The mountains and lakes of Haute-Savoie make for exceptional quality of scenery and heritage. The Departmental Walking and Trekking Routes Plan (PDIPR) has been drafted with the twin goals of improving access to the countryside for as many people as possible andmaking the most of every corner of the department.
Large numbers of the general public use the trails either on foot, mountain-bike or horse-back.
Trails like these enable walkers to discover the varied heritage and beautiful outdoors of the Haute Savoie area.
For decades, local federations and associations of walking enthusiasts have vaunted the delights of walking in Haute Savoie, and, in more recent times, holiday resorts and local communities have attempted to respond to the growing demand for this activity.
It is in this context, and pursuant to the powers accorded to it by French law, that the Haute-Savoie Department Council has launched a policy of improving the network of trekking routes.
The development of a Departmental Walking and Trekking Routes Plan in Haute-Savoie is the central tool with which the activity is to be developed. While the Departmental Plan may indirectly play a part in establishing legal protection for the paths, its primary purpose is to create the necessary favourable conditions for the public to explore areas of nature that are both well-known or yet to be discovered.
Moreover, the Plan also provides for coherent, high quality way-marking, which, in time, will become an essential aid to finding one’s way around the whole of the Haute Savoie area.
The Council’s ambition is to for all the routes included in the Departmental Plan, whether bridle-ways, hiking paths or mountain-bike trails, to be recognised by members of the public as high-quality routes that enable them to discover the rich heritage of the Haute Savoie area in all its diverse splendour. Non-specialists must feel absolutely confident that the trail they are following is indeed the one they have chosen.
Our purpose in setting up this website is to help you discover the many riches of our department: little by little, it will make the whole of the Council’s selected network visible and accessible.
Happy trekking!
Christian MONTEIL,
President of the Haute-Savoie Department Council.
