A few trekking ideas starting at the refuge…
Day trek : Tête nord des Fours - lac de Mya - petit Mont Blanc (4h). Col du Bonhomme - vallon de la Gittaz - col de la Sauce and back to crête des Gittes (3h).Several-day treks : Bonhomme - Presset (CAF refuge ) by GR5 and return via the Combe de Nova (2 days 6 hours of walking ) .
The Tête Nord des Fours (2756m)
From the refuge, ascend north-westwards to the col des Fours at 2,665m. From there, follow the crest, north-westwards at first, until it veers to the North-East. Enjoy the viewpoint diagram that was put up in 2002. Mont Blanc seems to be so close at hand that you could touch it.
Duration: 1h30 round trip
Elevation : 300m
The Rocher du Vent (2360m)
From the refuge, reach la Crête des Gîttes (Gîttes crest) at 2,538m across the Col de la Sauce and then climb down towards the Plan de la Lai refuge, until you reach the chalets de Bel Air (2145m). Then turn right and follow the trail going to the Rocher du Vent. When you reach chalets de la Lauze you can either carry on straight forward to the Rocher du Vent tunnel, or turn right on the trail that will take you to the summit. From the summit, there are two possibilities to go back to the refuge : The first one, the easier one, is to go back the way you came. It’s a four-hour climb for a 700-metre difference in altitude. The second one will take you North, all the way down to the lac de la Gittaz at 1,560m, and then all the way up to the col du Bonhomme at 2,329m where you follow the TMB South towards the refuge.
Duration: 4h in return and 6h doing the loop
Elevation : 700m the round trip and doing the loop 1200m