Route: Grande Traversée des Alpes via the GR52 and GR5 (France)

Starting on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea in Menton, this South-to-North crossing of the French Alps follows the legendary “Grande Traversée des Alpes” but with a unique twist. Instead of taking the classic GR 5 from the start, the route begins with the wilder and more mountainous GR 52, plunging deep into the heart of Mercantour National Park — a land of ibex, chamois, and rock engravings in the ancient Vallée des Merveilles.

From the high passes of Mercantour, the trail rolls into the rugged ridges of the Tinée and Vésubie valleys, then threads its way towards the remote Ubaye Valley, surrounded by peaks over 3,000 meters. The route continues north through the sunlit slopes of the Queyras Regional Park, before crossing into the pristine Vallée de la Clarée, a jewel of alpine meadows and crystalline rivers, nestled just east of the Écrins.

Further along, the path climbs into the Vanoise National Park, skirting glaciers and high passes beneath the Grande Casse, then traverses the Beaufortain and the Mont Blanc Massif, a crown of ice and rock marking the high point of the French Alps. The journey continues along the panoramic ridges of the Aiguilles Rouges, facing the glaciers of Mont Blanc, before diving into the dramatic cliffs and deep valleys of the Haut Giffre, an untamed landscape of waterfalls, gorges, and sharp limestone peaks.

The final stages bring a gentler rhythm through the Chablais, where rolling green ridges and deep valleys guide the way to Saint-Gingolph, on the shore of Lake Geneva.

This version of the GTA reverses the traditional direction (South → North instead of North → South) and adds a more technical, high-mountain flavor in its early stages thanks to the GR 52 variant — an alpine journey that is as demanding as it is spectacular.