who are the Ceutrones? To discover all of this, go to panel 3!

Loge, mazot, éparson or fenil, all these French words for mountain cabins and shelters will have no more secrets for you once you will have read this panel explaining the different items of the typical pastoral architecture of Val Montjoie.

Val Montjoie is renowned for the natural and wild beauty of its peaks. However, despite the attraction of this peaks for numerous mountaineers, the history of mountaineering here is quite complex. To find out more about it, go to panel 5!

The Commune of Contamines-Montjoie has a rich natural alpine heritage. And nearly 2/3 of its surface is part of a national nature reserve! To find out more about it, go to panel 6!

Did you know that glaciers activity mainly created the landscape that you observe all around you? And that some of these glaciers are even scientifically monitored by the nature reserve? To learn more about this, go to panel 7!

Altitude influences the natural environments succeeding on the mountain slopes. Each altitude level has its specific species of fauna and flora, some particularly adapted, others more adaptable ! It's life at all levels.

Chamois and Ibex are mountain ungulates while Red Deer or Roe deer are mostly plain ungulates, which are however adapted to mountain environment conditions.
Discover which species are living here! To do so, go to panel 9!

The forest is an important environment in the nature reserve. To find out more about it, go to panel 10 !

A delicate picture of some essential species of flora, butterflies or amphibians, which you can observe with some luck and patience, in the nature reserve!

A rendezvous with the iconic species of mountain birds, such as the Golden Eagle or the Black Grouse, but also an encounter with other less known species, such as the European Pygmy Owl, a small nocturnal bird of prey living in the nature reserve.

A few steps away from the true entrance to the nature reserve, a panel presenting the issues of this protected and regulated natural space.

More than a touristic itinerary, the roman route was one of the main ways of crossing the Alps during Antiquity!
Before the Roman invasion, Val-Montjoie was home to Ceutrons, a Celtic tribe practicing livestock breeding. For their cheese production, they imported salt from Moutiers via the Col du Bonhomme mountain pass. They participated in the establishment of these routes leading to Italy, which were taken by the Romans during the invasion of the Alps.
Observe the section of Rochassets, it was carved in the rocks in order to create a passage for the charriots!

To know everything about the history of the church of Notre Dame de la Gorge, and have a better visit afterwards.