The trek from Col de Joux Plane to La Bougeoise in Samoëns is one of our top family hikes in the French Alps. Located in the Haute-Savoie region, La Bourgeoise is an approximately 6 km loop trail that offers picturesque panoramic mountain views of the Mont Blanc Massif, Mont Buet, and the Aravis Range. Only a 20 minute drive away from Morzine, the La Bourgeoise Samoëns hike is an excellent hike to enjoy when visiting Morzine in summer. In this French Alps with Kids guide, you’ll find details and photos to help plan a hike to La Bourgeoise.
La Bourgeoise, Samoëns
Duration: 1 hour. Difficulty: Easy. Starting Point: Col de Joux Plane
The starting point for the La Bourgeoise hike is off the Col de Joux Plane, a renown mountain pass located in Samoëns. Arriving from the direction of Morzine, you will first see the Lac de Joux Plane and a restaurant, Le Relais des Vallées, just across the road from the lake. There is parking for several cars along the road next to the lake, and you’ll also find a car park a short distance down the road on the right. More on parking at the end of this post.
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Lac de Joux Plane
The kids enjoyed stopping at the lake before our hike to La Bourgeoise, where they spotted a number of small frogs along the water’s edge. There are several options for hiking in this area, including a circuit around the Lac de Joux Plane.
La Bougeoise Hike Starting Point
For the starting point of the La Bourgeoise Samoëns hike, look for the trailhead signpost marked Joux Plane, alt. 1691m, which is a short walk from the lake on the left side of the road.
At the time of our visit, there were several cows grazing along the mountainside. There is safety wire around this area to keep the cows from getting into the road or other dangerous spots.
The trail to La Bourgeoise Samoëns from Joux Plane takes 30 minutes and it is an easy one to follow. The trail is rocky and uneven at the beginning, and halfway along you are rewarded with stunning views of the surrounding valley and mountain ranges.
Related: Family Hiking in the French Alps
This is the part of the trail when you have your first glimpse of the Mont Blanc massif in the distance!
La Croix de Mapellet
The mountain top of La Bourgeoise is marked with a cross, La Croix de Mapellet, and an orientation table that displays the names of the mountain ranges, valleys and other landmarks shown in the spectacular panoramic view before you.
Related: Morzine France in the Summer
This is a popular picnic spot in the summertime. We packed some sandwiches and snacks to have lunch at the summit (1710m) while taking in the views and watching the paragliders launch from La Bourgeoise.
Paragliders at La Bourgeoise
It is always fascinating to watch paragliders in the mountains and we enjoyed seeing the paragliders launch from La Bourgeoise and glide over the picturesque Giffre Valley.
We had a lovely day on La Bourgeoise Samoëns hiking trail, taking in the spectacular views of the Haute-Savoie mountain massifs and enjoying a beautiful summer’s day in the outdoors. We followed the trail the same way heading back to Joux Plane and had a real treat seeing birds of prey, possibly eagles, soaring over the mountains nearby.
Chalets de Mapellet
About 5 minutes from La Bourgeoise, there is a signpost for Mapellet, alt 1758m. A trail heads down to the Chalets de Mapellets, which are a short walk away and can be seen in the photo below. This trail is another option for heading back, since after passing the Chalets de Mapellets, the trail meets up again with the original way to Joux Plane.
Col de Joux Plane Car Park
Address: Chemin Rural de Mapellet, Samoëns, France
Heading towards Joux Plane from Morzine, you will first find parking for several cars along the road next to the lake. Further down the road from the lake on the right, you’ll find a car park (shown below) close to the La Bourgeoise trailhead.
https://www.alltrails.com/trail/france/haute-savoie/la-bourgeoise
La Bourgeoise Samoëns Hiking Trail Map
View the Col de Joux Plane to La Bourgeoise hiking routes on this All Trails map below. We went straight back and forth between Joux Plane and La Bourgeoise, however, there are several options for hiking including taking the path to the Chalets de Mapallet and/or carrying on around the walking circuit at Lac de Joux Plane.
French Alps with Kids Guide
I hope you found some inspiration and ideas from our list of family hikes in the French Alps. Hiking is one of the top things to do with kids when staying in Chamonix or Morzine, and there are plenty of options around these areas to enjoy outdoor adventures in the mountains.
Read on for more tips and reviews for planning a family summer trip to the Alps;
Family Hikes in the French Alps
Guide to Visiting Morzine in Summer
Guide to Visiting Chamonix in Summer
Grand Balcon Sud Chamonix Hike – La Flégère to Planpraz
Parc de Merlet, Les Houches in the French Alps
Hike to Lago d’Arpy, Aosta Valley, Italy with Kids
Pin for Later – La Bourgeoise Hike in Samoëns, Haute-Savoie
