Money bivouac, from the Valnontey car park

Access

Road navigation

At the motorway junction of Aosta West, enter the roundabout and take the second exit following the signs for / Cogne / Aymavilles. Continue on for 20.0km (20.0km) to the roundabout at the entrance to Cogne, where take the first exit onto Avenue G.F. Cavagnet (350m, 20.35km). Continue on Via Bourgeois (120m, 20.5km), then turn right onto Rue Grand Paradis. Follow Rue Grand Paradis for 2.4km (22.9km), continue on Frazione Valnontey for 210m (23.1km) and turn right to reach the car park.

Parking

At the end of the road is the 🅿️ car park in Valnontey, the access point to the Gran Paradiso National Park. Check on site for access conditions and any seasonal restrictions imposed by the park authority.

Access by public transport

The Valnontey car park can be reached by the Cogne urban circular line run by SVAP. The reference stop is Cogne Valnontey. The winter service runs every weekday and on public holidays, except 25 December and the summer period; the runs serving the Valnontey stop depart from Cogne Revettaz at 09:00, 10:05, 11:10, 12:40 and 15:00, arriving in Valnontey at 09:25, 10:30, 11:35, 13:05 and 15:25 respectively. For updated timetables please consult the timetable SVAP - Cogne Urban Line.

Distance and travel time

• 🕒Travel time: 35 minutes

• 📏 Distance: 23.5km

GPS navigation

• 📍 How to get there with Google Maps

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Information note

The information provided has been verified as of the date of the survey of the itinerary. Before departure, it is recommended to check possible changes in the route or road conditions. Please consult Google Maps or Apple Maps for the latest information.

Introduction

Interesting hike in the Gran Paradiso National Park. The ascent will take you through an extremely rugged environment, but you will be rewarded by the exceptional panorama that can be enjoyed from the bivouac. It is not difficult, in these parts, to spot the fauna normally found in the park.

Description

0h00' [0.00kmT1] From the car park proceed in the direction of the village of Valntontey, where you will come across a fountain 💧 and the signposts indicating the main paths in the valley. Continue on the little dirt road that flanks the Torrent de Valnontey and the "Gran Paradiso" campsite. You enter the larch forest (Larix decidua), which in the autumn period ignites into picturesque chiaroscuros, and after a short distance you come to the signpost for Plan de la Tornetta.

0h15' [1.05kmT2] Neglect the path and continue straight ahead always on a level surface on the old royal hunting road, which in places becomes a wide path and quickly reaches the small village of David (1,713m) with buildings perched on erratic boulders.

0h30' [1.76kmT2] Continue along a level path until reaching the village of Vermianaz - Vermiana (1745m).

0h45' [2.64kmT2] Having passed the village, after about 400m, shortly after crossing a stream on a wooden footbridge, leave the small dirt road to take the well-marked path that branches off to the left (1784m). Now continue on the path that, still on a moderate slope, quickly reaches the junction for the Alpe and the Money bivouac (1807m).

After a few minutes the path leaves the road and turns left; it continues for a few hundred metres and finally after about 40 minutes of walking we reach the junction for the bivouac, path . From a panoramic point of view, this section is not very suggestive because the narrow valley covers the surrounding peaks, but it is not unlikely that you will meet some guests of the park! We continue to climb in the midst of a larch forest with a few scattered alders; after about 1h10' the path begins to skirt a rocky wall, which we skirt, leaving it on our left. We begin to enjoy the panorama with glimpses of the Tribolazione glacier and the Gran Paradiso. The larch woodland begins to thin out and at an altitude of about 2050m, the path turns to the left, crossing a fairly airy but absolutely wide ledge. The path is now gentler: we continue over the ledge with a slight up and down until we turn right, following another rock face that we find on our left. At an altitude of around 2270m, we step on a bit of scaled rock (the passage is easy, however) and we meet some specimens of Astra Viola in our path.
At an altitude of 2320m, the path descends slightly, entering the Comba di Costaleina, crossing grassy slopes and descending towards the torrent: after crossing it, the path continues through a stretch of grassland alternating with scree. After 2h30' we reach the junction for the Money bivouac at 2340m.
We take the left direction and begin to climb again on a fairly evident path supported by signs (yellow sections) and some cairns. We then meet a stream on the right (2385m): this is the last water supply before the bivouac. After a section that is not too steep, the path climbs up a moraine: about 150m uphill to reach an altitude of 2500m. Groups of chamois peep out on the crest of the moraine, curiously observing our path. When we reach an altitude of 2500m, we can see the Money cottages below us, and above us, like an eagle's nest, the yellow silhouette of the bivouac perched on a rocky ledge: impressive! We continue our ascent up a second moraine, the one that descends on the orographic right of the Coupé de Money glacier. We walk along the summit section of the moraine ridge (slightly overhanging) up to an altitude of 2800m, from here the path turns to the left and we cross a section of scree and broken rocks until we reach a ledge below a rocky ledge. We have now reached the most difficult point of the entire route: the passage over a ledge equipped with a chain. The passage is grade I - II and the four sections of chain overcome a difference in height of 7-8 metres. Once over this passage, the path continues on a short flat stretch, a little exposed, until the bivouac.
After 3h45' you reach the bivouac: the panoramic view is exceptional, you can see the towers of Sant'Orso, Sant'Andrea and Gran San Pietro, Gran Paradiso, Herbetetet, Grand Sertz and Grivola.
The descent follows the same route as the ascent: the only difficulty is the section with a chain, which is slightly more difficult on the descent than on the ascent.