Réserve Naturelle de Contamines-Montjoie
Stretching across 5,500 hectares beneath the glaciers of the Dômes de Miage, this protected reserve is one of the largest in the French Alps and one of the least crowded. Ibex, chamois and golden eagles share a landscape of larch forests, moraines and high-altitude meadows that genuinely takes your breath away.
Walking into the wild
The classic entry point is the Hameau du Cugnon car park at the valley head, from which a broad path follows the Bon Nant river through fragrant pine and larch before opening onto the vast Plan de la Croix plateau at around 1,600 m.
Higher still, the trail climbs to the Refuge de la Balme (1,706 m), a staffed mountain hut where you can refuel on soup and tarte aux myrtilles before pushing on toward the Col du Bonhomme — a key stage of the Tour du Mont Blanc.
The reserve is genuinely multi-season: snowshoers take the same valley corridor in winter, while July and August bring an explosion of alpine wildflowers including gentians, martagon lilies and arnica.
Wildlife and conservation
Dawn and dusk are the golden hours for spotting ibex on the rocky ridgelines above the Chalets de la Balme; bring binoculars and patience and you will almost certainly be rewarded.
The reserve wardens run free guided walks in July and August departing from the Notre-Dame-de-la-Gorge chapel car park — an excellent way to learn which tracks belong to which animal.
No dogs are allowed off-lead inside the reserve boundaries, and bivouacking is restricted to designated zones, so check the reserve office signage before pitching a tent.
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