Holiday apartment in Champdepraz: Mont Avic Natural Park and mining history

Champdepraz combines protected nature, unusual landscapes and visible traces of mining. Those who choose a holiday apartment or holiday home in Champdepraz will find a place where active days and a wide range of discoveries can be combined.

Mont Avic Natural Park and distinctive landscapes

Mont Avic Natural Park protects the upper catchment area of the Torrente Chalamy in the municipality of Champdepraz. The character of the area is shaped by extensive sequences of green rocks, especially peridotites, eclogitic metagabbros and eclogitic-glaucophanitic metabasalts. The numerous wetlands are also a defining feature: they are considered the most important biotopes in the protected area. For visitors interested in natural history, Champdepraz therefore offers subjects that go beyond mere viewpoints and make close observation worthwhile.

Hiking and trail experiences

The network of trails in Mont Avic Natural Park offers hiking opportunities in every season. From November to May, many trails are usually largely covered in snow and can only be traversed by experienced people with suitable equipment. One hiking trail passes through various types of forest to the rural villages of Boden and Gettaz des Allemands, across the pastures of Pana and to the lake of the same name. Along the way, geomorphological features, rural architecture, forest birds, and the flora and fauna of the wetlands are among the highlights; there are also views of Monte Rosa and the Matterhorn.

The Giroparchi trail network also expands the area for exploration: its main route connects Mont Avic Natural Park with Gran Paradiso National Park. One starting point is in Chevrère di Champdepraz, at the Covarey visitor centre. Another unusual perspective is offered by the rural road from Veulla to Pont de Leser. It can be used after sunset with a portable lamp and an audio guide. Fifteen stops, identified by reflective markers, offer a unique nighttime perspective on the protected area.

Mining history along the trails

In Champdepraz, the former use of the landscape can be traced in several places. The remains of the Hérin copper mine, located outside the protected area, are visible along Trail No. 8. They include buildings, inaccessible tunnel entrances, a large spoil heap and several cableway supports. The iron-copper mineral deposits of Hérin above the main village and outside the park were intensively exploited in the 18th century and intermittently until 1951. On Trail No. 6, the Lac Gelé mine is also visible, with tunnel entrances and mining spoil heaps.

Further evidence completes this picture: the ruins of the Servaz blast furnace preserve structural details that make it possible to understand how it operated. At the Barma de Rova millstone quarry, several only roughly shaped millstones are visible on the rock face. Numerous charcoal-burning sites stand out along Trails 3, 5c and 7a in the forests of Val Chalamy. The rural buildings in Champdepraz are also part of the local character; they were built from stone and wood obtained locally.

When choosing your accommodation in Champdepraz, you can therefore decide which focus should shape your days: natural-history impressions in the protected area, hikes through forests and across pastures, nighttime trail experiences, or traces of ore mining and traditional construction. The different trail themes help you tailor your travel plans to the interests of your companions.

Further destinations for travel planning: Bard, Ollomont, Nus, Saint Pierre, Saint Jacques, Doues, Pontboset, Allein

Back to the main travel overview: Aosta Valley.