# Orvieille Royal Hunting Lodge from Eaux Rousses

What to do en Gran Paradiso · Gran Paradiso

Fuente: https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/orvieille-royal-hunting-lodge · Revisado: 2026-11-11

- Duración: 4 h 30
- Temporada: All year; in winter, with snowshoes if there is snow
- Para quién: Reasonably fit

A 2 to 2 h 30 climb of 499 m through larch forest to the Savoy hunting lodge in Valsavarenche; a route suggested for winter.

What it is
The Orvieille royal hunting lodge, at 2,165 m in Valsavarenche, was one of Victor Emmanuel II of Savoy's favourite places for hunting. The Gran Paradiso National Park was born precisely from that royal reserve, which saved the ibex from extinction. Today the building is a hut for the park rangers and a support base for research, and it cannot be visited inside: what you come for is the climb, the open basin in which it sits and the animals you see along the way.
The park presents this path as a winter itinerary. With the larches bare, the view opens over the valley and it is easier to see wildlife. In summer you climb just the same, by the same path.
The route in numbers

Start: Eaux Rousses, 1,666 m, in Valsavarenche.
Finish: Orvieille royal hunting lodge, 2,165 m.
Ascent: 499 m of climbing (585 m if you start from Creton).
Time: 2 h to 2 h 30 to climb, according to the park. With the descent and a stop at the top, count between 4 and 4 h 30.
Season: the park suggests it for winter, with snowshoes if there is snow; without snow it is a normal mountain walk.

Step by step

The start. About 50 m before the Hostellerie du Paradis hotel, in Eaux Rousses, a signpost marks the beginning. The path crosses the meadows in front of the hotel.
The forest. You enter a large forest, broken by clearings and old terraces. The climb is gradual, in zigzags, and at every bend the valley appears from a different angle.
The summer pastures. You pass the ruins of the Rondzegou alp, and higher up you see below, in a hollow, the alpeggi of Carré and Rujaz: the old economy of the valley, livestock going up and down to pasture according to the season, just as wildlife does.
The high meadows. The path cuts across the meadows above the summer pastures. Here, with poorly settled snow, you have to be careful.
The Orvieille basin. A last forest of larches and Swiss stone pines leaves you at the entrance to the basin, with the hunting lodge.

To descend, go back the same way or go down towards the La Ruya alp and from there to the hamlet of Creton.
Wildlife
In winter the forest animals are still active: chamois, squirrels, woodpeckers, tits, robins and crossbills. With the trees bare they are easier to see. Bring binoculars and walk quietly in the clearings.
Snow and bad weather
If there is a risk of avalanches or poorly settled snow, the park advises climbing from Creton rather than from Eaux Rousses, and avoiding crossing the meadows above the summer pastures. Before setting out in winter, check the Aosta Valley avalanche bulletin and, if you have no experience with snowshoes, go with a park guide. In fog or storm, the basin is exposed: don't stay up there.
Getting there and parking
Eaux Rousses is a hamlet in Valsavarenche, on the road that climbs along the valley floor from Villeneuve towards Pont. Park in the hamlet without blocking access or the hotel entrance. To complete the day, in Degioz, the valley's main village, are the park's visitor centre and the ethnographic museum, and in Creton there are houses of traditional Aostan architecture.
From Pont, at the end of the same road, the summer path to the Nivolet plain begins.
With children and dogs
With children who already walk for a few hours it goes well: it has no difficult sections, only a steady climb. In winter, better with snowshoes of their size and a short outing. With a dog, check the park regulations first, which restrict dogs on many paths and at certain dates.

## Cómo llegar y contacto

- Coordenadas: 45.577, 7.216

## Cerca de aquí

- [Vittorio Sella Hut, in the Lauson basin](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/vittorio-sella-hut-ibex), a 8.4 km
- [Paradisia Alpine Botanical Garden in Valnontey](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/paradisia-alpine-garden), a 9.8 km
- [Nivolet Plain, by road from Ceresole or on foot from Pont](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/nivolet-plateau), a 11.5 km
- [Lillaz waterfalls, a circular walk from the village](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/lillaz-waterfalls), a 13.5 km
- [Jervis Hut from Ceresole Reale](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/jervis-hut), a 14.7 km
- [Lake Loie from Lillaz](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso/things-to-do/loie-lake), a 14.8 km

## Consejos

### Start from Creton if the snow is not settled
It is the alternative the park advises when there is avalanche risk; it adds 86 m of ascent.

### Bring binoculars
In winter, without leaves, it is easy to see chamois and forest birds from the path.

### Come down by La Ruya
If conditions are good, return by the La Ruya alp to Creton to take a different path.

## Preguntas frecuentes

### How long does it take to climb to Orvieille?
From 2 h to 2 h 30 from Eaux Rousses, according to the park, for 499 m of ascent.

### Can you visit the hunting lodge inside?
No. Today it is a hut for park rangers and a research base; you see it from outside.

### Can it be done in winter?
Yes, the park suggests it as a winter route, with snowshoes if there is snow and caution on the high meadows.

Destino: [Gran Paradiso](https://www.geocalia.com/en/italy/aosta-valley/gran-paradiso.md)