Alpine Passes Trail, Stage 40/43

The trail leads along an old smuggler's route to the Col du Cou, where there is a border guard house. The view extends to the Savoy alps. Then you follow a wide high-level path past alpine farms into the wooded Val de Morgins.

The 21-kilometre hike begins at the Champéry, Barme bus stop with an ascent through the forest to the Croix d’Incrène. A yellow-waymarked hiking trail continues to the Col de Coux at 1,920 m. The pass lies on the French–Swiss border and leads out onto higher Alpine pastures.

The route then continues through open mountain terrain in a long succession of ascents and descents. Peaks rise on both sides of the trail, though the route does not climb them. After almost four hours comes the steepest ascent: near the Croix de l’Hiver, the route reaches its highest point at around 2,050 m. Shortly afterwards, it crosses the Col des Portes du Soleil before a long descent to the Restaurant Tovassière.

In the valley, the trail follows the Vièze de Morgins for several kilometres. Between forest and open meadows, the route follows the stream downhill; towards the end, the first houses of Morgins come into view. After a good six and a half hours, the hike ends at the Morgins, poste bus stop.