Grand Balcon Nord Hike Chamonix / Complete Guide / downloadable GPX track

Last Updated on May 31, 2026 by tourdumontblanchike

The Grand Balcon Nord hike in Chamonix is a classic. One of the best day hikes in Chamonix. Fact.

The Grand Balcon Nord is a stunning balcony trail running along the northern flank of the Chamonix Valley. It’s an easy trail to walk as a day hike (2.5 hours) and you start and finish at some killer viewpoints slash tourist spots you won’t want to miss – which can turn this into an incredible all day outing.

Expect glorious views of Mont Blanc, panoramic views of the Mont Blanc Massif, on the opposite side of the valley the mountains of Le Brèvent & La Flégère and stunning views of France’s largest glacier – the Mer de Glace (Sea of Ice) … and my favourite the spiky Aiguille du Dru (photo below).

I chose to hike the Grand Balcon Nord last October on my birthday with my family. That’s how much I rate it! It’s an old favourite and one that never gets old. I live in Chamonix and I still rate it as one of the best walks in Chamonix.

In this guide I’ll walk you through the additional extras I’d recommend doing at the beginning and the end of the Grand Balcon Nord hike. These include adding an optional visit to the Aiguille du Midi (even the Panoramic cable car over to the Italian border – highly recommended if weather permits) and the Montenvers ice cave plus the Montenvers train back down to Chamonix.

There’s a lot you can do either side of the balcony walk so I’ve explained each of these in detail – of course this makes for a much longer day.

It’s not necessary to add any of the extras on if you just want to purely have a walk, but these highlights are so close by and incredibly impressive so it makes sense to weave them in – plus they are all included in the multi-pass ticket which makes it a much more affordable option than doing all of these highlights on different days.

The Grand Balcon Nord hike is THE DAY ZERO HIKE I tell my Tour du Mont Blanc clients to hike BEFORE they start the TMB. Why? Because not only is it one of the easiest walks in Chamonix, it gets you up to altitude so your body can start adjusting, plus you can check out the Aiguille du Midi at the beginning & the Mer de Glace glacier & the famous Montenvers railway at the end. These are two EPIC sights to see in Chamonix and ones that, trust me, anyone trekking the TMB will be too tired to visit when they loop back 10-11 days later into Chamonix after the 170km hike.

The Grand Balcon Nord simply put is definitely a hike you’ll want to do even if you’re only in Chamonix for a few days. I guarantee it – because you’ll hit three of the best things to do in Chamonix in just one glorious day.

Below I talk you through the trail point by point with lots of photos to show you how you CANNOT NOT do this trail before you leave the Chamonix Valley!

TRAIL PROFILE – GRAND BALCON NORD

Distance: 6 km (3.72 miles)
Total Ascent: 353m (1158 ft) Total Descent: 745m (2444 ft)
Difficulty: Easy / Moderate
Lowest Elevation : 1920 m (6299 ft) Montenvers
Highest Elevation: 2300m (7546 ft) Plan d’Aiguille
Starting Point: Plan d’Aiguille (mid-station of Aiguille du Midi)
Ending Point: Montenvers
Time: 2.5 – 3 hours
When to Go: June – October

DIRECTION: The Grand Balcon Nord hike can be walked in either direction but the most popular direction is from the Plan d’Aiguille (mid station for the Aiguille du Midi) towards the Montenvers simply because its much more of an easier hike as the elevation gain is less than the other direction. It’s true that you would get better views of Mont Blanc if you hike in the reverse direction of Montenvers to Plan d’Aiguille however the elevation gain is significantly more making this a much more challenging hike and I doubt you would have the energy to visit the Aiguille du Midi at the end of the hike. Walking along the Grand Balcon Nord FROM Plan d’Aiguille you still have epic epic views and you will still get to marvel at Mont Blanc from the top at the Aiguille du Midi and at the mid-station and initial descend to the Refuge Plan d’Aiguille before turning your back to Mont Blanc and beginning the hike. I much prefer this direction & turn around at points just to get another glimpse of the famous white dome!

My suggestion is always to incorporate a visit to the Aiguille du Midi before starting the Grand Balcon Nord hike. The Aiguille du Midi is a MUST DO in Chamonix at least once in your lifetime – yes it’s touristy AND expensive but the panoramic view of the entire Alps is astounding.

The astounding Panoramic gondola rides across the Géant glacier over to the Italian border. It’s an exceptional voyage and one that can only be decided on the morning of your hike as this gondola is very weather dependent.

I would HIGHLY recommend building this into your itinerary if the weather plays ball. Remember you CANNOT book the Panoramic in advance – so you will have to decide on the day whether you can include this into your Grand Balcon Nord hike day. The Panoramic cable car is very expensive but definitely worth it if you want a day you’ll never forget.

Remember if you do the Aiguille du Midi and the Panoramic it will be a long day so you should set off as early as possible – the last Montenvers train will depart around 16.30 and you don’t want to be rushing the hike (2.5 – 3 hours). I would suggest making an 8am Aiguille du Midi cable car reservation if you want to include both of these pre-trek side trips.

NOTE: The new name for this cable car is the PANORAMIC but I see they still refer to it as the Helbronner on some of the literature on the website. In fact I still refer to this gondola as the Helbronner! If you check the price or the timetable on the button below it will refer to AIGUILLE DU MIDI – HELBRONNER. This is the Panoramic – Pointe Helbronner is the station on the Italian side that the gondola runs to.

1. 1st cable car from Chamonix to Plan d’aiguille (mid-station)
2. 2nd cable car from Plan d’aiguille to Aiguille du Midi
3. Visit Aiguille du Midi
4. Take Panoramic cable car to Pointe Helbronner (Italy) – weather dependant
5. Take cable car back down to Plan d’aiguille
6. Walk Grand Balcon Nord (2.5 – 3 hrs) via Signal Forbes viewpoint
7. Arrive at Montenvers – take Mer de Glace gondola & visit ice caves if you have time
8. Take Montenvers train along the rack & pinion railway back to Chamonix

The Grand Balcon Nord hike starts from Plan d’Aiguille – the mid-station of the famous Aiguille du Midi.

If you’re not interested in visiting the Aiguille du Midi and only want to walk the Grand Balcon Nord you can either:-

1/ buy a single ticket for the first section of the Aiguille du Midi cable car Plan d’Aiguille or

2/ walk up from the town centre (from the Grepon parking – very close to the Aiguille du Midi) instead of taking the cable car. It’s a tough climb up so be warned! It’s approximately 6km with around 1300m of ascent. Expect this to take around 2-3 hours. You would then have another 2.5 – 3 hours to walk over to the Montenvers.

Most people catch the Aiguille du Midi cable car up to the start point of the trail. If you’re not interested in visiting the Aiguille du Midi you can just exit after the first cable car as this is Plan d’Aiguille. Everyone wanting to visit the Aiguille du Midi will take a second cable car up to the top.

From the cable car station exit to take in the incredible views of Mont Blanc. There’s a small café here, Bar Plan d’Aiguille, where you can bask in the sunshine and have something to eat or a coffee before starting the hike. At the café you’ll see a signpost showing the direction to Lac Bleu – a small 15 minute detour from the café. It’s simply a small blue lake – nothing too exceptional so it’s your choice if you choose to include this. If you do, there are plenty of paths zigzagging down from the lake so you don’t necessarily have to return to the café and descend to the Refuge Plan d’Aiguille to pick up the Grand Balcon Nord trail.

The first section is just a 10 minute easy descent down from Plan d’Aiguille to Refuge Plan d’Aiguille. I’ve spent the night there another birthday when my kids were young. Good memories. You can also choose to have lunch here – again unrivalled views across to Mont Blanc and the whole of the Chamonix Valley.

The second section of the Grand Balcon Nord hike is the undulating balcony trail. From Refuge Plan d’Aiguille the sign indicates 2h 30 which is about right to Montenvers. The below photos are of looking back along the trail at Mont Blanc.

The trail is relatively easy for the most part and descends gradually with a few short ups but nothing too taxing. It’s a very enjoyable walk with fantastic views over the Chamonix Valley.

This section from Refuge Plan d’Aiguille takes around an hour to get to the Signal Forbes junction path.

However before that there’s another choice to make! Those who may not have visited the Midi and who therefore might have a little extra time on their hands can detour to visit Alpages de Blaitière – a delightful homestead where you can have a fabulous lunch or simply buy fresh cheese or other products Carine and Thomas make from their goat and sheep herds (goats/sheep cheese, sheep’s milk soap, wool etc).

Alpages de Blaitière is an extremely authentic local experience and one that might prefer to high altitude sight seeing with other tourists. It’s a 45 minute descent from midway along the Grand Balcon Nord. It sees few tourists so head here if you want to get off the beaten path and see real Chamonix folk. Of course you’ll need to factor in the return leg back to the signpost if you want to continue on to Signal Forbes and the Mer de Glace, however its also possible to continue on from Alpages de Blaitière all the way down to Chamonix.

The path continues on towards Les Grosse Pierres (The Big Stones) where there’s another turn off for Alpages de Blaitière. The trail is very well signposted and at no point do you feel you might be lost. This is a popular, well trodden trail.

At Les Grosse Pierres you’ll see the first sign for Signal Forbes – the stunning viewpoint.

From Les Grosses Pierres you are just under half way to Montenvers. Sous le Signal (indicated in the above photo) refers to a shorter route to Montenvers – not ascending up to the viewpoint – however I don’t recommend this route – it skirts a more direct dangerous route so its actually often not a short cut because of the extra care required on the route.

The few trees along the route look gorgeous in October with their bright pops of colour.

The next signpost you’ll come to is the junction where I would advise you to take the right hand path ascending up path to the viewpoint Signal Forbes. The signpost here also indicates the lower ‘delicate’ path – I would not recommend taking this and in fact on the signpost you can see Itineraire conseillé which means ‘recommended path’.

The path up to the Signal starts to climb, the path made with large flat boulders forming a natural stairway.

It takes around 20-30 minutes to climb up to Signal Forbes. It’s not particularly difficult as the trail is easy underfoot but it is a steady climb with some switchbacks. This is the hardest part of the trail but doesn’t last too long.

The final stretch has an incredible view of the soaring spire of Le Dru before coming to the Signal Forbes signpost.

The viewpoint at Signal Forbes is one of the best in all of Chamonix. It’s well worth the climb for.

At the Signal Forbes signpost don’t just carry on the path down to Montenvers. You’ll see an unmarked well worn path extending behind the signpost. Pick your way through the rocks to the viewpoint to look out onto the glacier – the Mer de Glace.

The view is extraordinary. It’s the best place hands down to view the Mer de Glace glacier. Those who only take the train up to Montenvers to the viewpoint platform there can’t actually see the whole of the glacier because it curves around a bend so their view is limited. Here at Signal Forbes you can see all of the last section of the glacier curving around – it’s magnificent and well worth the short climb at the end.

Now it’s time to descend down to Montenvers. You’ll be rewarded all the way down the steep switch back bends with repeated ridiculously beautiful views of both the Aiguille du Drus and the Mer de Glace. The signpost says 35 minutes but if you’re nimble and short footed it only takes 15-20 minutes so bear this in mind if you’re gunning for the last train.

You’ll start descending after Signal Forbes for around 20-30 minutes to the Montenvers site. Montenvers is the end of the Grand Balcon Nord hike.

Montenvers consists of the Refuge Hotel Montenvers (a fabulous place to stay overnight if you have the time – read my review here on my family travel adventure blog) and the train station where the Montenvers train descends back down to Chamonix on the old rack and pinion railway. There’s also the gondola down to the Mer de Glace ice cave and a crystal museum and glaciorium. Plenty to do (!) although if you’ve already visited the Midi, possibly the Panoramic and then walked the Grand Balcon Nord you might just be ready to flop into a chair at the lovely Refuge Hotel Montenvers for a refreshing drink or bite to eat.

It’s pretty cool to go inside the Mer de Glace. You can do this by taking a short gondola ride down from Montenvers. It’s a new gondola so it takes you all the way to the ice cave (grotto) now. You might read a lot of posts online about lots and lots of steps – that was the old gondola so this thankfully no longer applies.

The Mer de Glace is the longest glacier in France. It snakes down from Mont Blanc and ends near Montenvers. You’ll see the best view of it at the famous viewpoint – Signal Forbes – on the Grand Balcon Nord hike.

Bear in mind it’s a long long day if you’re planning to visit the Aiguille du Midi, Panoramic, walk the Grand Balcon Nord trail AND visit the ice caves and descend on the Montenvers train. If you have kids you might want to prioritise this (although the Panoramic is pretty cool for kids and the glass box at the Midi). If the Panoramic is closed due to wind for example (this often happens – the Panoramic is VERY weather dependant – they only decide whether to open it each morning) then you should easily have time to visit the ice caves.

You might just be too tired to add this onto the end of the day and you should bear in mind that the last train descends at either 16.30 or 17.00 depending on the season – if you miss that train its a 2 hour walk down through the forest back to Chamonix.

If you’ve bought the multi pass the gondola and the ice caves are included (as well as the Midi and the Montenvers train).

In my opinion you should prioritise the Aiguille du Midi and Panoramic over the ice caves & if you do want to include it set off super early around 7.30 in the morning if you want to include all the side trips added to the Grand Balcon Nord hike.

The Montenvers train is one of Chamonix’s treasures.

This old rack and pinion railway complete with cute crimson trains was built in 1908 when the mule track was finally abandoned. It’s Chamonix’s second most popular landmark to visit (after the Aiguille du Midi).

The Montenvers train departs from central Chamonix at its own train station (the Montenvers train station) which is very close to Chamonix’s train station (a metal stairway and bridge link the two). Trains depart every 20 minutes and it takes approximately 20 minutes to ascend the 5.1km of track ascending 900m up to Montenvers.

Of course you’ll be only taking the return journey to Chamonix so it’s possible to just buy a one way ticket if you didn’t buy the multi pass which has it included. It’s not necessary to book ahead but know that the last train has a large crowd waiting to get on!

The two most important pieces of information you need to know are 1/ the time of the last descent (ALWAYS check online beforehand) and 2/ you should buy the MULTI PASS ticket to save money – this pass offers incredible value.

I literally adore this little red train. From the garden of the chalet I lived in for over 10 years, I could spot the little red train making its way slowly up the track through the forest. It was bound to my background landscape for as long as I could remember and I miss it more than I’d care to admit now that I live up in Argentière, further up the Chamonix Valley.

You should definitely aim to take the train back down to Chamonix. It’s a real gem. The train smells old – in a nice way – think aged wood. The noise of the engine is wonderfully loud and real. The views are insane. The train inches down the track under avalanche tunnels and between the green larch forest. Yes it’s packed with tourists but hey it’s definitely still worth it.

This day is like no other day in Chamonix. If there’s one thing you do in Chamonix – it’s THIS day!

Fingers crossed for good weather for you. Enjoy the trail and the views – it’s one of my favourites and I know you’ll talk about this day for many years to come. If you have enough time, consider a stay at the Hotel Refuge Montenvers – it’s unforgettable.

If you have any questions about this hike or how to weave this into your Tour du Mont Blanc trek, feel free to comment below.
I always suggest doing this incredible hike BEFORE trekking the Tour du Mont Blanc – you’ll be too tired when you return to Chamonix after 10-11 days on the trail.