Chemin du Petit Bonheur

The chemin du Petit Bonheur is 'an ancestral path running from village to village across the whole Haute Maurienne Vanoise' — from Modane to Bonneval-sur-Arc, via La Norma, Aussois, Val-Cenis and Bessans. A mid-altitude, accessible, well-waymarked route with progressive climbs on a wide, secure path: the tourist office presents it as 'the ideal itinerary for family hiking, for occasional walkers'.

The waymarking has its own charm: logs, footbridges and benches with their ends painted yellow, plus directional signs. No big climbs, no technical difficulty — the path 'can be walked a thousand ways': short loops of 1 to 3 hours from any village, or a 2-3 day traverse. A published section example: Lanslevillard–Bessans, 3h10 one way, return possible by bus.

On the total length, the tourist office contradicts itself from one page to the next: 'about 40 km' here, '50 kilometres of trails' there. We quote both figures. Advised periods: June to October. And since the route runs linear over dozens of kilometres, this page carries no GPS coordinates — no single point would honestly represent it.

June to October, the tourist office's advised periods. The valley's larches make autumn the path's golden season.