The Grand Balcon walks are high altitude walks in the Chamonix valley that are usually easy to get to, do not have a lot of challenging ascends and descends, and will offer you some of the most beautiful panoramas of the surrounding peaks. Grand Balcon Nord offers it all: the stunning views of Mont Blanc, Aiguille du Midi, incredible views of the valley, and, at the end, the fantastic lookout over the Mer de Glace glacier and the nearby mountains.
Hike Logistics: take the Aiguille du Midi gondola to the mid-station (called Plan de l’Aiguille du Midi), hike from there towards Mer De Glace (2 hours 15 minutes according to the trail signs), then enjoy the views of the glacier or even visit the ice cave (free of charge, details below), and, lastly, take the Montenvers train down from the glacier to Chamonix.
The cost of the round trip is 30.50 euros per person and you can explain at the Aiguille du Midi station what kind of ticket you would like to purchase. Always keep in mind the times for the last train down (usually 4:30 or 5pm depending on the season) to make sure you can make it and don’t have to take the challenging ascend into the valley on foot. You will be in altitudes of about 2200 metres for the entire length of the trail.
The Grand Balcon Nord trail is marked as “easy” on Chamonix’s official trail map. After doing a couple of trails of this grade, I take it that Alpine trails with the grade “easy” mean that they are not technical: you won’t be required to cross rivers, glaciers, or snow, and the trail is on a clearly visible and well-marked path.
However, by no means are these trails easy to do. There are still ascends and descends (albeit small ones on the Balcon trails), and the trail features different terrains of rocks and boulders that you have to get over. Good hiking boots and sticks are a must and smart layers of clothing to be prepared for sudden weather changes. Also, pack a snack and a good supply of water, of course.
At the end of the hike, you will be rewarded with stunning vies of Mer De Glace glacier. Stop at the Signal Forbes point for panoramic views of the glacier. Although it is difficult to fathom the size of this glacier at first, at 7 kilometres long and 200 metres deep, Mer De Glace is the longest glacier in France. What looks like gravel and dirt from the top is, in fact, incredibly massive slabs of ice. Having a zoom lens on my camera helped my to see and understand the grandeur of the glacier better and I was able to spot mountaineers climbing on ice down below.
As you come down from the viewpoint towards the Montenvers train station, you continue to hike above the glacier. At the station, you can walk down or take a small lift to the ice caves: large grottos carved into the glacier that you can explore for free. As you ascend the 400 steps of stairs from the lift to the caves you get to see just how fast this glacier is declining: there are markings on the side of the cliffs that indicate the levels of glacier in the past years. The cave allows you to see the glacier up close if you don’t have the proper equipment to hike the glacier on your own.
Taking the train down was a bit frustrating as Mer de Glace is a popular destination on the weekends and there was a lineup of tourists, hikers, and ice climbers trying to come back into the valley. Give yourself extra time for the train ride to Chamonix.
I hope that this post can be of help if you plan to visit Chamonix and do some hiking around the valley. Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions. If you’re interested in more photos of the hike, you can find some more in my Flickr album.
