Pauline
Forums Admin
We are spending the first two weeks of September in Switzerland staying in Lenk, near Gstaad, where we have been the last two summers. We like this small town and the hiking in the area is perfect for us. Trails are not crowded, the gondola and mountain buses make the walking easier, and it is close to the Gstaad-Saanen hikes that we like.
I would like to add on a week, or maybe just a few days, to do some hikes in the Gran Paradiso Park. We want to see the Alpine Ibex, wild mountain goats, also called Stambecco (Italian), Steinbock (German) and Bouquetin (French).
We are thinking of staying in Aosta. It is not in the park but is a larger town (pop. 35,000) with interesting Roman Ruins. From there we could do day trips to some of the mountain towns. Or maybe we should stay in Cogne - right in the mountains?
The Vanoise National Park in the French Alps connects to the Italian park and there are Ibex there as well. Over the years they have moved up through the Alps. We saw some in Samoens, west of Chamonix, a couple of years ago. There are a few mountain towns at the edges of the park and they seem to have more mountain rides than in Cogne.
So, my questions. Has anyone stayed in Aosta? Hiked in the Gran Paradiso Park? Stayed in the mountain towns in Gran Paradiso or Vanoise?
I am reading the old "Easy Walking in the French Alps" books for suggestions of towns, but their book for Italy is only about the Dolomites, so has nothing in Gran Paradiso. There are some good resources on the web and I emailed the tourist office in Aosta to ask where we can hike to see the Ibex.
I found one place noted for the Ibex, but it is a 3.5 hour climb of 900 meters. Our Positano hike was 2.5 hours up 510 meters - so this one is almost twice, which might be too much for us.
Hike from Valnontey to Vittorio Sella Hut, 900 meters ascent (2970 feet), 3.5hrs up, 2hours down
More info:
From Wikipedia: Gran Paradiso National Park
"In the early 19th century, due to hunting, the Alpine ibex only survived in the Gran Paradiso area. Approximately 60 individual ibex survived, here. Ibex were intensively hunted, partly for sport, but also because their body parts were thought to have therapeutic properties: talismans were made from a small cross-shaped bone near the ibex's heart in order to protect against violent death. Due to the alarming decrease in the ibex population, Victor Emmanuel, soon to be King of Italy, declared the Royal Hunting Reserve of the Gran Paradiso in 1856. A protective guard was created for the ibex. Paths laid out for the ibex are still used today as part of 724 kilometres (450 mi) of marked trails and mule tracks.
In 1920 Victor Emmanuel II's grandson King Victor Emmanuel III donated the park's original 21 square kilometres (5,189 acres), and the park was established in 1922. It was Italy's first national park. There were approximately 4,000 ibex in the park when it was protected. Despite the presence of the park, ibex were poached until 1945, when only 419 remained. Their protection increased, and there are now almost 4,000 in the park."
Val d'Aosta Tourism
Cogne Tourism
I would like to add on a week, or maybe just a few days, to do some hikes in the Gran Paradiso Park. We want to see the Alpine Ibex, wild mountain goats, also called Stambecco (Italian), Steinbock (German) and Bouquetin (French).
We are thinking of staying in Aosta. It is not in the park but is a larger town (pop. 35,000) with interesting Roman Ruins. From there we could do day trips to some of the mountain towns. Or maybe we should stay in Cogne - right in the mountains?
The Vanoise National Park in the French Alps connects to the Italian park and there are Ibex there as well. Over the years they have moved up through the Alps. We saw some in Samoens, west of Chamonix, a couple of years ago. There are a few mountain towns at the edges of the park and they seem to have more mountain rides than in Cogne.
So, my questions. Has anyone stayed in Aosta? Hiked in the Gran Paradiso Park? Stayed in the mountain towns in Gran Paradiso or Vanoise?
I am reading the old "Easy Walking in the French Alps" books for suggestions of towns, but their book for Italy is only about the Dolomites, so has nothing in Gran Paradiso. There are some good resources on the web and I emailed the tourist office in Aosta to ask where we can hike to see the Ibex.
I found one place noted for the Ibex, but it is a 3.5 hour climb of 900 meters. Our Positano hike was 2.5 hours up 510 meters - so this one is almost twice, which might be too much for us.
Hike from Valnontey to Vittorio Sella Hut, 900 meters ascent (2970 feet), 3.5hrs up, 2hours down
More info:
From Wikipedia: Gran Paradiso National Park
"In the early 19th century, due to hunting, the Alpine ibex only survived in the Gran Paradiso area. Approximately 60 individual ibex survived, here. Ibex were intensively hunted, partly for sport, but also because their body parts were thought to have therapeutic properties: talismans were made from a small cross-shaped bone near the ibex's heart in order to protect against violent death. Due to the alarming decrease in the ibex population, Victor Emmanuel, soon to be King of Italy, declared the Royal Hunting Reserve of the Gran Paradiso in 1856. A protective guard was created for the ibex. Paths laid out for the ibex are still used today as part of 724 kilometres (450 mi) of marked trails and mule tracks.
In 1920 Victor Emmanuel II's grandson King Victor Emmanuel III donated the park's original 21 square kilometres (5,189 acres), and the park was established in 1922. It was Italy's first national park. There were approximately 4,000 ibex in the park when it was protected. Despite the presence of the park, ibex were poached until 1945, when only 419 remained. Their protection increased, and there are now almost 4,000 in the park."
Val d'Aosta Tourism
Cogne Tourism
