My Favourite Hikes Around Morzine (As Told by Maple 🐾)
Hello! I’m Maple, Elevation’s four-legged local guide to Morzine.
While my humans spend their time checking maps and packing snacks, I’m focused on the important things—finding mountain streams to splash in, sniffing every interesting smell, and spotting marmots before anyone else.
If you’re wondering where to take yourself or your own adventure pup, here are my favourite walks.
🐾 Maple’s Difficulty Guide
| Rating | Best For |
| 🟢 Easy | Families, casual walkers, puppies and older dogs |
| 🔵 Moderate | Regular walkers with reasonably fit dogs |
| 🟠 Hard | Fit hikers and active dogs used to longer mountain days |
| 🔴 Very Hard | Experienced mountain hikers and confident scrambling dogs only |
My Favourite Chill Walks (With Swimming!)
Not every day needs to be about reaching a summit. Sometimes the best adventures involve shady forests, cool rivers and plenty of swimming.
🐾 Dereches to the Nyon Waterfall
🐾 Maple’s Trail Stats
- 🥾 Difficulty: 🟢 Easy
- 🐕 Dog Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- ⏱️ Time: 1.5–2.5 hours
- 📏 Distance: 5–7 km
- ⛰️ Elevation Gain: Minimal
- 💦 Water Stops: River all the way
- 🚠 Summer Lifts: No
This peaceful woodland walk follows the river before reaching the beautiful Nyon waterfall. It’s ideal on warmer days when everyone appreciates a little shade.
You’ll probably find me in the water long before we reach the waterfall.
🐾 Vallée de la Manche, L’Erigné & Lac des Mines d’Or
🐾 Maple’s Trail Stats
- 🥾 Difficulty: 🔵 Easy–Moderate
- 🐕 Dog Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- ⏱️ Time: 2-3 hours
- 📏 Distance: 5 km
- ⛰️ Elevation Gain: 200 m
- 💦 Water Stops: Streams throughout
- 🚠 Summer Lifts: No
If you only let me choose one gentle adventure… I’d drag you here every single time.
The Vallée de la Manche is full of alpine meadows, streams and mountain views. Following the trail through L’Erigné and up to Lac des Mines d’Or makes for a wonderfully scenic stroll.
Make a day out of it and stop at Crapahutte for a wonderful lunch and play boules. Often you will find live music here in the summer too!
For Summit Lovers
These are the hikes where you’ll earn incredible views, and I’ll earn plenty of treats.
🐾 Nyon
🐾 Maple’s Trail Stats
- 🥾 Difficulty: 🔵 Moderate
- 🐕 Dog Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
- ⏱️ Time: 3–5 hours (depending on lift use)
- 📏 Distance: 8–12 km
- ⛰️ Elevation Gain: 500–900 m
- 💦 Water Stops: Plenty of streams
- 🚠 Summer Lifts: Yes – Nyon cable car and chairlift
This is one of my favourite mountain days because you can choose how much climbing you want to do. If you’d rather save your legs for the best bits, you can take the Nyon cable car halfway up, and in summer there’s also a chairlift that takes you even closer to the summit.
From there, you’ll still enjoy beautiful alpine trails, panoramic views across the valley, and plenty of grassy spots for a well-earned break. It’s a fantastic option if you want the feeling of a big mountain without quite so much uphill.
🐾 Ressachaux
🐾 Maple’s Trail Stats
- 🥾 Difficulty: 🟠 Moderate–Hard
- 🐕 Dog Friendly: ⭐⭐⭐⭐☆
- ⏱️ Time: 4–5 hours
- 📏 Distance: 10–12 km
- ⛰️ Elevation Gain: 1200 m
- 💦 Water Stops: Seasonal streams and a trough at the plateau
- 🚠 Summer Lifts: No
Ressachaux has everything I look for in a perfect hike: forests, open ridges, wildflowers and incredible views over Morzine and the surrounding peaks.
It’s adventurous without feeling too technical and is one of those walks that always makes my tail wag.
For Humans Who Like a Bit of Scrambling
These adventures are for experienced hikers and confident mountain dogs.
🐾 Hauts-Forts
🐾 Maple’s Trail Stats
- 🥾 Difficulty: 🔴 Very Hard
- 🐕 Dog Friendly: ⭐⭐☆☆☆ (experienced mountain dogs only)
- ⏱️ Time: 5–6 hours
- 📏 Distance: 12–14 km
- ⛰️ Elevation Gain: 900 m
- 💦 Water Stops: Limited
- 🚠 Summer Lifts: Partial ascent via Prodain lift
This isn’t for nervous paws. Expect rocky sections, narrow ridges and a real alpine feel. The views are unforgettable, but there are exposed sections where you’ll need to take extra car
🐾 Roc d’Enfer
🐾 Maple’s Trail Stats
- 🥾 Difficulty: 🔴 Very Hard (Hard–Very Hard from the gondola)
- 🐕 Dog Friendly: ⭐☆☆☆☆ (experienced scrambling dogs only)
- ⏱️ Time: 5–6 hours from the Grande Terche gondola | 6–7 hours from the valley
- 📏 Distance: 10–12 km from the gondola | 14–16 km from the valley
- ⛰️ Elevation Gain: ~700–800 m from the gondola | ~1,200 m from the valley
- 💦 Water Stops: Very limited once above the tree line
- 🚠 Summer Lifts: Yes – Grande Terche gondola only
The name means “Rock of Hell,” and it certainly earns it! Starting from the Grande Terche gondola saves some of the initial climb, but don’t be fooled—this is still a serious alpine adventure. There are several scrambling sections where humans will need to use their hands, and some dogs may need a helping lift.
If you’re taking your dog, a well-fitting harness is essential so you can safely assist them when needed. This route is best suited to dogs who are already comfortable scrambling over rocks and being lifted when necessary.
Maple’s Mountain Tips 🐾
- -Bring plenty of water for both humans and dogs.
- -Keep dogs on a lead around cows, sheep and wildlife.
- -If you’re tackling scrambling routes, use a secure harness so your dog can be safely assisted where needed.
- -Start early on hot summer days.
- -Mountain conditions can change quickly, and some routes may not be suitable depending on the weather, snow cover or livestock. Always check local conditions before setting out.
- -Remember that every dog is different. I spend lots of time in the mountains and I’m trained and experienced on this type of terrain. Choose hikes that suit your own dog’s fitness, confidence and experience, and don’t be afraid to turn back if something doesn’t feel right.
- -Most importantly, stop often to soak up the views… and hand out treats. They’re essential mountain fuel.
Hopefully I’ll see you on the trails. If you spot a copper-coloured Vizsla bounding across an alpine meadow with a huge grin, ears flapping in the breeze and a nose determined to investigate every interesting scent, come and say hello—it might just be me.
Happy hiking!
🐾 Maple
