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GR5 Beaufortain–Vanoise · Col de la Leisse
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GR5 — Les Houches to Modane conditions today

Col du Bonhomme · Col du Palet · Col de la Leisse · Haute-Savoie & Savoie

Updated 15 Oct 2026, 15:15 UTC
98 out of 100
Excellent
Next 24 h · crossing Col de la Leisse tomorrow from 07:00
✅ Excellent walking conditions
  • Partly cloudy mornings — views come and go
Open live conditions →
7-day outlook

Best day to go

Today100
Tmrw98
Sat100
Sun75
Mon82
Tue89
Wed79

Best: Thu 15 Oct (100) — No significant new snow on the high route

Now

What's limiting the score

⛰️ Col crossing100
Settled on Col du Bonhomme (4°C, gusts 18 km/h)
❄️ Snow & avalanche99
No significant new snow on the high route
🪨 Rain & slopes100
Little rain on the steep valley sections — low rockfall/landslide trigger risk
🌦️ Trail weather100
Dry along the whole route
🏔️ Mountain views74
Partly cloudy mornings — views come and go
🚆 Rail & road access100
Maurienne railway (Chambéry–Modane): low rain-triggered disruption risk (0 mm / 3 h near Les Houches)
Route

Huts, cols & altitudes

The GR5 through the Beaufortain and the Vanoise National Park: from Les Houches over the Col du Bonhomme to Plan de la Lai and the Refuge de la Balme, down to Peisey-Nancroix, then the high Vanoise crossing over the Col du Palet and the Col de la Leisse (the section's high point), the Arpont and Plan Sec balcony refuges and down to Modane in the Maurienne. Weather risk is snow on the Palet and Leisse cols into July, afternoon storms, and cold wind on the high Vanoise plateau.

Les Houches 1,006 m
Day 1 · trailhead
19°
low 11°
Le Fioux 1,505 m
Day 1 · hut · overnight
16°
low 8°
Nant-Borrant 1,443 m
Day 2 · hut · overnight
17°
low 10°
Col du Bonhomme 2,333 m
Day 3 · pass
12°
low 4°
Refuge de la Croix du Bonhomme 2,433 m
Day 3 · high camp
11°
low 3°
Plan de la Lai 1,822 m
Day 3 · hut · overnight
15°
low 7°
Refuge de la Balme 2,009 m
Day 4 · hut · overnight
15°
low 4°
Peisey-Nancroix 1,316 m
Day 5 · village · overnight
19°
low 9°
Refuge du Col du Palet 2,586 m
Day 6 · high camp · overnight
10°
low 3°
Col du Palet 2,652 m
Day 7 · pass
9°
low 3°
Col de la Leisse 2,761 m
Day 7 · pass
9°
low 1°
Refuge de la Leisse 2,487 m
Day 7 · high camp · overnight
11°
low 3°
Refuge de l'Arpont 2,309 m
Day 8 · hut · overnight
13°
low 4°
Refuge de Plan Sec 2,319 m
Day 9 · hut · overnight
12°
low 4°
Modane 1,068 m
Day 10 · trailhead
22°
low 11°
Plan

Bookings, access & safety

Hut bookings
Book refuges ahead in July–August; confirm opening dates with each refuge.
Vanoise National Park rules
No dogs in the park core; bivouac only under the park rules — confirm with the Parc national de la Vanoise.
Getting there
Les Houches is on the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine line; Modane is on the Chambéry–Turin railway (TGV/TER). Check SNCF for works.
Emergency — 112
European emergency number, free from any phone. In the French mountains the call is passed to the mountain rescue services (PGHM gendarmerie or CRS Montagne).
SAMU (medical) — 15
French medical emergency number; 112 also works and is routed to the same services.
FAQ

GR5 — Les Houches to Modane questions

Is the GR5 — Les Houches to Modane open right now?
No closure is currently reported in the news and official sources we monitor. The live score is 98/100 (Excellent).
When is the best time to walk the GR5 — Les Houches to Modane?
Best season: early July – mid-September. Check hut opening dates, and expect afternoon thunderstorms in summer and snow on the high cols outside it.
How high does the GR5 — Les Houches to Modane go?
The highest point we track is Col de la Leisse (2,761 m). No overnight stop is above 3,000 m; the challenge is the daily climbing and weather on the cols.
Do I need a permit or bookings for the GR5 — Les Houches to Modane?
Hut bookings — Book refuges ahead in July–August; confirm opening dates with each refuge.; Vanoise National Park rules — No dogs in the park core; bivouac only under the park rules — confirm with the Parc national de la Vanoise. Rules change — confirm with the refuges and park authorities.
Where does the avalanche level come from?
From the official Météo-France avalanche bulletin (BRA) for the massif — or the Swiss SLF bulletin on Swiss stages — whenever one is in force (early November to early June). Otherwise the level shown is a model estimate and is labelled as such.
How is the GR5 — Les Houches to Modane score calculated?
Hourly forecasts for every waypoint, corrected to its real altitude (MET Norway Locationforecast), feed six factors: weather on the cols (wind, cold, cloud, thunderstorms), snow and avalanche danger, rain against published European landslide thresholds, trail weather, views and access. Météo-France orange/red warnings, flood vigilance and credible closure reports cap the score.
See hour-by-hour conditions →

Weather forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Not an official forecast. Always follow Météo-France warnings and avalanche bulletins, préfecture and park notices and refuge guardians. Emergency: 112.
Other routes: GR10 — Central Pyrenees · GR20 — Corsica · GR5 — Lake Geneva to Chamonix · GR5 — Larche to Nice · GR5 — Modane to Larche · GR54 — Tour de l'Oisans et des Écrins · GR58 — Tour du Queyras · GR70 — Chemin de Stevenson · GR91 — Traversée des Hauts-Plateaux du Vercors · Tour des Aiguilles Rouges · Tour des Glaciers de la Vanoise · Tour du Beaufortain · Tour du Mont Blanc · Tour du Mont Thabor · All France routes