The Grand Balcon Nord is one of the best hikes in Chamonix. This trail runs above the valley, offering sweeping views of Mont Blanc at one end and Mer de Glace, France’s largest glacier, at the other. Tim, Tyler, Kara, and I hiked it in July as part of a five-day visit to Chamonix before starting the Walker’s Haute Route, and it stood out even on a trip that included nine days in the Dolomites and four days in Zermatt.
This hike is typically done point to point, with Plan de l’Aiguille and Montenvers being the end points. It’s a great hike in both directions. There are advantages and disadvantages to each direction, which we will discuss later in this guide.
We combined the Grand Balcon Nord Trail with a morning at Aiguille du Midi and an afternoon at Mer de Glace, which made for a long but memorable day.
In this guide, we cover hiking stats, the best direction, a step-by-step trail guide, tips for adding on Mer de Glace and Aiguille du Midi, and everything else you need to plan this hike.
Grand Balcon Nord: At a Glance
DISTANCE | 6.8 km (4.2 miles)
TRAIL TYPE | Point-to-point
BEST DIRECTION | Plan de l’Aiguille → Montenvers (mostly downhill)
START | Plan de l’Aiguille (cable car mid-station)
END | Montenvers (train to Chamonix)
DIFFICULTY | Moderate
TIME | 2 to 4 hours
TOTAL ASCENT | 235 m (770 ft)
TOTAL DESCENT | 622 m (2,040 ft)
HIGHEST ELEVATION | 2,315 m (7,590 ft)
CABLE CAR REQUIRED | Yes — book in advance
April 2026 Update: Updated Mer de Glace section with the new gondola access. Added new information about the best time to do this hike, mistakes to avoid, and frequently asked questions. Verified all links.
Map of the Grand Balcon Nord Hike
Below is a map of the Grand Balcon Nord trail, plus the detour to the Mer de Glace ice cave, the cable car ride to Aiguille du Midi, and the train from Montenvers to Chamonix.
Grand Balcon Nord map, plus the cable car to Aiguille du Midi, the Mer de Glace ice cave, and the Montenvers train route
Grand Balcon Nord Hike: Best Direction
The Grand Balcon Nord is a point-to-point trail with Plan de l’Aiguille and Montenvers as the two endpoints. You can hike it in either direction, but the direction you choose meaningfully changes the experience, both in difficulty and in how the views unfold.
Grand Balcon Nord Hike Elevation Profile: Plan de l’Aiguille to Montenvers
Plan de I’Aiguille to Montenvers
Plan de l’Aiguille to Montenvers is the direction we hiked, and the one we recommend for most people.
Starting at Plan de l’Aiguille, the trail is an overall downhill hike with only 235 meters (770 feet) of ascent along the way.
The main tradeoff is that Mont Blanc is behind you for most of the hike, so you’ll be turning around for those views. We didn’t mind.
This direction also pairs naturally with a morning visit to Aiguille du Midi. Ride the cable car up, spend a few hours at the summit, ride down to Plan de l’Aiguille, and hike to Montenvers from there.
THIS DIRECTION IS BEST FOR: This direction is best for most hikers — for families, new hikers, and anyone who wants a manageable, enjoyable day without a grueling climb. If you plan to spend a morning at Aiguille du Midi, this hike is a perfect way to spend the afternoon.
Montenvers to Plan de l’Aiguille
Montenvers to Plan de l’Aiguille flips the experience. You’ll hike toward Mont Blanc the entire way, which gives you a better continuous view of the mountain.
The cost is high, though. Hiking in this direction means roughly 600 meters (2,000 feet) of elevation gain, turning what is otherwise a moderate hike into something closer to strenuous. If you are not a strong hiker, do not underestimate how much more challenging it is to do this hike in this direction.
However, it also removes the need to book a cable car ticket in advance, since you’re riding down from Plan de l’Aiguille rather than up to it.
THIS DIRECTION IS BEST FOR: This direction is best for strong hikers who prioritize views over ease, or anyone who wants to skip the cable car reservation entirely.
Best Direction
Our recommendation is to start at Plan de l’Aiguille unless you specifically want Mont Blanc in front of you and are confident in your fitness for a sustained climb. For most visitors, the easier direction still delivers the views that make this hike worth doing.
Please practice the seven principles of Leave No Trace: plan ahead, stay on the trail, pack out what you bring to the hiking trail, leave areas as you found them, minimize campfire impacts, be considerate of other hikers, and do not approach or feed wildlife.
Our Experience on the Grand Balcon Nord
We hiked the Grand Balcon Nord in July as part of five days in Chamonix. Our day started with an early cable car to Aiguille du Midi — the first we could get was 8:20 am — and we were sitting down to lunch at Bar Plan de l’Aiguille by 12:30 pm before starting the hike. We reached Montenvers, visited the ice cave, and caught the 4:00 pm train back to Chamonix.
That is a full day. The Grand Balcon Nord hike itself took us just over two hours, including the detour to Lac Bleu, but we are fast hikers. Even so, combining Aiguille du Midi, the hike, and the ice cave left very little margin. If you want to do all three, I’d recommend getting on the earliest possible cable car to Aiguille du Midi, ideally 7 am if it’s available.
One note: when we visited, the ice cave was accessed via a long staircase descent. The new gondola that opened in 2024 makes that add-on significantly easier and faster, so your timing may differ from ours.
Grand Balcon Nord Hike: Plan de l’Aiguille to Montenvers
This trail guide is written with Plan de l’Aiguille as the starting point and Montenvers as the end point.
Getting to Plan de l’Aiguille
Plan de l’Aiguille is the middle station between Chamonix and Aiguille du Midi. From Chamonix, ride the cable car to Plan de l’Aiguille. You have the option to also visit to Aiguille du Midi, or just do this hike.
Aiguille du Midi bottom station
GRAND BALCON NORD HIKE ONLY: Adding on Aiguille du Midi turns this into a very long day, so it’s not for everyone. To only hike the Grand Balcon Nord trail, ride the cable car from Chamonix to Plan de l’Aiguille, hike to Montenvers, and ride the train to Chamonix. This gives you more time to hike to the Mer de Glace ice cave if you like the idea of adding that on.
AIGUILLE DU MIDI + GRAND BALCON NORD HIKE: Take an early morning cable car from Chamonix to Aiguille du Midi (preferably before 8 am). A visit to Aiguille du Midi lasts 2 to 3 hours. If you add on the Panoramic Mont-Blanc cable car, add on an additional 2 to 3 hours. Ride the cable car to Plan de l’Aiguille, hike to Montenvers, and ride the train to Chamonix.
For information on what to do and how to plan your visit on Aiguille du Midi, take a look at our guide to Aiguille du Midi and the Panoramic Mont-Blanc Cable Car ↓
Aiguille du Midi + Panoramic Mont-Blanc: The Ultimate Guide
Everything you need to know to plan your visit to Aiguille du Midi.Plan de l’Aiguille
At Plan de l’Aiguille, there is one mountain hut that serves food. Called Bar Plan de l’Aiguille, you can sit outside, in view of Mont Blanc, have lunch and something to drink. We ate sandwiches for lunch before starting the hike. This hut is just a short walk from the cable car station.
Bar Plan de l’Aiguille
Detour to Lac Bleu
At Plan de l’Aiguille, you have a choice to make: detour to Lac Bleu or skip it and head directly towards Montenvers. Our hiking stats include the detour to Lac Bleu, so if you choose to skip it, you will have a slightly shorter hike than what is listed.
It is an easy, mostly flat walk to get to Lac Bleu. We enjoyed it, but the lake is small and not nearly as picturesque as the views you will later get from the hiking trail, but it’s worth it for those with lots of time and energy who want to detour off the main path.
Here is the trail sign at the start of the hike. Go right to hike to Lac Bleu. Go left to skip Lac Bleu and hike directly to Montenvers.
Trail to Lac Bleu
On the trail to Lac Bleu
Lac Bleu
To give you an idea how close Lac Bleu is to the start of the hike, this is the view of Plan de l’Aiguille from Lac Bleu
From Lac Bleu, look for an unmarked trail heading down the mountain that will connect you to the Grand Balcon Nord trail, so you don’t have to backtrack all of the way to the cable car station.
On the Grand Balcon Nord Trail
As you walk to Montenvers, the Grand Balcon Nord is a gentle downhill walk, with a few short uphills here and there.
As you walk along the trail, you can look out over Chamonix and the enormous mountains on the opposite side of the valley. This part of the walk is awesome, since it is mostly flat and the views are breathtaking.
Grand Balcon Nord trail
The view back to Mont Blanc
Eventually you will reach a trail split. Both ways get you to Montenvers, but the higher trail rewards you with some of the best views of the day.
At the trail split, take the trail to the right, towards Le Signal, to take the higher, more scenic trail. You know you are on the correct trail if you end up on a series of tough switchbacks that climb the mountain. They don’t last long and this is the hardest part of the hike (and it’s worth it!).
On the switchbacks
At the end of the switchbacks, the trail continues upwards through rocky terrain. The climb is a lot more gradual now and you will be hiking on a trail made of large stone slabs. The views open up here to reveal more of the mountains all around you.
It is at this point that the trail really lives up to its name, as you are hiking high above the valley with one of the best views over Chamonix.
Another view looking back at Mont Blanc
Approaching Le Signal
Le Signal
Once you reach the top of the climb, you are standing at Le Signal. From here, you can see Mer de Glace snaking its way into the mountains. Below is the Montenvers Refuge, the train station, and the gondola to the ice cave.
From this point, it is a downhill walk to Montenvers. The views of Mer de Glace from this part of the trail are spectacular.
Le Signal
The view down to Montenvers
The view of Mer de Glace from the trail
Montenvers
The Grand Balcon Nord trail ends in Montenvers. Once here, you can rest your feet and get a bite to eat at Refuge du Montenvers, ride the train to Chamonix, or visit the Mer de Glace ice cave.
Grand Hotel du Montenvers
Mer de Glace Ice Cave
At Montenvers you have the option to visit the Mer de Glace ice cave, and it’s worth knowing that access has changed significantly since we visited. In December 2024, a new gondola opened that now takes you directly from Montenvers down to the glacier level and the old long staircase descent is no longer used. From the bottom of the gondola, there are 170 steps each way to the cave entrance.
The ice cave itself is carved by hand each year directly into the glacier. The walls shimmer in shades of deep blue, and the experience of walking inside a living glacier is genuinely striking.
The cave is also a vivid reminder of climate change. The glacier has retreated dramatically over the decades, and visiting it today carries some weight knowing it may not be here forever.
Mer de Glace Ice Cave
With the new gondola making access easier, plan on roughly 1 to 1.5 hours from Montenvers, which accounts for gondola wait times, the 170-step descent and return, and time inside the cave. We did it under the old access and found it a tough add-on after a big day, but with the easier infrastructure it’s a much more manageable visit now. If you have the time and energy when you reach Montenvers, we’d recommend it.
One important note: The final Montenvers train back to Chamonix runs around 5 pm (confirm the exact time for your date before you go). Make sure you’re back at the station in time to catch it.
Montenvers to Chamonix
From Montenvers, ride the train to Chamonix. The train runs every 30 minutes with the final train at 5 pm or 5:30 pm, depending on the date. Before you go, get the updated schedule here and confirm the final train time for the day of your visit.
We had a Mont-Blanc Multipass which included this train journey. You can also purchase a ticket onsite or online using the link above.
Montenvers Train Station
Is the Grand Balcon Nord Hike Worth It?
Yes. The Grand Balcon Nord is one of the best hikes in Chamonix and one we’d do again without hesitation.
The combination of minimal effort and maximum views is hard to beat. For most of the hike you’re walking a high ledge above the valley with sweeping views in both directions, with Mont Blanc behind you and Mer de Glace ahead, and the trail is well-marked and manageable for a wide range of fitness levels.
What makes it stand out is how much of the alpine landscape you cover without a brutal climb. Most hikes with views this good require you to earn them. The cable car to Plan de l’Aiguille does the hard work, and from there the trail delivers.
The only caveat is logistics. This hike requires advance planning: booking the cable car, checking the train schedule, and deciding whether to add on Aiguille du Midi or the ice cave. Build your day carefully and it comes together beautifully. Underestimate the timing and it becomes stressful.
Bottom line: Don’t leave Chamonix without hiking the Grand Balcon Nord.
Best Time to Hike the Grand Balcon Nord
We hiked in July during an unusually hot stretch. Europe was in the middle of a heat wave, with temperatures repeatedly hitting 32°C (90°F) in the valley and afternoon thunderstorms rolling in most days. We got lucky in that storms held off the day we did this hike, but it was a good reminder that summer weather in the Alps can be unpredictable. The trail was busy, as you’d expect in peak season.
A typical summer day in Chamonix runs around 21°C (70°F), which is ideal hiking weather at this elevation. That said, Plan de l’Aiguille sits at over 2,200 meters, so mornings can be cool even in July and August. Bring a layer you can take off.
The Grand Balcon Nord is a summer trail, generally accessible from late June through September once snow has cleared at elevation.
- Spring (April–May): The trail is likely to have snow and ice at elevation and may not be fully accessible. Not recommended without experience in alpine conditions.
- Summer (June–September): The best time to hike. July and August are peak season — crowded but reliably open. June and September offer quieter trails and cooler temperatures.
- Fall (October): Early October may still be possible, but conditions deteriorate quickly. Snow can arrive at any time.
- Winter: The trail is not suitable for hiking in winter conditions.
What to Bring on the Grand Balcon Nord Hike
Hiking shoes. We recommend wearing hiking shoes for this hike. The trail is rough and uneven in a lot of places.
Water. Bring at least 1 liter of water per person. You can also get water, or something else to drink, in Plan de l’Aiguille and Montenvers.
Sunscreen, hat, and sunglasses. Most of this trail is fully exposed to the sun, so bring along sunscreen and sunglasses.
Essential Hiking Gear: What Should You Bring on a Day Hike?
If you are new to hiking or are curious about what you should bring on a hike, check out our Hiking Gear Guide. Find out what we carry in our day packs and what we wear on the trails.Mistakes to Avoid on the Grand Balcon Nord Hike
Not booking the cable car in advance. The Aiguille du Midi cable car, which stops at Plan de l’Aiguille, sells out in peak season, especially in July and August. If you can’t get a ticket, you can’t start the hike from this end. Book online before your visit.
Starting too late. Afternoon thunderstorms are common in the Chamonix valley in summer, and they can roll in quickly. An early start gets you off the mountain before conditions deteriorate, and it means fewer people on the trail when you set out.
Taking the lower trail split and missing Le Signal. About two-thirds of the way to Montenvers you’ll hit a trail junction. The lower route gets you there, but the upper route via Le Signal is where the best views of the entire hike are. Don’t miss it.
Underestimating the reverse direction. If you choose to hike from Montenvers to Plan de l’Aiguille, be aware it is a genuinely strenuous hike with around 600 meters of elevation gain.
Miscalculating the last train from Montenvers. The final cogwheel train back to Chamonix runs around 5 to 5:30 pm depending on the date. If you’re adding on the ice cave, keep a close eye on the time. Miss the last train and you’re hiking downhill back to Chamonix.
Not confirming the ice cave is open. The ice cave closes for maintenance periodically and has set seasonal hours. If visiting the cave is a priority, check the schedule on the Mont Blanc Natural Resort website before your visit.
Grand Balcon Nord Hike: Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Grand Balcon Nord hike difficult?
Hiking from Plan de l’Aiguille to Montenvers is rated moderate. It’s an overall downhill walk with 235 meters of ascent and 622 meters of descent, and most reasonably fit hikers will find it manageable. In the reverse direction, Montenvers to Plan de l’Aiguille, it becomes a strenuous hike with around 600 meters of elevation gain.
How long does the Grand Balcon Nord hike take?
Most hikers complete it in 2 to 4 hours, depending on pace and whether you include the detour to Lac Bleu. Our family of four completed it in just over 2 hours, including the Lac Bleu detour.
Is the Grand Balcon Nord suitable for beginners?
Yes, in the Plan de l’Aiguille to Montenvers direction. The trail is well-marked, mostly downhill, and doesn’t require any technical skill. Hiking shoes are recommended as the terrain is uneven in places.
Is the Grand Balcon Nord hike good for families?
Yes. The downhill direction is manageable for older children and teenagers who are comfortable on uneven terrain. It is not suitable for young children or strollers.
Is the Mont-Blanc Multipass worth it for this hike?
If you’re only doing the Grand Balcon Nord hike, individual tickets make more sense. If you’re combining it with a visit to Aiguille du Midi and the Mer de Glace ice cave, the Multipass covers all of it and is very good value for a full day.
When is the Grand Balcon Nord trail open?
The trail is generally accessible from late June through September. Snow at elevation can make it impassable earlier in spring or later in fall. Always check current conditions before heading out.
What is the best month to hike the Grand Balcon Nord?
June and September offer the best combination of good conditions and smaller crowds. July and August are peak season. The trail is busy but reliably open and the weather is generally good, though afternoon thunderstorms are common.
Plan Your Trip to Chamonix and France
The Grand Balcon Nord is one of several excellent hikes in Chamonix — the Lac Blanc hike and the Argentière Glacier trail are both worth adding to your itinerary if you have the time.
For a full overview of what to do in the area, including the cable cars, town, and day trips, visit our guide to the best things to do in Chamonix. If you’re still in the early stages of planning your trip, our Chamonix itinerary covers how to structure your days.
For everything else you need to plan a trip to France, start with our France Travel Guide.
The Grand Balcon Nord is one of our favorite hikes in Europe, making the list with Trolltunga, Path of the Gods, Tre Cime di Lavaredo, and the amazing Fimmvörðuháls trail.
If you have any questions about the Grand Balcon Nord Hike, let us know in the comment section below.
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