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Page Type:
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Route |
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Lat/Lon:
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69.00000°N / 6.50000°E |
Route Type:
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Scramble |
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Time Required:
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Most of a day |
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Difficulty:
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Walk-up |
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Approach
Barrage d'Emosson can be reached by car, or by funicular from Le Chatelard (French-Swiss border) over Finhaut.
To reach Le Chatelard :
- from France over Chamonix, Col des Montets and Vallorcine (N 506)
- from Switzerland over Martigny, Col de la Forclaz, Trient.
- by train from Chamonix and from Martigny.
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Route Description
Cross the dam. Follow during 1 hour the road (forbidden to cars) to Old Emosson. On your left you see les Perrons. After the crossing of the river Nant de Drance, take the short cut on the left which avoids the bend of the road. After a short tunnel (corniced path), you reach the Old Emosson lake.
Once one has passed by Vieux Emosson dam and crossed two small tunnels, one enters a lunar landscape.
The flora changes abruptly, contributing to the contrasts between these two worlds. After having passed by the end of the lake, the climb starts toward Corbeaux Pass, in order to reach the Dinosaur’s footprint’s location.
Higher climb up the Old Emosson combe between la Veudale on the left and Pointe de Finive on the right. The Cheval Blanc is also visible on your right. Over some snowfields you reach the site of the Dinosaur footstep marks. Climb higher over stone fields direction south. Before the Col des Corbeaux, follow the path on the right to the NEsummit. The steepest parts are secured with chains. You can follow the ridge in southern direction to the SW summit and to the Pointe de Genevrier and Mont Buet.
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Essential Gear
Telescopic sticks are useful.
Sometimes crampons are needed to cross the icy snowfieds.
Dinosaur footsteps of Emosson
The fossilised tracks are situated in a gully in the Vieux-Emosson area, at an altitude of 2400 m, within the township of Finhaut (Valais, Switzerland). They were discovered on August 23 1976 by a French geologist, G. Bronner.
As the site is protected by the Canton of the Valais, a decision taken on November 9 1983, it is strictly forbidden to damage the tracks, collect samples, or to leave refuse on the premises.
From Finhaut, a road leads to the Gueulaz Pass (1960 m). It is also possible to reach that point by funicular, train and minifunicular. From there, one crosses the Emosson dam (1930 m) and climbs on the right side of the lake to the Vieux-Emosson dam. The site is then reached by following the left flank of the small lake to its southern tip (2210 m) and climbing the snowfield which spreads down from the Lac Vert and the Corbeaux Pass.
The walk from the Gueulaz Pass takes 21/2 hours.
This site is the most important of its kind known at present in Europe.
More Informations about the dinosaur footsteps
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