Geneva Hiking with Dogs - February 2021 - Col de Marchairuz, VD
I happen to also be the organiser of a group called Geneva Hiking with Dogs, which I do on a voluntary basis and has been running for a little over four years now!
Walks generally take place around once a month, and I try to do them in different locations to encourage people living in all corners of Geneva and the surrounding areas to attend. It has been less frequent over the last year due to various restrictions put in place thanks to COVID, but these walks/hikes continue to be the highlight of my weekend when I am able to organise them.
If you are interested in joining one of the walks, you will find the group on meetup.com, Facebook and glocals.com where I post any walks being organised. We would love to see you on one of the walks!
A socially distanced group photo…how our lives have changed!
We had some new joiners as well as some regulars who joined, which is a mix I enjoy very much!
The start point for this walk was at the Sapin à Simëon car park, on Col de Marchairuz. This is close to St George and Gimel in Vaud. From there we started our 3 hour 8km loop hike, much of which was on packed spring snow.
You can find the full itinerary of the hike here.
There is history behind this spot, where people carrying loads by foot would rest under a big fir tree. This link also gives you a map of a smaller loop you can do if you have children with you or you simply want to do a smaller walk from here.
From the car park, you cross the road and follow the main footpath which is pretty much straight until you eventually come to a little refuge.
Much of the walk is through a the forest - at points you can get a view of the lake down to Geneva on a clear day.
The dogs were having a great time playing, sniffing and frolicking. The pack today were certainly lively and covered a lot more mileage than us humans!
Half way point, arrival at the refuge for a quick food and drink stop for everyone
There was a bit of hesitation whether we would need snow shoes or not - I felt that given the snow was quite packed, that perhaps snow shoes were going to be more of a hindrance than an aid, however there were still some deep snow in sections, making this hike a bit more challenging than expected!
There is one crossing of the main road, which the dogs need to be on the lead for, however other than that, the dogs could enjoy this nature walk in liberty and they were all very well behaved and stuck to the foot path without wondering off to hunt/get lost/adventure!
(Of course, this assumes you have total verbal control of your dog, that it does not run off to hunt wildlife, or bother other hikers using the paths. It should be noted that during fawning season of 1st April to 15th July every year, dogs must be kept on a lead in forested/wooded areas as per the law)
The walk is not very challenging from an incline perspective, so if you have children old enough to walk for 3 hours or you are able to carry them for all/part of the walk, this is very accessible for families as well.
This is definitely now cemented as one of my Happy Places, and makes a nice change from the usual haunts of St Cergue for a day out in the mountains.
Fun factor for child: 4/5 - enjoy a walk in nature with a nice view
Fun factor for dog: 5/5 - Enjoy a walk through the forest
Pram-friendly: No. If you want to come here with a pram however, you can do a smaller circuit and stay in the forest area nearer the car park rather than doing the full loop up to Col de Marchairuz
Water Access for dogs: No, come prepared with drinking water for your dog
Potable water: No, come prepared with water for yourself
Baby changing facilities: No
Other notes: This location is high enough in altitude that the weather conditions could be very different than Nyon/Geneva/Lausanne. Be sure to check the weather conditions and pack appropriate equipment for everyone. I did do this hike 4 times in the space of 2 months, and the weather varied from deep powdery snow with -10 centigrade to packed spring snow in 10 centigrade. Luka definitely needed a coat and snow boots for the sub zero temperatures.
Please review the Disclaimer before attempting any walk or activity mentioned on this website.
