Covarey (via Praz-Oursie) – Rifugio Barbustel (Champdepraz)
The route is longer than the official one and takes us to Praz-Oursie, where it is possible to have a restorative stop in a spectacular setting. We walk almost all the way through forests, streams and alpine lakes.
After Praz-Oursie, the traverse has a few slightly exposed sections. We continue with a long traverse at high altitude and a visit to Barma de Rove, with its millstone remains, and then descend to reach the official stage before Lake Servaz.
Most usefull data
| Difficulty | E |
|---|---|
| Uphill slope | 1.145 m |
| Total length | 10.500 m |
| Total time | 5h 0m |
| Assiduity | low |
| Recommended period | Jul - Aug |
Map
Other technical data
| Start point | Covarey (Champdepraz) |
|---|---|
| Start elevation | 1.260 m |
| Arrival point | Barbustel Refuge (Champdepraz) |
| Arrival elevation | 2.200 m |
| Max elevation | 2.200 m |
| Exposure | alcuni |
| Downhill slope | 200 m |
|---|---|
| Uphill time | 4h 20m |
| Downhill time | 0h 40m |
| Trail sign | 5C, 7A, 6B, 5C, |
Start point description
From the Verrès freeway exit, turn left in the direction of Aosta. After a couple of kilometers, on the left, you will find the junction for Champdepraz with signs for the Mont Avic Nature Park. You go through the entire village and begin to climb the Chalamy valley, with its many hairpin bends. You continue until you reach the Covarey parking lot, where you leave your car.
Trail description
From Covarey continue along the asphalt road with limited traffic, pass the Visitor Center, where a large model of the Mont Avic Natural Park territory is visible, and continue until you reach the small Veulla parking lot where the road ends.
From here take the stone-bottomed road (used in the past for transporting ferrous material) that passes above the beautiful chapel and gently crosses the wooded side of the valley.Pass the first path that climbs to Praz-Oursie and reach the locality Magazzino from where the path we must follow to get to Praz-Oursie begins.From the back of the building, continue on the flat until entering the woods.
The path continues with some ups and downs that offer beautiful views of the valley and we reach Barma de Rova where there is the quarry from where soapstone grindstones were extracted.Back on the path we continue until we cross the path that goes up to the frozen lake.We descend to the left for a stretch and then find another path to the right that leads to the main path that goes up to the Barbustel refuge.
It climbs back into the forest and, after a flatter area and passing a monumental pine tree, reaches Lake Servaz (often invaded by a showy bloom of water buttercups). It skirts the lake on the right and then climbs steeply up to a knoll. From this point it descends slightly until it crosses the stream coming from Lake Bianco.
The trail crosses on level ground, passes near a renovated hut and climbs up among mountainous rocks on which there are several erratic boulders (boulders left by the glacier as it melted) to then reach a lookout with signs created by the park and shortly the Barbustel hut the destination for today.
After a short stop, from the refuge it is advisable to descend to the small bridge, located between Lake Bianco and Lake Nero, and climb up the other side admiring Lake Bianco with Monte Rosa in the background and just beyond it Lake Cornuto and another monumental pine tree.
