The Hike to Dents de Morcle: A Perfect Introduction to High Alpine Trails

Overview

Starting point: Jorasses parking, Ovronnaz (1,400m)
Lift dropoff: Jorasses 1950m
Arrival: La Grande Dent de Morcle (2,969m)
Altitude gain: ~1,000m (with chairlift) or ~1,570m (without)
Duration: ~5-6 hours total
Difficulty: Moderate to challenging
Technical difficulty: Easy to moderate (some scrambling near the summit)

Starting the Ascent

The hike to Dents de Morcle begins at the Jorasses parking in Ovronnaz (1,400m). If you're feeling sporty, you can start from here, but it makes for a long ascent. Instead, I opted for the chairlift to the Jorasse restaurant (1,950m), cutting out the first steep section.

From Jorasses, countless hiking options open up—such as the Tour of Grand Chavalard, the Tour of Six Armaille, and the hike to Cabane Rambert. I'll post about those another time. This time, my goal was La Grande Dent de Morcle.

Following the signs to the left, the trail quickly bends behind a ridge, leaving the restaurant out of sight. After about 20 minutes, I reached the Petit Pré alpage, where the trail splits—one path heading toward the Chavalard Tour and the other toward Six Armaille. I took right, slightly uphill.

Climbing to Col du Fenestral

From Petit Pré, the trail gradually ascends through a grassy valley leading to Col du Fenestral. Along the way, you pass an alpine swamp, which the path skirts around. After that, the real climb begins. The trail steepens significantly as it zigzags up toward the col.

After about 1 hour and 15 minutes, I reached Col du Fenestral (2,452m), with the Cabane du Fenestral just 50 meters below. A short detour leads to the hut if you want a break. From here, two lakes become visible far below—you can reach them via the KM Vertical de Fully or from the Tour du Grand Chavalard on the left. The jagged Dent de Favre also comes into view.

But my objective lay ahead: La Grande Dent de Morcle.

The High Alpine Section

From Col du Fenestral, I took the path right, now marked blue and white, indicating a high alpine trail. While this section involves some easy scrambling, it's not particularly technical.

The path narrows and becomes noticeably rockier. After crossing a section of smooth rock slabs, I started the final push to the summit. Here, the trail earns its "high alpine" label—ascending a natural staircase of large boulders, requiring hands-on climbing in short sections (3-4 meters at a time). Fortunately, it's not exposed or dangerously steep, making it manageable for confident hikers.

Reaching the Summit

After another 1 hour and 15 minutes from the col, I finally stood at La Grande Dent de Morcle (2,969m). The 360° panoramic view stretched from Lac Léman across the Chablais and Valais valleys, an incredible reward for the effort.

The summit itself is simple—just rock and sky—but the conditions were perfect: sunny and windless. I stayed for a while, enjoying lunch with a view. For those wanting an extra challenge, Petit Dent de Morcle is just 10-15 minutes away on a vertiginous ridge path—but I decided that conquering the Grande Dent was enough for the day.

The Long Way Back

I descended via the same route. While long, the descent was straightforward, without any major difficulties.

After about 2 hours at a steady pace, I was back at Jorasses, where I took the chairlift down to the parking lot—wrapping up a fantastic high-alpine adventure. Keep in mind that the lift closes at 16h30 so you have to start descending at 14h at most to be sure to take it.

Final Thoughts

This hike is a great introduction to high-mountain trails, offering a mix of moderate difficulty, rewarding views, and some fun scrambling sections. It’s challenging but not extreme, making it an ideal step up for those looking to experience high alpine hiking without tackling full-scale mountaineering.

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