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what's here: Col des Montets | trail Gorges du Trient | road Col de la Forclaz

This is a possible alternate northern section for the Route des Grandes Alpes -- see report + discussion.

from Chamonix over Col des Montets to the Swiss border

Aiguille Verte mountain seen from Col des Montets
 

quiet valley thru Vallorcine to the Switzerland border . . . much with a creek alongside the road
 

path down Gorges du Trient

looking down the gorge . . . also to a small mountain on its other side,
seen from the paved road into Finhaut village
 

from the top of Finhaut village, southeast to the snow of the Trient glacier
 

the unpaved trail to Salvan starts from Finhaut village . . . then lower down it goes alongside railroad tracks
 

the trail reaches a paved road, which goes thru some villages
 

then the road gets wider and switchbacks down a steep slope to the main valley of the river Rhone
 

finally the paved road turns south toward Martigny
 

road over Col de la Forclaz

The other way between the France-Switzerland border is all on a paved road.

I rode this section starting from Martigny, and my slow climbing up the road allowed me lots of time to look at big views like that above.
 

Trient, Switzerland - (once I skied down into this village after climbing from France)