Strada Reale di Caccia (Royal Hunting Road): Dondenaz to Chardonney

Dogs Unknown

Features Views

This is your reward for climbing the Champorcher to Dondenaz Forest Road. Well, hopefully you also visited Lago Miserin while you were up there and/or came through the Finestra di Champorcher pass.

In any case, this route starts at the crossroads in Dondenaz just north of the Torrente Ayasse (Creek). A narrow singletrack through a pasture parallels (and joins for a short distance) the Champorcher to Dondenaz Forest Road. You'll likely encounter livestock (the cows are docile but give them appropriate space), and you'll have to open and close electric fences behind you.

After 1.5 miles, the trail transitions to a doubletrack, and you'll enter a three-way intersection near several buildings. Continue straight to head down towards a bridge over the Torrente Ayasse.

As the doubletrack nears the Torrente Ayasse, it enters a dense forest, and the route remains mostly forested until it reaches the town of Chardonney. After 2.5 miles, the trail opens into a clearing.

From this point, the trail base switches to loose stones, dropping about 400 m (1300 ft) in two miles. At points along this section, the stones in the roadbed are very loose and rutted.